Quite a warm morning when we get up, 22 degrees at 8 am. Clear sunny skies. This morning we are off to visit a small fishing village not far from where we are moored. The village is a work area where people from other settlements come to stay and fish. Their main method is gill netting. They have a committee and head men to govern the village.
We are welcomed by a committee of men and women and children, the women are signing as we get off the tender. After some speeches greetings us and thanking us for visiting their village we are taken to the main area. They demonstrate how they dry the fish and smoke them, the women actually build the smoking ovens by hand with mortar and rock. There is a lot of singing and dancing. There is no power and where they sleep is a crude mud brick circular room barely wide enough to lie down straight. They are all very thin but not malnourished. The children are gorgeous!
It is a real eye opener to see how happy and contented these people are with very little in the way of possessions. Sharing and family is paramount to them. We are given a demonstration of the women cooking a pumpkin mash type of food with boiled pumpkin leaves which resembled spinach. The dining process was the men were served first with women kneeling before the men to first pour water over their hands for them to wash them and leaving them with the food. A small amount is taken by hand, it is then rolled into a ball, an indentation is made with the thumb in the ball and some of the “spinach” is put inside the indentation. If there was a little bit of food left then the men are satisfied, if the bowls are empty then the women have to cook some more. The men eat together and the women eat as a separate group.
Thula our guide said this visit was a last minute change and normally we would buy some grocery staples and present it to them, but as we are unable to do this he suggested each person donate $10 dollars. At the time I was annoyed because they are continually suggesting tips for this and tips for that even though we had paid upfront for gratuities, but after visiting the village I was more than happy to pay.
After the leaving the village we now start heading back to Victoria Falls. We will stay overnight on the houseboat and then leave for the falls tomorrow. This has been a very needed relaxing period.
Fishing under the moon last night, should have stayed longer. About 30 minutes after I left two large catfish caught and a couple lost. Ross and Luggy had also left be for the action started.
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