10-15 January 2005 - Tsumkwe

After a couple of days in luxury in Windhoek, we started the long trek out to where they actually live, which is in the middle of nowhere. Literally.

Unbelievably, from the nearest turnoff you have to drive for 300km through the featureless Kalahari along this dirt road.

Eventually, not far from the Botswanan border, you get to the Nyae Nyae Conservancy, who are their employers.

Even this cross-roads seems a big landmark after 300km of nothing.

But when you look harder, you find that this is the centre of Tsumkwe - all 500 people of it - the "administrative centre" of the whole region.

The most serious building in town is the Learning centre, funded by the Norwegian government, where my parents have been temporarily granted an office.

My parents are local celebrities, and given that they are one of the few people with transport, are constantly asked favours by the San.

Two other buildings are the Nyae Nyae Conservancy office (left - and no Pepsi on sale either) where my parents used to work, and the Craft Centre (right), which is attempting to give the San people an outlet to the world of capitalism.

Given that all they have to sell are bracelets made from crushed ostrich eggs, this will prove slow going.

Mum and dad actually lived in a village called Baraka, a further 40km down a featureless dirt road.

Baraka is like living in a sandpit. It has nothing to recommend it, and the accomodation is worse than basic. This is why my parents are now in building mode...