khutse trip a success

well the girls got back from khutse last night and really enjoyed themselves... They didn't encounter any lions or leopards in the park, but in the morning when they took off for their San bushman walk... there were leopard prints right behind the place they were staying... Also, they were told there was a truck carrying a leopard that just came through,, apparently had gotten too close to the village or something.

On Saturday morning they went for a "bush walk" with a local San villager nicknamed "Size." The majority of those in Botswana are referred to as Batswana or Tswana people, but the oldest inhabitants of Botswana, and Southern Africa in general, are the San people. They are probably best known in popular culture for their role in "The Gods Must Be Crazy" pictures. In Botswana you mainly find them in the central-western part of the country, in the Kalahari Desert, which is where Khutse Game Reserve is located. One of the activities at the lodge is a bush walk, where you are led by Size and the interpreter. Size then demonstrates the methods by which the San have been able to survive for thousands of years as hunter/gatherers. In the slideshow, you'll see the method by which he makes fire with 2 sticks. He cuts a rivet in one stick, then lays it on top of the knife for stability. Under the knife is a small pile of soft dry grass. He the holds the other stick on end and turns it back and forth on the rivet. The idea is that as the hot ash falls onto the dry grass, then you can blow it and start the fire. I know its possible because 1) they've been doing it for thousands of years and 2)our friends saw it on the same walk. However, Size was a bit tired this time. He was breaking a sweat while the thing was only smoking, so we asked him to stop. We were just glad to see the technique.

Some of the other pictures show him peeling a wild potato. He peeled it, grated it with a stick, and then took a pile of the grated potato and squeezed the water into his mouth, using his thumb as a "spout." Then you'll see pictures of me (Michelle) trying to imitate him...mostly just an unattractive shot of my craned neck. I did get it though - not surprisingly, it tasted like potato water. The most impressive thing about all this is that he could scan the ground and pick out the 3 inch plant that would then lead us to this huge tuber, in the midst of a bush covered with plants after these recent rains. It was really amazing.

Some of the other plants included another tuber, that when peeled is beet red. They use it for women who are preparing to get pregnant - grate it, boil it, and have the woman drink - increases fertility and prepares the womb for the baby. I would LOVE to know what's in it. In the slide show, there may also pictures of the translator showing us the milkweed plant - he put some of the sap on his arm to show us. That plant is given to men to increase virility. I asked if it was a lifelong boost - apparently not...."that would be really uncomfortable" is what the translator, Tshepang, said. About the wild cucumber, they explained that they would have to grill it, let it cool, and then they could it eat it. If they eat it raw, Tshepang said that it would make the inside of their mouth burn and peel. I was really struck by all of this. I've had a coupld of kids come in dead to the hospital after traditional medicine treatments. Then you think about someone who usually takes all their healing from the ground, then they come to the hospital and watch all of these foreign, painful things happen to their child....its got to be so disturbing for them. I'm not sure how to reconcile the two. Usually most parents won't admit to traditional medicine use, because they know how the medical staff views it. I just tell them that this (Western medicine) is all I know, so that's all that I can help them with, and try not to make any judgements about the other stuff. You know there has to be some validity in all of it...especially if the milkweed gives results like that.

Anyway, the place was in the middle of Botswana and on the edge of the Kalahari. Michelle said it was beautiful, quiet and sky at night was unbelievable.. One side story... Julia asked, after seeing the leopard prints , if the bushmen ever carried any weapons with them on this walk... they said no.. which made them feel confident.. then in front of them there was some rustling around in the bush... their guide start jumping up and down.... frantically...thinking it was a leopard.. turns out it was a jack rabbit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEDt7gYETUM Here's a slideshow of their adventure there... some notes.. the traditional hut in the photo show, they entered with caution.. there was leopard prints around that as well, and they checked for snakes. The traditional family(photo above) they encountered on their walk. They were driving down the path within the reserve and saw tracks on the path. They were getting excited, thinking that they were on the heels of a big cat, when all of a sudden they came upon....a horse and a donkey, carrying this family. It looked like they were on their way home, which is literally in the middle of nowhere. The saddlebags (the "saddle" was a blanket) were made out of animal skins. This is about as authentic as you get in Botswana, although the guy was still in jeans. They waved the car over and motioned for food. The girls gave fruit, granola and water, then asked if they could get their picture. You'll see the left eye of the little girl is swollen. When they tried to ask what happened, the father motioned as if the child had gotten poked in the eye. It was hard to tell if the infection was getting better or worse....hopefully better.

What's great about this place is that its about a 3 hours drive from Gabs, so it's a nice place to go for a night.. you travel about 2/3 of it on normal roads, and then the last 100 kms are all on dirt... very fun.

We are keeping it real here today.. Michelle is taking Julia back to the airport, the kids are making a camp in the tree in our backyard and I am cleaning a bit.. soon to swim.

Sundays are still a little tough here... I think the kids get a little homesick, bored and not sure what to do with themselves.. this camp they're making is a good way to pass the time.. All for now.

Happy belated valentines day... If you really want to impress those you love say.... Ke ago rata!!!! Ago is pronounced a-ho. It means I love you in Setswana... i'm just soaking all this amazing culture up.. I also know what fart and stomach are.. no, i haven't learned to cuss in setswana yet..