Adolf's town (no, not that Adolf)

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Luderitz is described as a German colonial relic, and I am expecting it to be like Frutillar in Chile, but it has quite a different character - possibly because the Germans were invited to go to Frutillar, whereas they imposed themselves here. There's plenty of German architecture in evidence, coupled with bright colours recalling La Boca or Valparaiso, but my nostrils twitch in vain for the scent of sauerkraut on the breeze. The small port reminds me more of Whitby, a dearth of fish and chips shops notwithstanding.

There's not much going on in Luderitz, so I catch up on the Namibian news. Corruption is rife, political opposition discouraged. Links with China are being forged, but Chinese infrastructure projects in Namibia seem to involve mainly Chinese employees, meaning no skills transfer to locals. There's plenty of dissension between the Namibian political parties anyway, but verbal attacks on European colonial countries score easy points. The previous president - the first president - has in recent months uttered statements like "British people should be hit with a hammer in the head" and "Germans must be shot between the eyes". Delivering independence is seen by many as such a signal achievement that no other reason is necessary to vote for the party that delivered it. It will be interesting to see whether democracy improves (in Africa in general, not just Namibia) when the "independence generation" has died off.

My hostel contains a 1996 copy of the WLP and I'm shocked at how vast sections of it have clearly not been updated in the last decade. I will be a happy man when I no longer have to use the rubbish that this company produces as supposedly helpful information.

I spend three days in Luderitz then head back to Keetmanshoop in a shared taxi. Shockingly, the minivan's driven by a woman - the first time in Africa that I've seen that role with a female occupant. The passengers are ten women and one guy, and the driver greets me with "Welcome to the Women's Institute". The journey is a constant stream of chat, laughter, music, and singing. My exposure to Namibia has been brief but, taking into account what I've experienced here, it's one of the most appealing countries in Africa.

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