NAMIBIA
Mel
As European countries were colonising Africa, Germany grabbed the area between the Kunene River, in the North and the Orange river, in the South. In 1884, it was declared a protectorate – Deutsch-Sudwestafrika. (Walvis Bay was excluded as Britain had already laid claim to it). After WW1 South Africa was given the mandate to govern the territory and it became South West Africa. In 1990 S.W.A. became Namibia under the leadership of Sam Nujoma.
Namibia remains more German than Germany and until we reached the far northern section, around Rundu, we encountered mainly Germans, locals and tourists. The other predominant language spoken by all locals was Afrikaans. As English speakers, we were definitely in the minority but certainly understood by most. Gray and I speak fairly fluent Afrikaans, so this was not an issue but Robs (having elected to study Zulu as a second language) had to have things interpreted regularly.
Namibia is the 34th largest country in the world and the second least densely populated, with fewer than two million people. Possibly, the Namib Desert might play a role in this; it is also why you can travel for hours without encountering another human. The roads we travelled on, tar and sand, were all in excellent condition. The roads were constructed by the S.A. army back in the 1970’s and 1980’s and the present government has done a great job of maintaining them. The country is clean and there is no sign of litter in the towns we visited or in the rural areas. There is no need to change currency from the S.A. Rand to the Namibian Dollar, as the Nam $ is fixed to the rand. One change to bear in mind is the hour’s time difference, until you get to the Caprivi area, you can sleep in for an extra hour (and two when day light saving kicks in).
Highs:
Each area had its own charm: I loved the trip around Walvis harbour; the tour around the ghost town, Kolmanskop; Swakopmund with its brightly painted buildings, interspersed with German architecture and the Ovahimba women and children; the fast flowing Kavango River; the oysters; I think my favourite spot were the dunes of the Sossusvlei area.
Lows:
The floods; South African caravaners – neither a fault of Namibia.
Graeme
Watch this space.
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