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Donkey-drawn carts are a common form of transport in rural areas of Namibia, here a pair of them drag a cart up a steep incline.
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Horse-drawn carts are sometimes seen on highways in cities like Cape Town, I think these guys probably make a living transporting things.
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Two women and kids cross the Fish River Bridge near Kalkrand.
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Elderly folks return from town, near Maltahohe.
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Hawkers in Cape Town, South Africa.
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Donkey cart loaded with firewood near Rehoboth, Namibia.
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A family outing.
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They look as if they are in fairly good condition. We had lots of donkey and carts around us when we lived in Mafikeng. We had a lady there from Germany one day taking photos of the donkeys next to the Porsche club parade. I asked her to send me one but I am still waiting after many years!! Diane
ReplyDeleteHello Diane - yes, in general people do seem to take care of the animals though you do see some undernourished ones sometimes - donkeys and Porches ... quite a contrast hey ...
ReplyDeleteIt's still very common to see donkeys & horses in Cairo and Casablanca.
ReplyDeleteInteresting how life can be modern and traditional at the same time...
Like Diane says, they are in fairly good condition.
And why not if a horse or a donkey earns owner's salary...
Great photos. Really seems to capture a slice of Namibian life. In some of the photos, the people seem to be dressed rather warmly. Does it get cold?
ReplyDeleteInteresting post as usual.
ReplyDeleteThe last shot is really a great shot!
Yeah, you're right BLOGitse, it makes sense to look after animals as best you can when you depend so heavily on them ...
ReplyDeleteThanks lgsquirrel, yes, it does get quite cold during winter ... desert nights can be especially chilly.
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrea ... I think that images are always more interesting when there are people in them.
ReplyDeleteWhilst the donkeys are attractive, it's the wheels that caught my eye. All the axles seem to be from cars/trucks with road wheels afixed; a skill in its own right!?
ReplyDeleteHowzit Dave ... yes, the axles and wheels are taken from old vehicles ... I think it's not all that difficult to mount them and build a body ... probably takes more skill to get the donkeys to move when they don't want to ... :)
ReplyDeleteHi Graham, It looks like cool temperature in your photos, I didn't know it got cold enough for jackets. How cold does it get?forgive my ignorance.. I thought it was hot all year round
ReplyDeleteHey Monica - talking about Namibia specifically, we do get sub-zero temperatures in some places during winter and light snow has been known to fall but this isn't a common occurrence ... at my home in the north, sometimes one night of frost is enough to destroys sensitive plants like paw-paw trees ...
ReplyDelete... as far as I'm concerned, if my feet are cold, my whole body is ... :) ... I can't imagine the extreme negative temps you have in Canada ...
Such wonderful photo's & nice to see that the donkey's/horses look quite healthy, too. Love the 'Family Outing' one !
ReplyDelete(P.S. I was just about to fly over to Namibia & nudge the Crow's nest as you had not posted in so long - mind you, I am a fine one to talk as I haven't been blogging much lately, either - I was starting to suffer from 'OSC (One Stoned Crow) Withdrawal' - it's almost as bad as cigarette withdrawal, you know ;) Good to see you back again ....
Thanks Lynda ... you sure know how to cheer me up and bring a smile to my face ... :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've been feeling rather uninspired these last two weeks, afraid that my blog is in danger of becoming boring ...
I was looking at a map of Africa the other day and realized that Tanzania is quite close to Namibia.
Hope your life is settling down a bit now ... are you going to design your house yourself?
I know what you mean about feeling uninspired, as I go through it with my blog too - but your blog could NEVER be boring !!(I think that we think that our own blogs are boring as we are so used to our country/surroundings etc, but people from afar find it all fascinating !)
ReplyDeleteYes, Tanzania is just on the opposite side of the Continent from Namibia & up a bit - wonder how long it would take to walk it ?!
We're going to design the house ourselves but will have proper plans drawn up. It will be simple, using natural materials, open - use of stone, lots of wood, cement floors & lots of outdoor living space - nothing fancy but a comfy family home with lots of character ... it will be fun to design/build & blog about, too ! We thought about building it all from stone but think it may take too long and be quite expensive.
Off to bed now - have had a busy day in the city/school run. Now go & get thinking about your next inspiring blog post so that we don't have to wait another 2 weeks ;) do you have anything else about the Skeleton Coast ?
All the donkeys and horses look quite healthy. It is nice to see the people using them as a mode of transportation. Especially in these "modern" times ;-) Look forward to your next blog as always :-)
ReplyDeleteThe four legged faithfuls are doing a good job. Wonderful pics .
ReplyDeleteditto FFFL/Lynda's comment, with knobs on!"£$%^&*
ReplyDeleteGraham, yours is one of the most unique blogs around giving us an insight into a country and culture that I, for one, had no idea about. So NOT boring. I can understand not posting too frequently, but if you ever go quiet for more than a month, without due notice etc, I shall send out the search parties.
dave
It is great to see the humble donkey still being used for all sorts of transport.I used to holiday with my grandparents when I was a child and they used a donkey and trap for transport.They have not been used in this country fro years now and I am not sure if they are kept for any purpose other than pets or childrens rides.There is a donkey sanctuary a few miles outside the city and I have taken my grand children there a few times.The one thing that does stick out in my memory was that my Grandfather spent ages trying to catch the donkey first!Your blog does not have to be inspiring, it is always informative and the photos capture the lifestyle
ReplyDeleteThanks for the votes of confidence Lynda and Dave - I appreciate your encouragement ...
ReplyDelete... early in October I'll be going back north and will off-line for two months again ...
Thanks penny - yeah, I'll leave horse and donkey transport to others ... for some reason these animals don't like me, I've been thrown, bitten and had my foot stomped on by horses ... maybe they can sense that I'm afraid of them ...
ReplyDeleteThanks Keats ... it's amazing to see the hills that they are able to pull those carts up, some are really steep ...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words Peggy ... hehe, yes catching the donkeys is one part of the problem, the other is actually getting them to move once they've been harnessed ...
ReplyDeleteDue notice noted!
ReplyDelete(PS I shall be absent almost all of october 2010... who cheered?)