Sausages in Windhoek
Off to Namibia
The destination Namibia is a bit unusual for two hardcore Asia fans, but our friend Veronica made us very curious with her reports from South Africa and so we decided to pack our backpacks and also pack Veronica. So this time it’s three of us on a hopefully exciting road trip through the middle of the African outback.
After two exhausting working weeks, our journey begins quite tired in the train from Dortmund to Frankfurt with 6 cans of beer. We almost had to turn back here, because Veronica suddenly doubts that the decision to leave the sandwich maker and the sliced cheese at home was the right one. Of course, what could be more important than towing a sandwich maker through Namibia’s desert. I don’t even want to imagine what the sliced cheese would look like after 14 days of desert climate.
Our cheerful discussion about the African electricity supply, however, brings a much worse problem to light. It turns out that we definitely need an adapter, which of course we don’t have with us at all. I can already see the first beads of sweat on Mirko’s forehead as he thinks about how to charge his camera, laptop, mobile phone and various other electronic things in the bush. Shortly before the outbreak of a total mood of crisis, we fortunately find an electronics shop at the airport that sells all types of adapters available.
I am positively surprised by Air Namibia. We have a rather modern airplane with enough on-board entertainment and enough space. On the tarmac I can even wave goodbye to my parents via Skype.
Around 2 o’clock at night the flight suddenly becomes quite bumpy and noisy. Something bleeps quite loud and the turbulences feel strong like a crash. Fortunately everything goes well and we arrive as planned, healthy in Windhoek. Since our plane is the only one here, we march along the tarmac and are warned again and again by the staff not to take any photos. As you can imagine, if you tell a horde of tourists not to take pictures, it works quite well. After a short facial check including a thermal imaging camera we get our entry stamp very quickly. Finally, we are ready to go.
The rental car counter and a simcard are quickly found and we start looking for our new vehicle. When we finally discover it, we are shocked. Our four-wheel drive has more the dimensions of a truck, it is a huge white pickup with a body on the loading area, so that you can’t see anything at all out the back. But on the other hand it has a huge dust-protected loading area. Can’t hurt if you have to transport a freshly killed antelope for dinner.
Veronica takes over the driver’s seat and manoeuvres us safely through the left-hand traffic. Accompanied by instructions such as „Drive left“, „Stay left“ and „Think about driving left“ we head towards Windhoek. There is only one road and to the right and left of it there is nothing but African savannah. Awesome!
500 meters later the first baboon almost runs in front of our car. I‘ m almost freaking out, a baboon in the middle of the street and you can’t imagine how huge this beast is. I would like to get out directly and hunt him down with my camera. On the first day of my holiday, however, I refrain from doing so for safety reasons.
Sausages in Windhoek
Next stop is a shopping mall in Windhoek. Unfortunately, there is no big parking lot here, but only a multi-storey car park. Now there are also clear beads of sweat on Veronica’s forehead. To tow the 12,9 meters long Toyota Hilux battleship through a multi-storey car park was actually not on the agenda. Fortunately we reach our parking lot without total loss and without tears or nervous breakdowns.
The shopping centre turns out to be a totally modern mall. If I didn’t know that I was in Africa, I wouldn’t have noticed a difference to Germany. Just because there are somehow more white people here than black people.
When we finally enter a Super-Spar, I am completely off my game. All three of us are standing in front of the sausage counter, staring hungrily at real german sausages. This is exactly the right thing for us! German sausages in Africa, who would have thought that?
Beside all sorts of unhealthy chips stuff we equip ourselves with about 30 liters of drinking water, which you can never have in sufficient quantity and certainly not if you have to change a tire at 112 degrees in the desert. Very satisfied with ourselves we stow all our groceries on the loading area, which now proves to be very practical and leave the car park without a scratch. Until the first accommodation we still have 300 kilometres to go and I am really curious where the first adventure is waiting for us.
The first part of our route is a well paved road in the middle of nothing. From time to time we see some cattle and baboons along the roadside and the landscape is simply breathtaking. Green plains and at least 20 kilometres of visibility, lined by bizarre cloud formations. I can’t really get enough of it. One may not believe it, but on such a lonely road in the bush, without a middle barrier for the oncoming traffic one may really drive 120 km/h. In Germany: unimaginable, I already see our Minister of Transport fainting.
After about 30 minutes the asphalted road turns into a gravel road and we go offroad, if we like it or not. Veronica has full control over the vehicle and I am a bit impressed, to say the least, how she manages that after about an hour of sleep with at least 40 degrees and in long trousers. Every now and then we meet horse-drawn carriages or riders without saddles who race at full gallop over the humpback track. I could freak out with joy again.
Then it continues on a somewhat worse gravel road through the middle of the mountains. The ride is now more like a roller coaster ride and it doesn’t take long until all three are busy imitating the fair announcer and we deliver a show that couldn’t be better at a real fair. The hills are so steep that you can’t even see from the top in which direction the road continues. But as I said, Veronica really knows how to handle the car.
We take a break at a favourable rock formation. On the one hand the sausages smell simply too delicious to remain longer in the bag and on the other hand the girls have to pee urgently. Super! The first thing the the African continent sees of me is my naked ass in the bush. A good first impression, now things can only get better!
