The lake was mostly dry, but Lukasz and I wanted to check it out if possible before sunset, so we headed into the woods and through fields the locals were farming to reach it, but the water didn't seem to get any closer, so we settled for a distant sunset photo.
We made it back before dark, and Gasper showed us the shelter he built for us to eat dinner in. It was rather impressive!
We also had a toilet hole contraption that flushed despite the lack of electricity or pipes. It was rather innovative! There was also running water for a cold shower, which was fine since it had been warm and humid all day.
Joseph had cooked us dinner, and while we were eating, Gasper started a large bonfire, which was made out of gigantic dead palm branches that had fallen into the camp area.
Something I ate today didn't agree with me, and the first of several days of diarrhea started. Hey! At least we had a good bathroom with a contraption that flushed and lots of toilet paper!! And, at least I didn't have a cold anymore. LOL Lukasz let me have some of his Imodium, and other than getting up many times at night to use the bathroom, we slept well and woke early to a light breakfast before driving over to where the bushmen live, about a 45 minute drive in the middle of nowhere. Before leaving, I put rehydration salts in my water bottle to ensure I was getting electrolytes. I was a little bit worried about being sick by the bushmen, but luckily it wasn't as bad as it could have been and I was able to disappear without anyone noticing a couple of times.
On the way there, we passed several people either walking, working in the fields, herding cattle, or driving donkey led carts on the bumpy dirt road. The occasional motorcycle would pass us in the opposite direction heading into the small village where we would be going later that night.
When we arrived at the bushman's lair, the first thing we saw were a variety of decorative bows - designed for young children and adults - hanging on a large Baobab tree.
It was a very short walk to the cave area where the tribe's men were sitting around a small fire. The bushman spoke a language different from Swahili or what the Maasai tribe spoke. Gasper spoke some of this language and could communicate with them. For us, it's amazing how easy it is to communicate with people without understanding a word being spoken. We learned from Gasper that their language has no letters or symbols - only sounds. They have no need to write.
In the middle, wearing a colorful beaded hairpiece, was the young chief. He became the tribe's chief due to his ability to hunt better than the others.
When we arrived, they were relaxing and making arrows. They didn't know we were coming since there are no phones and they are hours away by vehicle. However, the money that tourists like us pay for this trip go toward preserving their tribe, so they were appreciative and happy to have us there.
We asked what they would do with more money - would they educate their children, advance and adopt technology, live a more modern lifestyle? No. According to Gasper, they want to preserve this lifestyle, so things they need are arrowheads (which they currently trade from the blacksmith of another tribe), water nearby (the women right now have to travel very far to get water), and enough baboon and other animals to continue hunting without having to worry about starvation.
Gasper told us a story about what happened when the state tried to change their culture by forcing their children to go to school. There were several police officers who were found dead with the same poisoned arrowheads that the bushmen use to hunt with. Needless to say, they no longer tried to educate the bushman's children after that time.
These two young tribesmen showed us how to start a fire. Looked super easy!
So... Lukasz and I gave it a try. We couldn't even get it to smoke. LOL
Hmmm. I wonder how that kid got the yellow balloon? LOL
Then they brought us back into their cave and showed us where they sleep when not sleeping with the women in the small houses. It's nice for napping as well because it stays cool and shaded from the sun.
These are the homes that the women and children, and sometimes the men and boys would sleep in. Relationships are interesting here. The men sleep with any and all of the women in the tribe. When the women get pregnant, the men do not know which of them is the father, and it's not important to them. The entire tribe takes care of each other like one big family. They don't use doctors or hospitals and there are a lot of babies that die young due to malnutrition and illness, so their tribe stays small. The oldest of their tribe was about 60 years old.
Since we were going on a hunt with the bushman in the morning, we needed to learn how to use their handmade bow and arrows. It was actually a lot more difficult than using "normal" bow and arrow. They had them strung so tight it was difficult to pull the string back. (I should have used the one the boys made, but I didn't want to look like a wimp.)
Here's how it's done Lukasz. Pay attention. :-)
No problem. Watch this MJ!
Wait, let me try again!
Once we were done, we had to go pull out (or find) our arrows and bring them back.
Well done Lukasz! Bulls eye!
I needed help from the young boy in getting them out. LOL
I need more practice.
I know we have to move on, but that was seriously fun! I can't wait until the hunt tomorrow!!
Like a monkey, one of the guys climbed way up high in the tree, reached as high as he could with the axe, and found the honey!
There are little bees still on it, but they don't sting. Is this okay to eat?
Tastes good!!
I wanted to climb up the tree after he was done using the axe to see the spot where he got the honey. Very cool!!
Next, we found some berry trees and the guys showed us how they could climb up to the highest branches and get the berries.
They were kind enough to give us some. Lukasz wasn't shy about eating them. Tasty!
Now that we have berry seeds stuck in our teeth, it's time to brush our teeth. First, we need to make a toothbrush. These berry trees had branches you could cut with fibers that mimicked the bristles on a toothbrush. We gave it a try.
It worked pretty well!
We spent the next 20 minutes eating berries and brushing our teeth, while learning about the trees that were used to make medicine for the tribe.
The good doctor shared his own medicine with the tribe (sunscreen) and they got such a kick out of it!!!
Is that too much? How do I look? :-)
Lukasz and I had the easy job - we helped peel off the bark on these soon-to-be arrows.
While we were making these, some of the guys were collecting more honey.
Yummmy! (But very sticky!)
Once we peeled off the bark, they would put one end between their toes and use a knife to straighten and shape the wood so the arrow was as aerodynamic as possible.
While they were doing this, Lukasz had an idea for another (and hopefully easier) way to start the fire, using friction from the taut bow string against the wood. This was a great idea in theory, and we spent some time readjusting the bow and trying it out. Unfortunately, the wood was too flimsy and it didn't work.
Trying to find and cut thicker wood would take a lot of work. Would it be worth it? We asked Gasper to do it the traditional way and we'd time him. It took only 40 seconds before we had fire, and when the tribesmen started one, it took about 20 seconds, so we decided their way might be okay after all. LOL
Making arrows and trying to invent new ways to start a fire make one very hungry. In addition to the honey, we were offered bitter tasting roots to munch on.
We walked back to the cave and restarted the small fire. Thinking about the hunt tomorrow, I looked over at where they rested their bow and arrows - a rack that was decorated with baboon skulls from prior kills.
The dogs, who will be accompanying us on the hunt tomorrow, were resting outside.
The puppies popped their heads out of the cave when we returned to see what was going on. How cute!!
The bushmen heated the wood over the fire to dry it out and soften the wood to keep it from breaking while it was being straightened.
The men then continued to finish carving the wood to make the arrows and Lukasz wanted to give it a try. While showing him how, the chief yanked on the wood while carving it and Lukasz let out a loud yelp! His toes are a bit more sensitive than the bushman's toes. LOL
The chief spent some time showing him how to do it, but it's not as easy as it looks. They asked if I wanted to try, but I declined as I could see myself slicing off a finger.
Once the arrow was straight and smooth, the chief used feathers from the bird they killed earlier that day, and tendons from a baboon to attach the feathers to the arrow like string. (In the picture below, he has the tendon in his mouth to soften it.)
The final thing to do was sharpen the point on the front of the arrow and cut out a design with the knife for decoration.
Once the design was made in the wood, they rubbed charcoal from the fire over the wood and washed it off with a cloth, leaving the design in black.
Having a little fun with the newly made arrow, Lukasz pretended to be shot in the heart with one. This made everyone laugh!
It was time now to say goodbye to the bushmen. We'd see them again in the morning. Since we would be borrowing their baboon skin tomorrow for the hunt, Lukasz thought it was only fair to let them borrow his hat and sunglasses. :-) Stylish!!
Before we left, one of the bushmen played a song on their handmade instrument, which was similar to a violin.
Lukasz and I tried it next. I'll stick with piano and I think Lukasz should stick with the guitar, but it was still entertaining and fun. Who knew we'd have a music lesson with the bushman??? LOL
I don't remember the name of the tribe whose village we visited once we left the bushmen, but it is where the blacksmith lived. Lukasz brought more balloons which the kids absolutely loved!
We then met 2 of the blacksmith's 3 wives, and they invited us in to show what they were doing, which is crushing corn with a rock.
Now it was my turn. Not as difficult as trying to play that instrument, but it did take a little arm strength!
After meeting with the women for a bit, we went out back by the blacksmith. He was going to take a nail found in a junk pile and turn it into an arrowhead that we could take back to the bushmen.
First he flattened the nail.
Then used metal and the hammer to cut the 2 pieces that would end up being the edges of the arrowhead.
Then he sanded the arrowhead.
While finishing up with that project, he wanted to heat up and melt a piece of metal to make into a bracelet once he was finished with the arrowhead.
Here is a before and after photo, though the one in his hand would be a silver bracelet - not gold...
To get the temperature on the fire high enough to melt the metal, the 2 bags of air were used to squeeze, pushing air into the bottom of the fire. We watched Gasper do it and then Lukasz gave it a try. Meanwhile, work on the arrowhead was being done.
I took my turn after him and let Lukasz play with the kids for a bit. :-)
Once the piece had melted, it was removed from the fire and placed in cold water to cool.
While they were finishing up, I went "shopping", looking at the arrowheads, bracelets, and other things the blacksmith made.
We bought 3 arrowheads for the bushmen to use in the hunt tomorrow, and Lukasz bought me a pretty bracelet, that I would later refer to as my "warrior" bracelet.
As we left, we passed by a Colorado Grocery. The last thing I expected to see in Africa!
On the way back, we stopped by the village on the lake to see the big Saturday market and got there right at closing time.
We stopped in a store to pick up some Kilimanjaro beer for us, Ezzie, Gasper, and Joseph, and we got to watch another great sunset over the water on the drive back.
It was one of the most enjoyable days I've had in a long time, and I was really looking forward to the hunt tomorrow. I think Lukasz also had the time of his life as he didn't mention a nap once!!! The bushmen really enjoyed our sense of adventure and Lukasz' humor, so it was a great day for everyone. :-) When we arrived back at our camp, we had dinner and went right to sleep.
The next morning came quickly, and we left at 6 am without having breakfast. We were told the hunt would only last from 6:30-9:00 am, so we didn't need to bring our water or packs. In hind sight, being a little dehydrated from diarrhea, I should have brought water, but we thought a few hours shouldn't be an issue.
When we arrived, we picked out our baboon skin and I was given a bow and some arrows. You probably noticed the men wearing baboon skin (along with shorts and handmade sandals) in the pictures. The reason for the baboon skin tops and hats was so they would look and smell like the baboons when they went hunting, in the hopes that they would not scare the baboon away.
Most of the hunters had 1-2 poison arrows in case we encountered any big game. The poison came from inside certain trees and was put around the base of the arrowhead after being secured on the arrow. The way it works is the poison enters the blood and kills the animal within the hour. The bushmen would cut out and toss out any meat around the arrowhead prior to eating it, but the blood and other meat would have only small amounts of the poison in it - not enough to affect them.
Once I had my bow and arrows in hand, and we had our baboon skin on, we were ready to get the dogs and leave.
Only about 1/2 the guys came on the hunt. The rest continued to make new arrows. Because I didn't bring my backpack, I also didn't have my inhaler with me, which I needed since we were moving at a quick pace and going up steep hills and ridges. It made it more challenging, but I didn't want to go slower and fall behind. Lukasz wasn't hunting, but came along and took pictures. Gasper stayed with him and I stayed ahead with the bushmen.
Along the way, he spotted a rainbow agama lizard, which is really colorful!
The hunt was fast paced and fun. We chased a couple of baboon through the trees, watched them go over the ridge (about 1/2 mile away), and then went around and climbed the ridge to intersect them. After about 2 hrs we found one close enough to hunt down. They move quickly and can go from tree to tree in seconds. It's not like on safari where you see many of them right in front of you - these guys know they're being hunted... It's also difficult to shoot them with an arrow through the tree branches as they are a small moving target and the branches get in the way. However, I wasn't able to keep up once they started running after him through the brush. I was getting cut up, my bow was getting caught on the prickly branches, and I wasn't able to slip through the underbrush like the young guys could. By the time I caught up with them, the baboon already had an arrow through it. I was disappointed I didn't get to make the kill, but happy to see one.
He was still alive and moving around well, and right as I took aim with my bow and arrow, one of the other guys beat me to it and shot another arrow through him. It didn't take long before he fell out of the tree.
Then about 20 seconds later, he stopped moving and one of the bushman picked him up and broke his neck against the rock to make sure he was dead. This looked and sounded bad, but it was for his safety (and you don't want an animal suffering).
One of the younger bushman then carried it while we continued on down the other side of the ridge and into the caves, in the hopes that we would find them hiding in there. It was 10 am - an hour after we were supposed to be back - and with the heat and lack of water, I was getting lightheaded and felt like I was going to pass out soon. Knowing it was about another hour's walk through the woods and up the hill to get back, I was nervous and wanted to leave. They sent one of the bushman back with us and continued their hunt.
The bushman walked quickly and I had to keep up or we wouldn't know where we were going. Lukasz moved slower, so there were a number of times Gasper (who stayed back with Lukasz) would call out to see where we were, and I often tried to stay as far back as I could without losing sight of the bushmen. We made it back without getting lost and got a picture with the baboon before we returned our baboon skin tops. (I'm sorry to say we didn't stick around and have baboon BBQ for lunch.)
I felt better after drinking a liter of water and we said our goodbyes and were off! At least we hoped to be off... The battery in the car died and after Ezzie spent some time with it, we pushed it slightly uphill (the only direction to go), got it started, and hopped in, looking forward to brunch.
While we ate and packed up our things, the boys worked on the car. We had to push it again from here, but they were able to get it diagnosed and fixed by the time we entered the next safaris and "lion territory".
Besides... What kind of adventure would this be if there were no car problems??? And the good news is that we had that beer for everyone, so we took a few minutes to enjoy and relax before taking off for the next part of our journey.
I love ending with a picture of me drinking beer. I realize it was only lunch time, which for some of you may too early to start drinking (and it's not that great to do while dehydrated and feeling sick), but I only had a few sips because we didn't have a cool place to keep the beer and it didn't taste that great lukewarm.
Once we got the car started, we didn't want to shut it off, so we dropped off Gasper in town and continued on our journey. Looking back, the 2 days with the bushmen tribe were probably the most memorable of my entire time in Africa.
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