Namibia

Near the apex of Dune 45, Sossusvlei, Namibia

Photo courtesy of www.shuophotography.com

Namibia the beautiful country that is, small in population, sparse in development but overwhelmed with rural beauties. 

After a week in South Africa we got on a plane to Namibia not sure what to expect as i knew very little about this country. We decided to hire a car for the duration and drive around to places of interest. As soon as we go in the we got on the road for a 4 hour drive to Ssouslevei. Through the middle of nowhere with no civilisation for miles, I hard no idea what kind of trip my husband had planned. When I think back all I think about is how wreckless he was.

The desert reminds me of Arizona the route reminds me of Route 66 

Just empty land of nothingness that has been untouched by man.

From one dry end of hostile heat to a more green area of vegetation, grazing animals and people. 

Towns are a few and far between but on a 5 hour journey it is a joy to come across some civilisation, a lonely journey back to Windhoek 

No service station for miles, no road lights for the dark, no SOS. You take this route at your own risk and hopefully with a reliable car. We had the baby sleep for 3 hours, we timed set off to work around her routine, this made sure she didn't have to much time to get bored and moan. There's only so much Waybuloo and In The Night Garden I will allow her to watch at our convenience.

Slow development of this country 

When planning for this drive remember to pack 

Some snacks for the journey

A litre of water each for persons and an extra spare bottle.

A full table of petrol of course 

A map 

Satnav

Fully charged mobile phone 

And wear comfy clothes and shoes 

You need a cardigan for Windhoek but can strip when arriving at the desert. 

We stayed at the Le Mirage 

The trees shrivel and bend from the heat and the branches are stripped bare peeling 

A Namibian desert tree is iconic it is instantly recognisable in its location from photos 

Some parts are such a bright colour in red/orange it's hard to believe this was created by earth. 

As you get closer to Windhoek the weather cools down and you can see rain from a distance 

Difference with Cape Town is I didn't come across any shanti towns, Namibia's residences are just that well built residences, a few looking good enough to be on Grand Designs and some not as pretty. 

The disparity in Cape Towns wealth and poverty is concerning and also represents the obvious division between the blacks and whites 

We had the most amazing staff at the hotel, it was very quiet and I felt completely isolated. Desert excursions aside and spa treatments there isn’t much else to do out there, no Wi-Fi no to. I guess this is the beauty of this resort but we had four whole days booked in this hotel and I was just about surviving one day in utter boredom. We decided to cut our stay short and head back after two days. Back to Windhoek. We did a few arts and crafts markets and ate well with great food options.

Namibia is another country that was raped and colonised in 1949 by the Germans, remnants of which is widely evident today in the legacies left behind. Which is of course sad to see. Do the Namibian people truly own their own country or are they just pawns in businesses that was never given back to them.

German owners 

German land names 

What does this mean for the locals