jb+Day+5

After further pondering my ancestory, I decided to take the plunge and explore the routes that my ancient relatives traveled to populate the world. I decided to head to Botswana, Africa. There, an indigenous tribe known as the San bushmen live. Human life originated in Africa, so that is where I'm going. I quickly hopped onto Expedia.com and booked a flight. I would leave Buffalo at 6:24 AM on Tuesday, June 8. After a couple of transfers I would find myself at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport on Wednesday the 9th at 5:20 PM. That's 22 hours of flying (28 with connections). The flight was pretty pricey, costing me $1,605.50, but it was well worth it to meet the interesting San people.

When I arrived, I rented a car and met my guide. The car rental at the airport was around $160 dollars. I threw my bags into the back of the little car and went on my way. We traveled down dirt roads for a couple hours before I saw the huts of the San in the distance. I spent a week there and was totally immersed in San culture. I ran around more-than-half naked and ate all sorts of strange desert and savanna foods. The San even took me hunting with them (picture below). They were very friendly and hospitable.

It was an amazing experience to follow in the lifestyle of some of the first people to walk on earth if only for a short time. The San have been identified as one of the base branches of the genetic tree that includes all mankind. The markers have been traced back to them. Their faces contain the features that would become more prominent in the groups that would leave Africa. The San people are members of haplogroup A (M91). Before I knew it, my time with the San had come to the end. At the end of the week I hopped back into the car and headed back to the airport. I was on my way to Australia.