The Abe Forum

spiritualcookie wrote: Thu Feb 20, 2025 8:43 am The carved Makalani palm nuts are a very special souvenir . I don't think I've ever seen such a thing in all the places I've travelled to! I think I might have even wanted to buy such a nut myself without any tricks because they are so special! I appreciate the artistry and skill in carving it. Is it meant to be a Christmas ornament?

You are so right! They are done beautifully! I must have been too intense in my desire to not be bothered anymore- because after this one, we never saw a "nut-man" again (and before there seemed to be hundreds), even I desired to buy more of the nuts- for all my family. There is something to intense desires... after I shot that rocket of desire at that day, the nutmen where gone, the beggars, too, and the parking- men as well, as our group had discovered a market that sold much more nice foods, and it got protected by men that got payed by the market.

You reminding me to milk that! I wish, that there is good work for all that look for it!

I thought of using them as Christmas ornaments, too, but I guess they are not popping enough in the color. The brown and white might be too held back to see them on the tree?

I will just hang mine with my jewelry on the rack. I guess they could be used as key-rings, or as a trinket on the schoolbag or a bagpack, or even a shopping tote?

So fun to read about your trip PoE! Thanks for sharing! The nuts look incredible though I am sorry you “got” them though a means that did not feel good. I wonder if that was the only way possible for you to have “got” them? That is, if you wanted them at all.

Either way, I’d love to get some of them too and I would totally hang them up on a tree! They’d look completely natural to me up there :)

I also enjoyed your sharings about your husband’s paragliding adventures. Reading them, it awakened in me a desire to have similar adventures with my husband whose hobby is flying (the small Cessna planes). He loves flying and is in a total and complete zone when he is flying planes. . . I think I would like to have a flying focused adventure with him and our son who is also a plane-head, an adventure that is focused purely on flying. I can feel the exhilaration and the straight-up geyser of life force that will flow through him whenever we do get to experience something like this.

Thank you for being a co-creative component in the awakening of this desire and this dream, PoE!

CoreEssence wrote: Thu Feb 20, 2025 3:37 pm So fun to read about your trip PoE! Thanks for sharing! The nuts look incredible though I am sorry you “got” them though a means that did not feel good. I wonder if that was the only way possible for you to have “got” them? That is, if you wanted them at all.

Either way, I’d love to get some of them too and I would totally hang them up on a tree! They’d look completely natural to me up there

Hello, hello!
It was contrast that showed me how I close up even in situations that hold so much good, just because I felt tricked and pressured! The price of the nuts was completely ok even without haggling, and I would have wanted more of those nuts. BUT, I was in resistance mode. I want to be more open in the future, and be more aware of what I REALLY want! for your loving words, they are so appreciated!

I also enjoyed your sharings about your husband’s paragliding adventures. Reading them, it awakened in me a desire to have similar adventures with my husband whose hobby is flying (the small Cessna planes). He loves flying and is in a total and complete zone when he is flying planes. . . I think I would like to have a flying focused adventure with him and our son who is also a plane-head, an adventure that is focused purely on flying. I can feel the exhilaration and the straight-up geyser of life force that will flow through him whenever we do get to experience something like this.

Awww, this sounds fascinating to me as well! What a wonderfully loving, energetic, inspiring description!

When I met my husband, we both where about 15/16 years, and he was TOTALLY into flying. He knew everything about the topic, and was in awe that I knew a few things, too, as my grandfather was an engine-constructing engineer for planes. Then my mother gave me for a present that I could do my PPL at her place in Canada, and Wolf and me dreamt about bush-flying and flying floats. In this time there was no Ultra-light flying or paragliding yet, but the first kites (Kasperwings caught our attention) where in the sky, and we wanted to travel with them! Things came differently, but I so hear you!!
Have you ever thought of a family-project of building a classic plane or an Ultra Light yourself? That was so on our mind, for years, and it is so much easier in USA than in Germany to do this!

In Namibia, we could have rented an hour sightseeing flight with our "boss" Günni as pilot, and there also was the opportunity to have a hot-air-balloonride. But in the end, the paragliding at the Dunes counted more for DH, and as it was "his" vacation, he got to decide! (we are alternating who has the last word about a specific vacation, each time. It was my turn in Vienna, now it was his turn in Namibia. Of course we talk and even discuss about our desires, also!)

Thank you for being a co-creative component in the awakening of this desire and this dream, PoE!

So my pleasure! And as I said, your words are so inspiring to me as well. It is so nice when the whole family is interested in a topic, yes? I still dream of attending a classic race, as the Mille Miglia in Italy, with all my car-guys, or visit the Goodwood-Revival in UK with ALL the family, wholly in disguise in 40ies/50ies clothes!

...You where on my mind, by the way, when I had my "cooking class" at out first day in Windhoek

Next day of my adventure:



African Turban: I burnt my scalp in the first days at the dunes, and made sure to never go out again without hat or headcloth. And really, even I had a huge sun-hat with me, I so preferred the African style cloth, as there was always wind, and the hat was all the time flying off

I appreciated to understand more of the culture, in this way. It gave me the sense of being closer.



The wind was perfect at a place 1 hr north from our lodge, at that day, and so we drove there. Our flying teachers who also worked as guides made sure we learned about the tiny, colorful village of Wlotzkasbaken- right at the shore of the Atlantik and also in the middle of the Namibdesert, a place where nobody understands why it became a summer resort...
They also insisted on showing us to ship wrecks close to the beach, where tourists like to take a break, and so there are a few locals who sell (self-collected?) semipreciousstones. Karin told us, she herself has found many rose-quarz-stones at that place in the past.

I had learned from my resistance-mode of the last day to not kill a good opportunity again to gain beautiful souvenirs and in the same time, help the people who sell them, and so we had a really nice "shopping experience" with the traders, that time! I really appreciated that. It felt so peaceful, free and lovely!





Günni and Karin care for the tradition of their company, to give a printed T-shirt to each pilot as a gift, on every vacation. The group had already teased them it would not happen this time, but now, here we are! We got the advice to pose for the picture in pointing all: "Moving up!" I liked that, in all it's meanings!
But Wolf had shredded his beautiful new shirt 2 hours later, when the wind teared him into the compression zone of the high plateau behind the dune ridge... well, this was so much better than what another pilot experienced a few days later, when he broke his back at that place.

I appreciate it all- with all it's upsides that are FOR US. I know we get red flags before something highly unwanted happens, and I totally see it here as well. I appreciate that contrast is there for us, it is guidance, it is always a chance, even when we think it would be SO unwanted. It always brings us what we forgot or suppressed- and sometimes want even more than "life it self". (Thankfully, this pilot did not lose his life! He is in good care, and recovering quickly!)





...Standing on the plateau that we arrived on and, at first, not even being able to look down the edge, over the huge hoods of the cars! It was SUCH an amazing feeling to, then, just drive further... seemingly into nothingness. The slope felt incredible! On the pictures you can see, it wasn't bad at all- but it felt as a huge adventure! This time, the pilots built the camp almost directly on the water line. I SO enjoyed that!! In the background, you see the small village of Hentiesbay.





...I soooooo enjoyed the beach! Karin was taking pictures of us, without us, realizing it. So you see here a totally unstaged expression of me, feeling soo high on life! Ohh, I so love the ocean. I love the water, that brings greetings from all around the world! It feels sooo wide, for me. Limitless. Endless. Eternal, totally free. Love all around the world, literally.



Karin also found this feather of a flamingo and gave it to me as a gift. It was such a joy for me! I frame feathers from all the places I happened to be, and I always had wanted to find a flamingo-feather! But even at the Rhone in Southern France, in the Camargue, I didn't find one. And here, I get it completely unexpected- just so, as a precious gift!

...In the morning, we had bought what we wanted to eat as BBQ, and as one of our flying mates had gushed about the deliciousness of Springbock-meat, we had happily chosen the Springbock-loin, that laid on top of a pile of game. And I must admit that it was the most amazing meat I EVER had the chance to eat. It was so tender, we didn't need a knife.

This day had been sooo intense, so whole, so full, so incredibly touching! I felt sooo BLESSED. Thank you, thank you, thank you life!!!

I loved learning about the purpose of the African style head cloth! Near where I live, there is a wedding venue that's popular for African weddings and I often see the women with their beautiful head cloths when I'm walking on my way to my local tube station. I always thought it was just a traditional cultural habit and never considered the reasoning behind it. I didn't realise it could also be to prevent the scalp from getting sunburned - all the while without being blown in the wind like a Western hat! How interesting and clever! Thank you for sharing!

I've just asked chatgpt for more info of this and found this interesting:
- Historically, the style, color, and way in which the headwrap was tied could indicate the wearer’s social status, age, marital status, and even regional identity.
- a headscarf also reduces the risk of heatstroke. Covering the head can also help regulate body temperature, keeping the wearer cooler in the heat of the day. The fabric can absorb sweat and prevent it from dripping into the eyes or face, making it a useful practical clothing choice as well as a traditional one.

spiritualcookie wrote: Fri Feb 21, 2025 9:13 pm I loved learning about the purpose of the African style head cloth! Near where I live, there is a wedding venue that's popular for African weddings and I often see the women with their beautiful head cloths when I'm walking on my way to my local tube station. I always thought it was just a traditional cultural habit and never considered the reasoning behind it. I didn't realise it could also be to prevent the scalp from getting sunburned - all the while without being blown in the wind like a Western hat! How interesting and clever! Thank you for sharing!

I've just asked chatgpt for more info of this and found this interesting:
- Historically, the style, color, and way in which the headwrap was tied could indicate the wearer’s social status, age, marital status, and even regional identity.
- a headscarf also reduces the risk of heatstroke. Covering the head can also help regulate body temperature, keeping the wearer cooler in the heat of the day. The fabric can absorb sweat and prevent it from dripping into the eyes or face, making it a useful practical clothing choice as well as a traditional one.

Thank you so much for this! So interesting, and so appreciated!
I don't think that the Africans need the cloth against burning their scalp- it seems that they don't sunburn at all in any place, so why should they burn their scalp!? It just happened that I looked for a way get have a wind-proof way of protecting myself, and when I looked into the mirror with the ready tied scarf, I looked at an African headcloth! (Just not in the colors that we expect for it, and without the prominent bow)

Sam, the janitor, was around the property all day and night! Such a nice man, with a shy smile, always trying to help. When he saw that I use a wheelchair, he built a small ramp one day, that we -without any more words- found in our fromtyard, when we came back from flying. SO nice of him!! I was stunned! Of course we gave him a tip (it makes a big difference for the people), but I don't think he did it for that!

Our both digestion wasn't so good in all the time (I don't feel it came from having eaten something bad, but from all the huge differences between here and home. DH and I both react with digestion problems on stress). So, one day we just took "a day off" from the schedule and where LAZY, and enjoyed to be in complete charge of what we do and don't and when... AND, have a proper toilette close by! (In the dunes are no toilettes as you can imagine...) I soooo appreciated that, even I also was proud how much I had learned to deal with things, being otherwise.


Cape rain daisy in "our" front yard

So we took the time to sit on our beautiful porch in the shade, and watch the small birds stroll through the flowers in search for insects... it was so relaxing, and de-stressing, and healing! We brewed ourselves a coffee and ate the half-finished sandwiches, cookies and the fruit we had bought in the last days, and felt awesome. And when a few hours had passed in blessed lazyness, we decided to take a walk over the golf course-property, that wrapped around our lodge. I felt sooo free in all of this! I got so very aware of appreciating the group and the schedule on the one hand, that helped SO much to experience things we would have never done on our own.

But I also found an even bigger and deeper appreciation for us two, indeed being mostly "loners" who feel the best when on their own. I really, really enjoyed this even clearer understanding for us as a couple.





It was so nice to take our time, walk slow, nobody waiting for us, seemingly having all time on the world! Enjoying the fresh air (at the coast of Svakopmund it never really got hot). Observing colorful ducks, and having one after the other Springbock encounter! As I had said, the huge herd of Springbocks live here all year around, and are not really that shy. When you come closer than, say, 7 meter, they run away, but until then you can look at them as much you want! It was so nice!





I so enjoyed looking close at the quite rare plants that were planted around the lodge. It felt fascinating to take the time to come very, very close to them and feel their friendly energy. It felt as balancing. It felt so lively. It felt as healing, in an incredibly subtle, soft way. I felt so thankful.





In the night, the "girls" had set up a BBQ on the property, and Sam had grilled the meats, seasoned with unfamiliar to us, but delicious spices. The flying-teacher Ditch knew some of the girls were from the Herero-tribe, and their language is allegedly one of the hardest to learn as it contains 4 different click-sounds which are all necessary for making sense. So he begged that they would introduce the dishes in their unique language. The girl in the blue dress finally dared to do that, and she was so incredibly sweet in being shy and eager and giggling and souvereign, all in the same time: Adorable!! And the language sounded so fascinating! I appreciated SO much to have heard it, after I read about it.