Man vs. Wild“Namibia”
Original Air Date: May 9, 2008
Jeff P. - TwoCents Reviewer
jeffp@thetwocentscorp.com
For the second week in a row, Bear Grylls treats us to another African adventure. This time he heads to Namibia on the lower west coast of the continent. I think there is another desert in this one… I’m feeling dry already.
Bear introduces us to where he in being dropped as the “Gates of Hell,” otherwise known as the 900 mile Skeleton Coast of Namibia. It’s named as such due to the fact that many shipwrecked sailors have lost their lives with no food or shelter after getting to land. Just when they thought they’d be ok when getting to shore.
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Original Air Date: May 9, 2008
Jeff P. - TwoCents Reviewer
jeffp@thetwocentscorp.com
For the second week in a row, Bear Grylls treats us to another African adventure. This time he heads to Namibia on the lower west coast of the continent. I think there is another desert in this one… I’m feeling dry already.
Bear introduces us to where he in being dropped as the “Gates of Hell,” otherwise known as the 900 mile Skeleton Coast of Namibia. It’s named as such due to the fact that many shipwrecked sailors have lost their lives with no food or shelter after getting to land. Just when they thought they’d be ok when getting to shore.
He starts his survival prep on shore. He forages the debris from many shipwrecks over the years. Then he makes a still to make fresh water in the beach to have for his journey. But not before he finds a scorpion and eats it of course. Then he grabs some mussels for his dinner later that evening.
He decides to camp the first night on shore.
The next morning he retrieves an inch of water from his still, and heads out on his journey east. He targets the Branburg Mountain as his escape plan, but determines that it will be 60 long miles of desert to get there. On his first search for water, Bear runs into a Puff Adder. This snake is the most deadly that Africa has to offer. This doesn’t sway Bear from killing it instantly with the intention of consuming it. He demonstrates that you can even eat them raw. (ugh). He steps aside to create a ‘Bush fire,’ which is a technique to cook snakes. Who knew that a technique for cooking snakes would exist?
After getting some rest in a small cave, Bear tracks down a dried up riverbed, which could be a good sign for water. He finds some water, but it has been salinized by rock and is undrinkable. Fortunately he finds a dollar bush soon after, and is able to squeeze water out of them to hydrate. A little later he finds a riverbed that has dampened from a recent rainfall. He shows us a cool technique that the Bushmen use to drink water. He digs an 18” hole until he finds water that’s loaded with dirt and sediment. He then sticks some dry grass in the hole and places a long hollow strand of glass and sucks the water out like a straw. The bed of dry grass cleans out most of the dirt for easier drinking.
As dusk settles in, Bear locates a ledge that should be fit for a camp. It is high enough to avoid flash floods and predators. He uses a rope he found in his foraging on shore to lift firewood up to his camp. He has trouble sleeping at first because he’s 30’ off of the ground. So, he ends up making a second use for the rope by tying himself in for the night.
The next morning he wants to start the day off right. He warns us that he’ll be having an unusual breakfast. He wasn’t kidding. He locates some poop on the side of a cliff that belonged to Rock Dassies. A Rock Dassie is kind of like a fat guinea pig. Apparently Bushmen brew Rock Dassie poop into a tea which helps hydrate you and kill toxins in your body. After it was brewed, it resembled dog chow. And Bear drinks it down like a solider. Yeecch.
After his Rock Dassie poop tea breakfast, he starts his climb up Branburg Mountain. At the top of the mountain, Bear meets up with a tribe of San Bushmen. They teach him several different survival techniques for the Namibian desert. First they show him a couple of avenues to retrieve water, one from the ground and another from a tree. Then they look to track down some food. They find the burrow of a large porcupine and that becomes the target. They dig a large hole near the entrance to the burrow and Bear jumps down with his camera to show us inside the hole. This is actually a scary scene; you’re waiting for the thing to jump out at you. After enlarging the hole, the San recommend that Bear should pull the monster rodent out of it’s hole by it’s legs. He doesn’t love that idea, and nor do I as the viewer. Finally it comes jumping out at Bear and a bushman to attack. Bear is able to kill it, and he receives applause from the entire San tribe. The credits roll as we see Bear & the San enjoy their catch.
One of the great things about this show is that Bear always finds new things to show you about survival, even when a climate is similar. He’s been in deserts before, yet he doesn’t show us the same old tricks. I enjoyed both of the new shows from Africa. I may have liked this one a little better, if for no other reason than watching the porcupine chase. Which was your favorite?
Scavenging through the old shipwrecks was a bit creepy. Kind of had a ghost-town feel. But I loved when he ran into the natives who imparted some of their wisdom. I really like episodes where he learns from the people who have been the real 'men vs. wild' their entire lives.
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