Shannon goes to the Kunene

Our second visitor was Auntie Shannon, who came all the way from Bremerton, Washington to visit at the end of September. We were so excited to see her that I think we ran her ragged with our touring. Just a few hours after she arrived, we took her to a benefit for an NGO. She got to witness first hand how formal events are in Windhoek, with all the protocol that must be followed when Ministers and other important people are present. The speeches lasted for 2 ½ hours and we didn’t get served dinner until after 9:00. The next day she was allowed to “rest”, if resting means going to a Girl Guides meeting and having a Braai at our house. We then went off on a five day trip through northeastern Namibia. Our first stop was Etosha, where we had another magical night at the waterhole (elephants, giraffe, zebras, rhino, gemsbok, wildebeest, jackal, etc. etc.). After Etosha, we went over the stunning Grootberg pass in northern Damaraland towards the Kunene region and Palmwag.

Shannon on the game drive

The highlight of the trip for me was a tour that Shannon and I took up into Kunene region to visit a Himba village. With our private guide, we went about two hours north of Palmway on a gravel road, passing one car in the other direction and almost no settlements. This area just grew more and more beautiful the further north we drove. We then came across a few small settlements, and then came across the outpost town of Sesfontein, which is home to Damara and Herero people. This is the Wild West region of Namibia, where there are hardly any people, any roads, and anyone visiting at all. Sesfontein does have some shops, and a surprisingly nice lodge which we stopped by, that was made out of the old German fort.


Beautiful scenery on our drive

We then to pick up our Herero guide. The Himba are closely related to the Herero, and they speak very similar languages. Then we drove over to the village. We first waited while the guide went in and asked an elder for permission for us to enter, then we entered. The only ones in the village were women, children, and older men. The younger men were all out tending their goats and cattle. They follow their herds for 20-40 kilometers today, out in the hot sun walking barefoot in the harsh terrain. Sometimes they are gone for days at a time. The women were cooking, making crafts, and making buildings.

The Himba are one of the last nomadic tribes on Earth, and still lead a very traditional lifestyle. They have retained much more of their culture and traditional ways than the Bushmen, probably because they are in such a remote region. The women are famous for their red skin. They make a mixture of red ochre and fat that they rub all over their hair and skin. They also perfume themselves by burning herbs and sitting in a closed up hut (essentially smoking themselves). The women were very beautiful, and had perfect skin. They were very much into having their photos taken, but were concerned about their appearances. They had to have their hair, hairpieces, etc. just perfect, and laughed and laughed at each others’ photos. We spent a lot of time taking photos and showing photos, and they could have posed all day.


Shannon showing a photo to the women


Himba woman with her baby

One of the woman was in the process of making one of their mud huts when we arrived. She showed us how they mix cow dung with mud to make the thick walks of the huts. It is apparently very good insulation, keeping the huts cool in the hot summer days and warm in the cool winter nights. She was very proud of the hut, and wanted numerous pictures taken of it.











Many of the children do not go to school, though there are some mobile schools for them set up by the government. These women did not know how old they were are what day of the week it was. But, when they sold us crafts, they were shrewd businesswomen and were experts at accounting.



After meeting the Himbas, our guide drove the 4x4 into a dry riverbed about 30 minutes away, and we had lunch with goats, cows and children sitting around. It was quite funny.




While Shannon & I were gone for the day visiting the Himba people, Ruby and bill went on a game drive.

We then had a long drive down the skeleton coast, stopping at shipwrecks, the Cape Fur Seals and even running out of gas at one point (don't ask, but it was a small adventure). We stayed for two nights in Swapokmund and had a nice time at the seaside, before returning to Windhoek.


Skeleton Coast Ship Wreck


Alice is a big fan of the skeleton coast!

In Windhoek, we went for another braai, visited "Heroes' Acre", the Namibian national monument to the War Veterans that looks a lot like the Washington monument, and a rest by the pool.


Climbing Up Heroes' Acre


We were so happy that Shannon could come! Anyone else? Your time is running out...