Hi guys!
Another week has passed since my last travel story.
Any positive news about COVID-19 in your countries? Slovenia is fighting well and situation is calming down these days. Life is slowly getting back to normal, so I had a lunch at the restaurant after two months. As you could saw through my posts, I was also able to visit Kranjska Gora again. It was great feeling to change your environment and to be able to breathe fresh mountain air.
I have to thank all of my supporters and whole Hive community for such an amazing response to my last travel story. It all started with good work recognition from @phortun who is really active here on Hive and has also an amazing blog, so check it out. He curated my post with TipU project as well, which gave a boost at the beginning. I have to highlight also my biggest upvote ever received which came from @appreciator. It was value of about 35 HP. Thank you @appreciator, I really appreciate it!
There were many many others with high upvotes and other minnows like myself with small ones. I am grateful for everyone. Even @theycallmedan stopped by :)
I also pinned last travel story at Pinmapple and get their immediate support. I was featured as top 3 at their Travel Digest. Great thing and very simple so if you are not a part of it, you should try!
To conclude my last travel story and start writing a new one, I would like to say that all your recognition gave me a huge boost to continue with my work and a confirmation that my effort put in the blog is not overlooked and on Hive just that it is, but you, my fellow Hiveans, are actually reading and looking it. Thank you very much again and hopefully you will like my today’s story as well.
Never seen happiness like that
I will continue where I have left at previous photo story from Namibia. If you have missed it, feel free to take a look at it on the following link.
After a few hour drive on day 4, we arrived to Damaraland, which is a north-central region in Namibia where Damara people are living. They are one of many tribes in the country and one of the most interesting ones, at least from my experience. They are also very open and positive, so they really stayed in my memory as good people.
We planned to get to know their culture and habits better, so we planned a visit of living museum, which is almost on the way from Swakopmund to our next sleep stop at Twyfelfontein.
It turned out that visit of this living museum was one of the best things we could do. I am not a museum guy, not really into art, so that museum is the only one I would visit again :)
There you can see how this people used to live and still live in some ways. They tell you everything from their beginning and where to settle their village, from life these days, which is a bit different anyway. You get to see their living tents, cloths which hardly cover anything, their food, social life and much more. You will see most through photos below. But still to describe just few additional things.
One of them which can not be seen on the photos is language. If you would hear them speak… That is amazing. They are communicating (hard to say talking) with thong clapping. That is closest description that I can give you, sorry. So interesting and impossible for me to do. Only our guide was English speaking, so we were able to get all the information.
Other thing is how innovative they are. They don’t know what is Play Station and other video games, nor do they know what is this internet. But they are still able to find themselves a game and something to amuse them. They were playing “their version on cheess” with so much joy, even though they are playing the same game day after day. In our, modern culture we are used to having so many choices and we do get bored of everything so soon.
This people know how vital is fire for surviving, so they can burn it in lets say a minute or so. Amazing! Just with some stick, straw and some wood at the bottom. I don’t know how. It is an amazing feeling looking they doing that in front of your eyes. Usually we are looking only some TV shows where they are in the wild (or acting that they are), but watching in person is so different.
Still the best thing were people, I don’t find the word to describe them, maybe genuine in some way would be appropriate. How they are dancing and singing. That is unbelievable. The energy, joy, positivity. Again, I am not that much of an art person so I am not into dancing or singing but looking them, half naked and barefoot. That is something else. I don’t know maybe I am overenthusiastic, or you would think that I am exaggerating, but that is how I felt this people and most of the people on this travel in Namibia.
Not looking as comfortable as home sofa
Painted face
Our guide with special hat which ranks him higher among others
No skyscrapers there
That means being innovative
They made a fire before I can make it with a lighter
Dancing is Africa...
... and singing of course
Now I will jump on next day a little bit, to finish my story with Damara people.
We were so excited about our first day visit to go again next day, even though it was not planned. We choose another tour which shows how they were hunting and gathering. We went to the wild with few of them and they showed us all the plants and for what medications they are using them. It was really interesting and I would like to try it to see if it is really working.
Other part was hunting. They showed us some of the weapons they had. We are talking about spears and bows, not to think they have something else. Our hunter also animated a real hunt for us, so it was interesting.
Here we come to an end with Damarapeople and to the best part. We were talking with our guide to see how well they know the outside world and we came to sports topic as I am a huge sports fan. We realized that football is really like a religion of all the world. They know superstars also there in the middle of nowhere in Namibia. He was speaking to us with passion about football. We dig deeper and asked if they are also playing football, and he said that yes very much. Their field was couple of minutes away at their real home, so that would be an interesting thing to see, but we didn’t ask them to show us that as we were quite tight on time. Next thing we asked was how they play it? Do they have a proper ball? He said that they have some kind of an improvised ball. I started thinking and imagining how that ball looks like. I don’t know why but I imagined it as a Wilson ball at Robinson Crusoe movie, but probably it was in much worse condition.
We always gave something at the end to people we were visiting or stopping by there in Namibia, so that time was no difference. Each time people were happy when they get something and you could already saw in last travel story that they didn’t even know that praline have to be unfolded before eating. Still this time it was something else. It can not be described, but it will stay in my memory for always. We gave them a ball, an official quality football ball from some World cup competition. We had it with us, prepared to give it to some kids on our travel, but I would say that was even better moment to give it away. We planned to pump it somewhere as it was not pumped and you needed a needle to pump it. But that was not necessary as at the moment we gave it out of the car, they were starting yelling and jumping around. In positive way of course. All village came to see this ball. One of them get it and started blowing in it, and the ball became rounder and rounder. He was blowing so much that after few minutes it was just as the one Messi is playing with. I didn’t even know it is possible to blow it like this as I always used a needle and pump.
I would say that they closed their living museum for that day and played football all day long. If I could know if they are still playing with “our” ball and what is the condition of it…
Such an amazing experience. That ball meant more to them then a new car to me. I can not imagine what would make me that happy, beside getting my son.
He is defending the village
Don't mess with him...
You would never know what will can do!
And now we are back again to day 4 of our travel. After getting to end destination at ǀUi-ǁAis where we had lodge for this night. Say what? That name is a typo, right? No, actually ǀUi-ǁAis stands for Twyfelfontein in Damara language and yes, I admit I had to copy that from the web as I don’t know how to do all this letters.
Twyfelfontein is a great place with a lot to do. It is located in the middle of nowhere as many other places in Namibia. If you are lucky (or unlucky) you can meet also desert elephants or even lions in the vicinity. We didn’t meet them in person there, but only engravings which are the main reason to visit this place. They say that this place have been inhabited for over 6000 years and estimation of when the engravings and paintings showed on the photos below were made, is to be a bit before Christus. It shows a great heritage and takes you back to the past. I really enjoyed the round path leading to the engravings as landscape and vegetation there is so different from the country I come from.
That is not children playing...
... that is heritage
This 2500 years old engraving still looks better than my drawing
Hopefully that won't be the last rhino in Africa one day
Now we already know that trees are though figters
Come on! I can se how proud he is living in this environment
Another interesting stop in the vicinity are rock formations, so called Organ pipes. That begin to formed already 150 million of years ago. We were late on the spot, so visibility was not the best, so also photography is not the best.
Well these organ pipes are here millions of years so I probably have time to revisit and catch them in the sun
We had stayed in Twyfelfontein Lodge this night and it didn’t let us down. Room by itself is nothing special, but comfortable enough for the time I spent inside (sleep only). Plus of this lodge was surroundings which were clear and all tidy. Knowing where this lodge is located you are even more impressed. Food was again good and it tasted even better eating it on the balcony terrace with great landscape overview. Overall great place to stay!
Again, how that kind of grass in that conditions
One of the best lodges on our trip considering the location
And now last stop in today’s travel story which was already at day 5 of our travel. I have to admit that this travel story writing goes almost as fast as being on this trip. It will be over before it really begins. We started from Twyfelfontein towards Kamanjab area where was stop point for day 5. But not to overtake events, I would like to share only Petrified forest today.
Again, it was a short stop, but well worth. Everything is interesting as it is so different. We always try to do and see as much as we can on our travels, so tempo is really high. Some prefer more relaxed travel; I rather try to see as much as possible.
Petrified forest is there for many many years as well. It was created through millions of years. Layer after layer were put on top of the trees and it become like a sandstone around. I found very interesting how heavy each piece is. Nice walkaround the park and gives you think what nature does over the years…
Thanks God, we didn't arrive by bus as parking place was occupied
Doesn't look special, but it is
Heavy as a rock...
... hmmm, maybe it is classified as a rock
Special anyhow
Like I said at the beginning I am looking forward for your comments about my travel story. All of you who have already been to this country please feel free to share your experience, or maybe we even have some Namibians among us Hiveans. I appreciate your support and thank you for your time to read my travel story. See you next Monday with another story, in between you can still check my posts for some photos from around the World.
Stay safe and enjoy life!
Thanks for reading and watching my story!
Thank you for the shout out my friend :) It was my pleasure to support your last travel report and I am happy to do it again today. You took some truly fascinating shots there that provide a unique insight into the culture of the Damara People. Obviously, human happiness has nothing to do with wealth, that´s something I have figured out myself on my travels too ;)
Another top notch travel piece Andy. I hope it will get at least as much recognition as your last post did ;)
@tipu curate 3
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 0/30)
Hey Petr, at first thank you as always.
It started the same way as last travel story, with your recognition :)
I am glad you like that one as well and especially that you have similar conclusion from the travel.
We will see how it goes with recognition. By now I already know that many things can happen. I am happy with response already, but hope that more fellow Hiveans will be able to see my story.
Thanks again and have a great week!
Thank you @EwkaW and whole @Qurator team. Much appreciated!
My pleasure! :)
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So many beautiful shots. I bet that was an amazing experience. Thank you for sharing all of these photos.
Thank you for checking out my story Wes and for the nice words.
It was great experience and I am sure you got some similar one from Africa...
I'm really loving your journey through Namibia and thanks for supporting Pinmapple!!!
Thank you for stopping by!
I am happy to hear that you like it.
I still have some of the best parts coming, at least photography concerned.
Awesome post! Happiness looks so different in that part of the world and we all have to appreciate more of what we have while others tend to be happier with way less more things in their lives.
Thank you! Glad you like it...
Yes, my travel there opened my eyes, but soon after getting back to "modern" society it simply drains you back in...
I totally feel you! Unfortunately...
Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Top 3 in Daily Travel Digest #846.
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That is great!
Thank you very much for your support.
See you soon with another story!
You're very welcome @crazy-andy! It was really deserved! keep up the good work!
cheers, liz