Feb 17, Tuesday, Village walk, Impalila Island, Namibia

  Behind the lodge is a dirt road to the nearby villages.  The homes are made out of a frame of sturdy tree branches filled in by termite dirt with thatched roofs.  there are also homes built from rocks used as bricks and homemade cement using sand from the island.  The one we saw inside the reed fenced courtyard was 4 rooms with the washing area and cooking area outside.  The fencing is for keeping the chickens inside at night and the hippos who graze inland, out.  We saw hippo tracks and poop which is scattered around the side of a tree.  They wiggle their behinds like shit hitting the fan to mark their territory.

We saw the island school which serves 300 students up to grade 10.  Nearby was a newly built clinic, the nicest buildings on the island made from concrete blocks which are molded and made on island.

We also saw baobab trees, lead wood trees, an African mangosteen also called a Bob Marley tree because of the way the ends of the branches look like dread locks, and an African star chestnut.  Luckily clouds are rolling in and it wasn't that hot.  I saw a woman carrying her baby on her back using one of the colorful sarongs to tie it safe, balancing on her hip.

The welcome words from the lodge are:

Loosen the tight strings of city life, kiss the sun, listen to the songs of the birds as they carry the sky on their backs as you rest in our silent sculpted island.  Enjoy the warmth of the African dream, our life.  Close your eyes and unwind to the wilderness song and you will feel the heartbeat of Africa, pulsing.

Tonight we fished for tiger fish.  Steve was the only one who caught one in our boat.  He used essential fishing gear, beer.  Even David and I tried the local beer as we fished, but no luck.