We left Melissas guesthouse after a good breakfast. My travel mates and I were in Shapas car today, whose name basically means that he was a vaccine marker - essentially, he branded their cattle. He had another name, that I cannot spell, which means what kind of weapon which dates back to the German occupation and how their fighters had to use weapons that were but available. When he first started out as a guide, he faced a lot of discrimination, including from other guides, for wearing his traditional dress. Little did many realize that he speaks English, Afrikaans, as well as his native Herero language.
Along the way, we were passing the western border of Etosha National Park, though not going in for a visit. Etosha is approximately 22,000 square kilometers and its name means land for men since men traditionally worked with the grazing cattle and there are wild animals and harsh terrain there. Some people were disappointed to not visit, they wanted a game drive, but that was not part of our itinerary and we pushed onto Epupa Falls. The guides assured us that we had a chance of seeing animals since we were so close
to the border. And it was not long before we saw our first giraffe. It was pretty far in the distance, so not good photos. Meanwhile, George took the time to give us some information about the Mopane tree as well as their culinary snack, Mopane worms. Apparently, during certain times of the year, the Mopane worms can be found covering the ground. Thankfully, not this time of year. But the Mopane tree features prominently in their daily lives, including being used in the construction of the Himba tribes homes.
We stopped at a restaurant in Opuwo where we had lunch for over two hours; all I had was a grilled ham and cheese (toastie). This was pretty standard during the trip - all our meals were at least 2 hours long, usually due to the lateness of preparation for the food for so many people. I was getting so antsy between that and the many stops. :p Road trips in America - go until the gas is almost gone, fill up, pee, and grab food, and be on your way again. Once we left Opuwo, they warned us about their gravel roads, aka African Massage. I was pleasantly
surprised about the road conditions, especially the gravel roads - they were in great shape! You would barely know that you were on one except for the dust. However, the clutch in one of the trucks broke and we had to accept the occupants temporarily in our other cars. Fortunately, we were near a small town with a police station. The and pick up their broken car and drop another while we were at Epupa Falls.
We stopped twice more as we approved the falls, once to see a baobab tree that was atop a valley, and then when we saw a group of three Himba ladies, a couple of them riding the donkey. It was pretty neat to see them in their native dress. Sometimes I always wonder if our trips to villages are put on, but this indicated a true adherence to their local traditions, especially the women, as I saw them everywhere. Including in the grocery store!
We arrived at the lodge and, yet again, it was a on the rooms. There were some rooms that were located right on the river with views of the
falls. My roomie and I got stuck with a hut on the ground away from the falls. We were disappointed. But there were four beds and two bathrooms for us, so.... we tried to make the best of it. However, there was no AC and it was soooooooooo hot. My roomie wound up sleeping on the deck of the restaurant that evening and I was tempted to join her, but if I pointed the fan directly on me, it was not too terrible. Other than that, the lodge was absolutely fantastic. Prime location, nice huts, great showers, and yummy food. The first night we had either oryx steak or two of the women who were to not eat red meat / meat were allowed to have a vegetarian dish - I was so jealous, it looked great with lots of squash and they said it was delicious.
