What did I know about Namibia before we paid it a visit?
I am embarrassed to admit that I knew nothing besides the fact that it is in Africa (duh). If you asked me though to locate Namibia on a map I would probably misplace it big time. I also didn’t have enough of a good answer about why we chose this country over others for our introduction to the continent. When my brother asked me that same question I shrugged and replied a meaningless ‘Why not?’.
There were just a handful of people in the plane from Cape Town to Windhoek (Namibia’s capital) and I started having the pangs of doubt sneaking in this worried mind of mine. Very soon we were flying over huge expanses of obvious nothingness. Looked like my dad was right. From above the country appeared to be a brownish, lifeless desert with not a speck of shade till the eye can see.
This is the first close up of Namibia we saw from the airplane window ~
I have landed in many capital cities but never ever in the middle of nowhere. The airport was right in the bush. The doubts I was having started giving way to feeble excitement. And I was wrong about the merciless nothingness I thought would envelop us. I could spot some shade over the grassy lands thrown picturesquely by the puffy afternoon clouds. Miniature trees were dotting the flat plains.
The lady at the customs refused to let Kuba enter the country without a proof for a return airplane ticket. Mine was way friendlier. She declared that Raina was a Namibian name (really?), demanded one of the colorful rubber band bracelets I had on my wrist and stamped the passports with a smile. Kuba had to work a little harder for his permission to enter. Eventually we all made it through and stared at the four backpacks rotating on the luggage conveyor belt with obvious unwillingness to load them on our backs.
I would lie if I say that I was excited to be on the road. After Bulgaria I felt nostalgic, confused and somewhat lazy. Being stationary for three weeks got me used to comforts that we didn’t have on the road and spending time with family and friends made it hard to leave it all behind again. Sitting on the Windhoek airport I felt mellow and completely unmotivated to move and find a shelter for the family before dark sets in. Having to think of what is next was too much to handle on that first day in Namibia.
We jumped in a taxi with a couple from Switzerland who seemed to have all their ducks in a row. The four of us got dropped off at Chameleon Backpackers with no reservation and were very lucky that there was a handkerchief spot of dirt to set our tent on for $40. I repeat, $40 for the privilege to sleep on the ground surrounded on all sides by tents inches away (the price included a basic breakfast too). The hostel was amazing though! We made a bunch of new friends. The space had a communal kitchen, a bar (our classroom for the time being), a tiny pool and a barbecue area. There was always an opportunity to meet new people, chat and get a feel for the world outside the diligently walled off compound.
Windhoek looked like any medium size city in US. It was obviously laid out with cars in mind. The streets were wide, somewhat empty and not that cozy for a strolling pedestrian. All the shopping was in giant mall complexes that were full of material abundance. Gone were the street markets of Asia and the lively picturesque street life offering so many opportunities to peak into the life of the locals.
After a day of getting familiar with how things are we quickly figured out a few things.
- Africa demanded a new travel style strategy. We needed to rent a car as there was no public transport that could take us to the places we wanted to see. Moreover, we had to plan carefully as distances were big, gas stations miles apart and one could drive for miles without seeing another car. Good luck for those who run out of gas or have a car emergency like blasting a tire or getting stuck in sand on one of the side roads. Everyone we talked to advised us to travel with food and water for at least 3 days. Encouraging, right?
- Namibia was expensive. Now, if you are coming from Europe and USA for a short vacation you might find it affordable, but for us it was crushingly disappointing to see the prices in the well stocked supermarket. We felt we are in our neighborhood grocery store back in Asheville. Eating out was quickly ruled out. We were on our own here – fresh salads and fruits (all imported from South Africa), rice, beans and packaged soups looked like the obvious choices for meals that won’t deplete the gas canisters of our new cook top. The high cost of living paired with meager wages was a mystery to be figured out. Our guidebook had it written that most of the local people barely make $100/month. How are they surviving with such tiny salaries? There is no min. wage laws here, the whole labor system is still based on the old apartheid system of cheap labor.
- Hotels were completely unaffordable for us. Rooms for a family rented for min $70/night. Camping looked like our only option and still it was expensive as cost is determined not per spot but per person.
- Strolling on the streets of the city we quickly figured out that Namibia is black, white and all the shades in between. Many Namibians are milky white descendants of the Germans colonizers, the South African Afrikaners and the Boers (Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier). The density of the country is exceptionally low – only 3 people per square km. Now this is the opposite of overcrowded India which boasts 421 people per square km!!!
- The capital city of Windhoek was not as safe as cities in Asia. We were warned against strolling with cameras and backpacks, walking around after dark and leaving valuables visible in a parked vehicles. Unfortunately it wasn’t just empty warnings as many of our new friends shared burglary stories. The good news was that people were too poor to purchase a gun.
- People are super nice but different than in Asia. Gone is the staring and the crowding, so in a way Namibians appear more reserved at first impression. English is a national language so communication is a breeze and it is easy for the kids to find playmates. Besides English Namibians also speak a bunch of languages, including the amazing Khoisan composed of clicking sounds, which had us stop in our tracks in fascination every time we heard it.
After three days of preparations we were ready to head out for the bushes, the same ones we saw from the airplane window.
We loaded our stuff in the sparkling rental car and headed north with a giddy excitement. Once we lost Windhoek behind all traces of humanity disappeared besides the two lane tar road in front cutting through a landscape of exotic pastoral splendor. Worthogs were grazing on the grass right by the asphalt. It was surreal. Spotting a giraffe munching on a tree and a few zebras had us screaming from excitement that first evening on the road. The sunset finished us off with its gorgeous display of pinks and yellows culminating in oranges and deep crimsons and dying out into soft purples.
The peace and quiet out there was absolute.
I felt we have finally arrived in Africa.
~M.
