One sad thing about today was that my manual film camera wasn't loaded correctly meaning that the photos of little children singing, high school girls laughing, zebra skeleton left by the predator on the side of the road, fields of white leaves tree that looked like snow covered plus more were all never captured. It's difficult to explain what a lost I am feeling.
Yet, that was nothing compared to the emotions we felt reflecting on the life of Daniel, a guide we met at Brandberg. After his guided hike into the mountain to the nationally protected site of rock paintings from thousands of years ago, we agreed to give him a ride to the next city, 2 hours away by car. We drove by where he lives so he could pick up his belongings and it was a very small shed patched together with metal sheets somewhere on the hill. No doubt there is no electricity or running water. During the drive in the car, he talks freely about the life in Namibia. The difficulties of surviving. When we dropped him off in a coastal town where he will shop for food, we wonder where he would sleep tonight before finding a ride back tomorrow. We didn't dare to ask.
On a happier note, we accidentally looked up the sky to find that it was a full lunar eclipse. The stars finally got to shine without competition from the full moon. And the orange moon seemed more timid than its usual self.
