Hansel and Gretel and Will's Village:
Sunday, December 17, 2006
(Old boundary from the "South West" [Africa] days: approaching Otjituuo on the C42 from Grootfontein, Namibia)
Roy’s style reminds me of the Spadena House in Los Angeles – but definitely it is African. It has been designed by the owner’s sister and is a bit like “Hansel and Gretel meet the Bushmen”. We set out for Will’s village arriving mid-morning after doubling back to retrieve the keys to his house and stopping in Grootfontein at SPAR for groceries to stock up Will’s pantry.
We reach Otjituuo and stop by the police station where Will has stored his laptop. We are locked out of the school grounds but find the principal who happily admits us. We park and begin to unload his food – this to make life a little easier since hitchhiking into town to buy food is a big weekly chore (to say the least).
(Otjituuo Primary School: the pond accumulated during last winter's heavy rains; the cows are highly valued by the Herero people)
Carole busies herself cleaning his abode in the time-honored way of mothers but he has kept it surprisingly neat considering all the recent end-of-term work and stress. His house tidy and shelves stocked with food; we take a tour of the school and a very low-profile tour of the criss-crossing dirt trails in the village. The San (the more correct term for the Bushmen) and the Herero live separately; we also glimpse the shebeens (the local, simple taverns); the small Caltex station and store. We have spent a little too much time in the village but it is important for Will to be able to lock up and leave with a sense of closure.
(Looking east at the police station -- and noting also that the village has a government provided nurse -- your blogger casts a long evening shadow: Otjituuo, Namibia)
Liezel is a little put out with us for arriving an hour late for dinner but there has been much to do and the driving distances are long. She is happy to hear however that her meal is so good as to clearly take first place in our ratings so far – eclipsing even La Marmite in Windhoek. We had tried to call her several times to warn her about running late – but it turns out that the phone line has been down for days: no email or VISA payments as a result either. But we are carrying enough cash so no matter. Liezel and Heinrich are all about kindness and hospitality: Heinrich even permits me to park and re-inflate my tires when we return from Tsumkwe – the next leg in our journey.
Labels: Grootfontein, Otjituuo, Tsumkwe
