View from the loo...
Trip Start
Dec 17, 2007
1
10
26
Trip End
Jan 19, 2008
Caprivi Strip,
Namibia
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
View from the loo!
Keywords - Loss of innocence, The kids at Etsha village, Developing Africa for the Africans / Undeveloping the West
Border crossing, Camping in a first class toilet, Bathing in a hippo cage, long drive, peeping Tom Christina style
The following day we pile an even larger number of bodies into a single Land cruiser and head for our staging point and back to the truck ... Etsha village ... when we arrive the truck's battery is not working so we sit in the boiling heat as a large mass of children assemble ... I start making and showing photos are they pile around me in awe and wonder at their own faces on the tiny preview screen of my camera ... it is so lifting to see their happy smiling faces ... whenever I point the camera to take a shot they scramble to get into its field of view ... getting so close on occasion their noses and fingers touch the lens ... a game of football breaks out and we are treated some impressive barefooted skills ... the photos from this moment are amongst the best of the trip ... it is amazing how a breakdown delay can turn into such a wonderful experience ... but it does!
I must comment at the simple innocence of this experience ... in the west if a man was seen playing with a large group of young children ... and taking photos too, the parents would have him arrested as a pervert ... I can't but feel we in the "developed" world have lost something somewhere along the line when thinking back to this day.
We drive across the border and into Namibia ... where we make set camp at what can only be described as one of the more unusual camps on the trip ... the owner of Ngepi camp has decided to make art of the bathing and toilet facilities ... each with its own name and special feature along a 2KM strip that stretches along the river.. there is Bos Kak, the bush loo, The Loo with a view (out over a forest), The forest shower which is set into a tree (made complete on this occasion with a real Cobra!!), the swimming pool is a cage in the river to protect from hippos and crocs ... the kings throne is exactly that a throne loo overlooking the river (and passing tourist boats) ... the his and hers loo is a pink and blue matched pair ... they even have a white tiled "Western" Hotel loo and shower ... Christina gets a bit of a shock as she sinks naked into a bath over the river when a tourist boat pulls up and everyone waves ... all she can do is wave back and cower behind the loo!!
It is a lovely campsite ... nice clean grass ... lots of shady trees ... an open bar area ... and the swim in the river is refreshing if the current is a bit of a challenge to swim against ... needless the say after three days bush camping away from the truck its unusual grooming facilities are more than welcome ...
Comments
Happy New Year
Ngepi sounds just like Clare Simon. Enjoying the blogs (so thats's what a blog is!). Happy New Year
Frank
Travel and photography
Been keeping up with your blog and I'm so jealous. Sounds like a wonderful trip, almost a trip of a lifetime.
I totally agree about photographing children and how in many ways our life is poorer for all the 'safety' imposed on us. I'm really looking forward to seeing your photos when you return.
Keep up the great blogs.