Erindi Elephants, Lions, and San Tribesmen

In an effort to deliver wild animals, culture, and landscape highlights of Namibia over a period of six days for Mark's family, we drove north to Erindi Game Park and the Damara Mopane Lodge in Damaraland. Erindi, predictable as always was spot on as usual with its flora and fauna. The elephant bulls were sweating pheromones from their ears, the giraffes stared at us unimpressed, and the lions ignored our oohs and ahhs when we were "treated" to watch them eat a giraffe carcass that had been rotting in the sun for the past five days, and sleep in the slightly less hot shade of camelthorn trees.  We loaded up on game drives, swimming, naps, gin & tonics, and we loitered by the watering hole watching hippos waddle along the shore and spray poop. Absolute magic. One day an elephant bull made its way there, so we enjoyed watching him cool off and scratch himself on a giant anthill that reached his groin area, just so.

Of particular novelty, we ventured to the "other side," famously known as the Old Trader's Lodge where only the chic people stay. Grubby, cheapskate campers and self-catering chalet goers are not allowed to mix. It's such a big deal, that you get fined if they catch you on the road without a documented reason. Our documentation was to visit a San village on that side of the park, a set up where the fees go to their livelihood in exchange for giving demonstrations and sharing their culture. I know what you are thinking: it's classic poverty tourism and indeed, it felt exactly like that as a truck load of white folks arrived to take pictures of them. Multiple families from age 9 months to 90 joined the group, donned in hand made leather clothing and ostrich jewelry. We felt like voyeurs with one exception: one German woman thought it was totally appropriate to pick up the babies and take selfies. Ugh.

Despite that, the San were super chill and showed us a great deal. They started fires, demonstrated string making, and showed us how they made traps and weapons. The chief got our children to participate in some of the demos too, so after a while it didn't feel as weird.  Their medicinal demonstrations were super cool because to my uneducated eye, many of the plants look like burdensome thorns, tumbleweeds, or scraps of useless bark. When in fact, they are excellent sources of poisons, anti-inflammatories, or soothing tonics. 

It was only 11:30am and the sun was starting to wilt all of the white people. Piling into the truck we waved goodbye and headed back to the lodge only 2 minutes away. Once we exited, no love was lost by the lodge staff on making sure the miscreant Schlink family made it to the car for a hasty departure back to the dark side. 

Mud bath at the watering hole.

Meat sweats.

Credit: Mark

The pharmacy: devil's claw, African onion, acacia bark.

Hand made ostrich egg jewelry.
The woman in the background is making
 perfectly rounded beads by chipping the shell with a blunt tool
against her workspace (granite slab)

The chief stripping down an aloe plant to make into string.
Once it becomes a fine, silky texture, the hair is rolled along
the thigh to bind the hair together into a string.  

San children. Photo credit: Mark