I would like to continue my African Adventure with this story where we got to hang out in the bush for a day with the Ghanzi Bushmen in Botswana.
We got to our campsite and set up our tent.
Had some lunch and waited for the heat to die down.
Then we met up with the Ghanzi bushmen of Botswana! Got to go on a bush walk, where they taught us how to live off the land.
Once the bushmen showed up they were all clicking in their native language. They tried to teach us some click words.
It was so cool. I felt like I was on the set of the Gods must be crazy.
We headed out for our walk and the ladies were looking for berries that we could eat off the bushes. While the men were teaching us how to tell the difference between different footprints in the sand.
They showed us the different trees that they used to make their bow and arrows. Then the tree root they used to make the bags to carry the arrows.
A quick demonstration of how they hunt with their bows was really cool. They go out in pairs or by themselves. Always checking which way the wind was blowing by dropping sand to the ground so the animal wouldn’t pick up their scent. Then they can close in for the kill.
For one month a year the government allows the bushmen to go out on a hunting mission like they did in the old days. All they can bring with them is their weapons, bow and arrows or spears etc. All the animals they kill they can bring back to the village. Now when they hunt and kill the animal they turn the meat into biltong, which is very delicious. Especially the chilli bites.
As we walked around the bush following the animal foot prints we turned a corner around some bushes and there they were.. Two giant giraffes!!
It was so crazy! We were so close to them and they didn’t seem to mind one bit.
Now we are totally in the wild and the giraffes just chilled watching us. It was so amazing!!
One of the bushmen re-enacted how he would hunt the giraffe. That sure is a lot of meat for the village in one of those gentle giants.
As we walked on, we came across an anteaters dig out. In there was a root that in their language is called bi! bulb. “Bi!”, in bushman language means “milk”, and the bi! bulb is often referred to as the milk root.
Now this root is the best source for water in the bush. You skin off the outside layer of the root and the moist flesh inside contains a lot of water.
It tastes sort of like a cucumber and is very juicy.
Next the bush men informed us that dry zebra poo is perfect for starting a fire. As zebra’s eat only grass, the compressed grass pellets are the best to use to start a fire.
They get two sticks and rub them together profusely. Until one of the sticks heats up enough to make some ambers to get the shit alight haha.
The guys were hilarious. The way they acted out the different animals with the sound effects was great value. But little did we know….. The funniest and most awkward experience was still to come.
We went back to camp for a shower and some dinner. Then we jumped in the Ute and headed out to the bushman’s fire dance that we have renamed the #metoo dance…
Now let me set the scene. The fire was in full effect. The ladies were lined up behind the fire all chanting while three men danced. Stomping their feet to the beat on the sand as they circled the fire slowly getting into a “trance” .
As the chanting got louder, the men started to sweat more and more. At one point one of the eldest men seems to have fallen into the ladies chanting.
At first we thought is this guy having a heart attack?? But then he propped himself up with some werewolf revival skills then proceeded to grope/molest the females chanting… Or that’s what it looked like.
We were all sitting in our chairs like “what the fuck is going on here?” To the point where we couldn’t make eye contact with each other as we would have burst out laughing straight away.
It was super awkward. At one point he had a ladies head in his hands while he was thrusting his pelvis towards it. This was definitely a 18+ show that we were not expecting.
Things seemed to have calmed down as the man stopped screaming in the back ground. Then all of a sudden one of the little boys on the side of the fire was bitten by a scorpion. The little man took it like a champion. They rubbed his foot and discreetly got rid of the scorpion, by flinging it behind them into the bushes.
Eventually the bushmen’s trance dance came to an end and they got us up to dance around the fire.
Then they asked if we had any questions. Straight away one of the guys asked “so what was all THAT going on in the back ground?”
Their reply was that the old guy was “healing” the women. How? I’m not really sure. But next time Renee is unwell, I will grope her breasts to see if that helps her 😏
After watching the next level work place sexual harassment show, we headed back to camp. We all had a drink, while gazing at the stars, trying to work out if they were taking the piss by telling us this was a traditional dance?
What a night. Thinking back on it I am cry laughing at how awkward it all was.
The next morning we found this poisonous scorpion hanging out around our tents. Watch out for these little guys!!
What an awesome day it was hanging out with the Ghanzi Bushmen of Botswana. We just clicked!!
Once again thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for more African Adventure blogs coming soon.
In the meantime check out my other posts from this adventure 😊