After many hours of car hire company. The second difficulty comes in defining the route. After searching a lot of information online, read blogs, and send several emails, I decided to rent a jeep with the company Savanna Car Hire. They were offering me the best price and were also very quick to answer emails and answer all my questions. Is a Toyota Hilux, the most popular model in this area, and is equipped with everything needed for camping. There are two folding tents installed on the roof of the car and on the back it is loaded with chairs and folding tables, cooking utensils, and refrigerator. That’s incredible. Also, I come prepared with a deposit of 160 liters, as sometimes must travel long distances and no gas stations. Define the path was not easy. I spent several hours turning, but I think in the end we have a good plan.
We will be most of the time visiting the northwest of the country. First let’s climb north of Windhoek, to visit Etosha Park, Namibia’s most famous. There spend a few days on a self-drive tour with our car hired and without a guide, something I have not done yet before and I really want to do it again. Then go up to the north of all, playing with the Angolan border, an area known as Kaokoland. This is one of the most remote areas and is where the Himba tribe lives. There will also visit the Epupa Falls, a waterfall in the Kunene River, which is like an oasis in the desert. Then we will be a couple of days down Damaraland desert areas where it is possible you come across with various wild animals. From there we will approach the coast and travel along with a piece of the Skeleton Coast (Skeleton Coast).
It is known by this name since there have sunk many ships, some still can be seen from the coast. Pass by the city of Swakopmund, most touristy area, and finally descend to Sesriem to visit the famous dunes of Sossusvlei. Although I had been planning almost everything online, once in Windhoek I finished defining all.
I had to spend a week here to wait for my friends to arrive. I’ve done well to finish organizing everything and to take a week of rest and take some time to work on different things from the blog. The first day I went for a walk around the center, to buy food and get a guide and a good map. This city is completely different from those I have seen so far. There is plenty. The buildings are low and separated from them. There are great avenues with more than one lane in each direction. Even the side streets are overly broad. The crossings are well marked and there is very little traffic. It is rare to see more than 4 or 5 cars waiting at traffic lights. Many new cars and many SUVs are. In general, there are very few people on the street. No parasites or person selling. Nothing to do with all the cities he had seen in East Africa. Namibia was a German colony for a long time and there are many German tourists and expatriates. There are also several whites born here, and some coming from South Africa. I’ve hardly seen anything of the city because there are few things to see and also very hot and not feel like walking. I went a few times to the main shopping center.
It is a very large building with modern shops and also has an outdoor street with shops and restaurants, the most famous street in the city. This shopping center is a giant supermarket where you can find everything. It is the first supermarket that actually has the same things to be found in Europe. The first day happens to me like two hours wandering the halls and looking at what he had. The other day we were laughing us with another traveler’s hostel because he said he did the same. Although not buy anything, as long as you do not see these things, you stay out there walking, just makes you feel at home. That’s funny.
One day I went to visit the slum of Windhoek, the neighborhood of Katutura. It is the poorest neighborhood. Clare, an Australian girl who works at the hostel and spent years living here usually go once a week there to work with a small organization, the Home of Good Hope. We also accompanied Zandie, a South African girl. Working in a hostel in Cape Town and you see occasionally exchanged some workers from hostel to learn from each other. Zandie is spending a few days here for the hostel Windhoek and see the city. Interestingly works in Cape Town guesthouse where I have booked for the days you are there, so I’ll see it. Along the way, we pick Monica, a woman here who is leading the organization and preparing food for the children every day.
In this center they do is basically accommodate small children not yet attending school for a few hours. Do some activities and give them food. Spent a couple of hours helping to feed children and playing with them. Children are always lovely. It’s great to see older siblings, who sometimes have neither five years, look after the children. There was a very cute girl who fell asleep in my arms. It was a good experience. The neighborhood of Katutura is the poorest, the houses are very simple and have few things, but conditions are much better than those I saw in Kibera, Nairobi. There are much more space and far less dirt. I guess the good part is that they are fewer inhabitants. When you’re on the road with the car you realize that you really Windhoek is a city in the desert. When houses everything is dry and yellowish run out. I really want to take the car and head out to discover this country.
