On Wednesday we drove the relatively short distance to Jorn and Adrienne Miller’s farm. The term farm doesn’t even come close to describing what their place really is. This is a 22,000 hectare spread. Multiply by about two to figure out how many acres that is. Most farms are of that size which makes one’s nearest neighbor a good distance away. Perhaps now it’s beginning to sink in just how vast the emptiness is. There aren’t any convenience stores around the corner, no neighborhood Walmart, not even a doctor or a hospital for miles and miles and miles. The Millers receive their mail in Helmeringhausen, a couple hours’ drive from their home. Adrienne homeschools the boys, Thomas and Alex (their daughter is still too young for school) otherwise they’d have to be sent off to some larger city like Windhoek and be boarded there.
Jorn is the brother of the woman from whom we purchased Ole Bess. He has a doctorate in chemistry, but always just really wanted to farm. Farming is somewhat of a relative term here as well. The Millers keep cattle, goats and caracal sheep (more about them later). They also cultivate a local variety of cactus called hoodia. Hoodia has all sorts of medicinal properties much of them as of yet not fully understood. It has been used mostly by the weight loss industry because it helps to suppress the appetite. This knowledge of course was discovered by the Bushmen who would ingest the plant while on long hunting trips. It helped to hydrate them and also kept them from feeling hungry. It was a huge business for a while until unscrupulous manufacturers began using substances that had no active ingredient at all, but continued to market it as hoodia. It was then that it began to lose its cachet. Jorn’s association is trying to remedy that as well as promote the study of the plant and broaden its medicinal usage. It apparently can be used in the treatment of diabetes and other ailments as well.
Additionally, the Millers have a campsite at their farm, complete with hot water shower, where we set up our tents for the night. During the afternoon Jorn and his sons took us all around the farm pointing out all of the interesting sites—like the spot where we could find Bushmen tools and arrowheads, the various outposts where the workers are stationed to take care of the different herds/flocks on this wide spread piece of earth, to the grave site of the first white man in Namibia, Max Kruger. Jorn was extremely informative and we learned tons about Namibia and farming as well as had a blast riding in the back of his 4X4 on all the bumpy farm tracks.
Caracal sheep originally came from Afghanistan. They are black and the young lambs are slaughtered within 48 hours of birth in order to harvest the hides. These hides have a unique pattern that is highly prized in coat making. Most of the consumers of this product are from the Eastern Hemisphere like the Russians and Asians but it also appears to be quite popular among African American Rappers we were told.
The Millers are also “off the grid”. Their house is entirely powered by solar energy. Their refrigerators are low energy consumers and use about the same amount of energy as a light bulb. Jorn has rigged his panels so that they track with the movement of the sun. They are mostly self-sufficient, so they also raise geese and chickens. They grow grapes and are putting in a large vegetable garden.
The next morning we hiked the dry river bed for a while before encountering a black spitting cobra with his hood all flared. We side stepped him and he went on his merry way. The kids then spent a good deal of time searching for crystals and Bushmen tools before we headed out to our next destination. With all of the interesting rocks in Namibia, I figure we’ll be severely over weight in the luggage department on our return journey to the States. Annie wants to pick up every rock she sees and sometimes so do I.
Jorn is the brother of the woman from whom we purchased Ole Bess. He has a doctorate in chemistry, but always just really wanted to farm. Farming is somewhat of a relative term here as well. The Millers keep cattle, goats and caracal sheep (more about them later). They also cultivate a local variety of cactus called hoodia. Hoodia has all sorts of medicinal properties much of them as of yet not fully understood. It has been used mostly by the weight loss industry because it helps to suppress the appetite. This knowledge of course was discovered by the Bushmen who would ingest the plant while on long hunting trips. It helped to hydrate them and also kept them from feeling hungry. It was a huge business for a while until unscrupulous manufacturers began using substances that had no active ingredient at all, but continued to market it as hoodia. It was then that it began to lose its cachet. Jorn’s association is trying to remedy that as well as promote the study of the plant and broaden its medicinal usage. It apparently can be used in the treatment of diabetes and other ailments as well.
Additionally, the Millers have a campsite at their farm, complete with hot water shower, where we set up our tents for the night. During the afternoon Jorn and his sons took us all around the farm pointing out all of the interesting sites—like the spot where we could find Bushmen tools and arrowheads, the various outposts where the workers are stationed to take care of the different herds/flocks on this wide spread piece of earth, to the grave site of the first white man in Namibia, Max Kruger. Jorn was extremely informative and we learned tons about Namibia and farming as well as had a blast riding in the back of his 4X4 on all the bumpy farm tracks.
Caracal sheep originally came from Afghanistan. They are black and the young lambs are slaughtered within 48 hours of birth in order to harvest the hides. These hides have a unique pattern that is highly prized in coat making. Most of the consumers of this product are from the Eastern Hemisphere like the Russians and Asians but it also appears to be quite popular among African American Rappers we were told.
The Millers are also “off the grid”. Their house is entirely powered by solar energy. Their refrigerators are low energy consumers and use about the same amount of energy as a light bulb. Jorn has rigged his panels so that they track with the movement of the sun. They are mostly self-sufficient, so they also raise geese and chickens. They grow grapes and are putting in a large vegetable garden.
The next morning we hiked the dry river bed for a while before encountering a black spitting cobra with his hood all flared. We side stepped him and he went on his merry way. The kids then spent a good deal of time searching for crystals and Bushmen tools before we headed out to our next destination. With all of the interesting rocks in Namibia, I figure we’ll be severely over weight in the luggage department on our return journey to the States. Annie wants to pick up every rock she sees and sometimes so do I.
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