Hello All,
well I'm now coming to the end of my stay in country number seven, Namibia and to be honest it has been a revalation. The countries size is staggering and it is only populated by only 2 million people, I.e. Nottingham. Its a strange place because you end up driving for miles without seeing anyone and th eroads here are straight as a whistle.
I arrived in Namibia via a 20 hour coach journey from Victoria falls, the border crossing was a refreshing adjustment back to normal after the troubles in Zimbabwe, with the border guards barely looking at my passport before stamping it and the security check being a cursory check of the back. So good to be back in Afrcian officaldom again. It seem people either take there job very seriously or not at all.
Despite a very power drunk hostess we arrived in the Namibian capital without too much ado at 6am. This city is a fine example of teutonic efficiency. You could almost be a in a european city, developed as the capital Windhoek is. Namibia's recent history is that it was a former german colony that after the second world war was placed in the control of South Africa until the late 70's when it became an independant nation. This has lead to a very diverse set of people living here. It really is the Rainbow nation with people of all dofferent colurs and hues.
Windhoek is inoffensive enough but there isn't really to much to do, despite that I found myself heading out sampling the nightlife at a house party and then a local nightclub, catching someone trying to pick pocket me red handed during the course of the night. Anyhow because Nambia is so sparsely populated pulic transport only exisits between the main population centres, so to get to the main tourist sights you either have to rent a car or take a tour. It worked out cheaper to take the second option and after hunting around the various backpacker hostels I found two and half travelling companions. One of whom ended up being a 5 year old german child (he did have his mother with him).
Over the course of the following 5 days I drove an equivalent of 2000km, on mostly gravel roads, very few roads are tarmac, and limited to only the main routes. Namibia has been experiencing a lot of rain as well recently, and this has turned quite few of the roads into 4WD only tracks, especially when crossing rivers. Rivers you say, well most of the year they are dry but in the rainly season, they fill up and even when the water level is low they are car traps. Full of soft gravel and sand they love to take out unexpected drivers. In other parts though the roads are bone dry, sraight as a whistle, slighty bumpy or take you through spectacular passes giving you a exhilirating 3 dimensional drive (depending on how fast you are going). On hiring the car I was told, take it about 60 km/h on the gravel roads because inexperenced drivers have been known to flip the car by braking too hard when going quick. I tried, I really did to obey this instruction but after a few hours driving I soon realised that 120 to 140km/h wasn't too dangerous, and that most corners could be taken at a minimum of 100 km/h in third gear if you could handle a bit of 4 wheel drift. I haven't driven for over 4 months but what a treat this was, a hire car the open road on gravel, I lived out my Colin Mcrae rallying fantasies having a few close calls with Giraffes and a very surprised Ornyx. I did ride my luck at one point shooting past a cop car at 160km/h on a 120km/h road, but they couldn't be bothered to chase me. In addition we crossed two rivers that a 2wd car should never have made (on one of them the water was still flowing) and only got stuck once in a very sticky puddle. Being a true gentleman I got the girls out to push while i being manly steered and controlled the wheel spin to get us out.
The river crossings were even more exciting, on one occasion we were miles from anywhere, if we got stuck we were screwed, but despite the flowing water and foot deep sand, I got the car through with one or two scary moments, but only after we had emptied the car to make it lighter. On the other river, an overland truck pulled up behind us and said you'll never get across that11 Taking the challange we got across in one attempted only for the truck to get very stuck behind us. That was very funny for all us in the 2wd car!!
Anyway enough about the driving although it was a real adventure the secondary part of the trip was the sights we saw. In Sossuvei , I ventured out into the desert, a hug flat salt pan, filled with 300m red sand dunes, it was like entering another world. feeling lazy I hitched a ride from the Campsite on an overland truck and got to walk up one of these monster dunes to watch the sunrise. walking up these things is no mean feat, the ridge is very sharp being shaped by the wind and for every step forward you fall half a step back. After viewing the sunrise in this errie landscape we ventureed further into the desert. While the overlanders headed off for a desert walk, I had a solo three hour walk of my own. The desert really is a massively disorientating place, and really one not made for human exisitance, the sheer desolation must have been overwhelming for the sailors stranded on these shores, their deaths gave this entire stretch of the desert its name the Skeleton coast.
The following day I journied up to Swakopmund to pick up my passengers, and followingon from here the next day we visited the worlds biggest seal colony, and the dramatic Spitskopp mountain to see some native rock art pictures. The seal colony was amazing, like something out of a wildlife documentary. So many animals, the smell overpowering, the noise of there growling and honking deafening all with 20 ft breakers in the background. The Spitskoppe mountain again was breaktaking and a very strange shape. The lumps of Granite this mountain is made from stagger the mind.Pictures will follow soon, and you'll see what I mean. Finally the Branberg mountain, the highest peak in Namibia at sunset was amazing. The Sunsetting lights up the red granit in such a way it seems as if the mountain is burning. It was such a remarkable sight. UNfrtunately we were some distance away so we didn;t get the whole effect but man what I saw was amazing. The following day we took in the Branberg Rock painting, by taking a two hour walk in this wild west, granite boulder ridden landscape finally viewing some intricate rock art created over 2000 years ago. Also later that day we saw a petrified forest, fossilised trees where the trucks over 260 million years have literally turned to wood. On the final day we saw some native Himba tribes who still live to their ancient ways living in small villiages, living off the land, women living in friendship communities with the men travelling between them to impregnate and spread there seed. This was real frontier africa, shared with 28 western tourists on a overland truck, but never mind.
Finally today i have made it back to Swakopmund, and partaken in a spot of Sandboarding which was tres cool, even though I was rubbish and kept falling over, I guess I'll have to do some snowboarding back at home to get some practise. But there was nothing like throwing yourself off a 100m sand dune on a snow board. Better still I managed to lie on a piece of hardboard and go sailing down the sand dune hill. I didn't get the fastest speed, but did get the greatest wipeout, spinning like mad at 55km/h. The biggest injury I suffered today was grazing my big toe badly while putting up my washing so someone must like me up there.
Anyway not long to go now, only another month, but who knows i may see you all even sooner.
Love to all and send me some messages on my guest board you gits I'm looking like a sad loser with no friends compared to others using this site.
Laters dudes
Bowess
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