I visited Namibia as a “bonus” destination on my first trip to Africa back in 2016. Because Botswana and Namibia border a shallow section of the Chobe River, I was able to take a boat to a small “customs” outpost about a 15 minute ride from my lodge and take a village walk. I was able to see how the villagers constructed their homes and gardens and learn about their daily life. I even got to interact with two women and their children, with the aid of my guide as a translator, of course. I did not take many pictures, as I wanted to respect the privacy of the family and the children were very young.
God willing, I plan to revisit Namibia and really delve into the country with planned visits to Cape Cross, Etosha National Park, Swakopmund, Sesriem Canyon, Sossusvlei, Damaraland, Windhoek and others.
While I did not spend much time in Namibia, I had an excellent guide that shared what a typical day in the life of the locals would normally be like. Their days were filled with manual labor with the women taking care of the home, the children, gardening and many times even construction projects in the community. Men would typically erect structures but the women would fortify the wooden walls with mud and then decorate the insides and plan out the space. It was definitely an interesting day and I really learned a lot.
Stay tuned for Namibia 2.0…