Namibia Day 1 & 2: How bad is the Mainliner Bus?

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The internet is very slow right now, probably a countrywide issue in Zimbabwe. We leave the hotel at 11AM on one of the combi vans to yet again cross the border and get to the international bus terminal in Livingstone. It will be a while before we post again. Probably not until we reach Sesriem in Namibia. When we arrive in Windhoek tomorrow morning, most likely late, I have to walk over to the Budget office to pick up the car and get back to pick Jen up with the luggage. Then we cross the foreboding Namib Desert to Sesriem, arriving around 12PM Namibian time (1 hour behind South Africa and Zim/Zam). Sossusvlei Lodge should have internet access, but it IS the middle of the desert so I will not count on it.

1400 Kilometers

And still in one piece . . . but Intercape is a miserable company and the Mainliner service is misery incarnate and a poor reflection on South Africa's Greyhound equivalent. Not that Greyhound is some kind of luxury bus service, but at least they have some standards - like air conditioning and safety. Here's why YOU should not use Inter Cape Mainliner (cannot speak for Sleepliner, but Mainliner was enough that I will not set foot on their busses again):

- The bus stop in Livingstone gives no indication that it is a bus stop, this is part of the "Africa-ness" and adventure, so okay . . . but at least have SOMETHING;
- Despite ambient temperatures in excess of 90 degrees fahrenheit, the aircon on the bus barely works, with a meager flow of air that does not cool the cabin at all, so bad that even the Namibian Immigration official complained whilst on-board;
- Emergency Exit hatches that are bolted shut because the company got fed up with passengers propping those open to try to get some cool air in with the aircon constantly broken - so if you are on the second level of the bus in an accident . . . you are NOT getting out; and
- An itinerary that resembles more the Combi vans than an express bus service. We spent more time stopped than moving it seems and the busses are consistently late - 2 hours late in our case.

On the bright side, as our South African friends from this morning said - we got the FULL sensory experience on Africa - sights, smells, sounds, smells, and smells. We also really got to see another segment of non-Arikaans southern Africa, not just on the bus with the guy sitting behind me half naked sweating all over the seat looking like a bum you would find on any street corner in America, but also the the huts and small villages of the Zambezi and Caprivi Strip. As they say, my photos will tell a thousand words.

We did get some shut-eye and the trip was ultimately uneventful, arriving, as I said, 2 hours late in Windhoek. Windhoek is a rather larger city at a quarter million, the capital and largest city in Namibia. Namibia is the least densely populated country in Africa and has only 2 million people. As we soon found out in our little VW Polo, there is a good reason why this country is sparsely inhabited - there is a LOT of desert here between the Kalahari and the Namib. In fact the Caprivi strip, in the far northwest is where the arable land is, the little that there is, and where most people live.

Renting Cars in Namibia

Or "hiring" cars. DON'T DO IT. Renting a car is a complete and potentially catastrophic mistake, and I am a good driver. I have spoken to a number of Namibians now, and all have agreed that driving anything other than a 4x4 is too risky in Namibia, I am frankly shocked, SHOCKED, that nothing happened to us both on our 350km trip to Sossusvlei and our recently completed 400km trip to Swakopmund. Budget was not at all accommodating and as usual, which seems to be an African cultural phenomenon, little information, knowledge or advice is communicated to the customer, even when that informaiton is very actively solicited. As an English miner we met on the bus who lives in Zambia said - they do the bare minimum they have to do to get their paychecks, and that is it. I am not sure if that is it, or just a half-baked disconnect from reality. Maybe it's the sun. If its been going on for thousands of years in such a fashion, it can explain why things are the way they are in Africa. My strong recommendation is to rent an SUV and as William suggested tonigh - KNOW how to drive an SUV or bakkie on a gravel road and rough terrain. You will see from the pictures on the next post why I emphasize this.

Technically not two days in Namibia here, but since we were in Zambia on our way to Namibia, good enough.

Sossusvlei Lodge

I booked this kind of last minute and fretted but took a leap of faith. The reviews are good but questionable in some cases online, and some guidebooks give mixed reviews. We LOVED it. Yes, it is a little tacky, really just a little, but it has a great location and a wonderful facility that integrates reasonably well into the surroundings. The food at the Lodge however is NOT good at all. We had our Christmas dinner on the beautiful patio dining area of the hotel, a very copious buffet with stir fry and huge selection of game meats for grilling on demand. We got a primo spot near the edge so we could see the savannah stretching out into the distance with the Naukluft Mountains in the background. A pack of jackals ran around in the darkness below us, stalking the food, and surely hoping that someone would launch something there way. They are so brazen that when I got up to go to the buffet, one jumped up on the ledge not realizing Jennifer was still at the table. They will steal food right out of your plate. Many of them are rabid.

As you can see the rooms are half safari tent (well air conditioned) and half adobe hut (not so well airconned). They face the savannah with a little patio and are quite comfortable, my only comment is that they are sometimes a bit close together and privacy is lacking a little, but that is not that much of an issue.

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Photos

International Bus Terminal - Livingstone
No - that is not it under construction. Just the concrete and maybe that bench there. That's it. Welcome to Livingstone, second city of Zimbabwe!

Bolted Emergency Escape Hatch
Shame on you InterCape. Sorry for bad photo, that thing was banging all over the place.

First Pit Stop
Just after we crossed into Namibia from Zambia. That Shell gas station had the dinner bell ringing for us. Menu? Doritos, Cheetos, Fritos, and a 5 liter water jug. Thank God for capitalism, there's more to crap junk food than bugs in Africa!

Zambezi Valley Lodging
Traditional homes along our road. These were all over the place, some fashioned into quite elaborate compounds, but a hut is still a hut and many many people lived this way. And they were smiling and didn't seem to be worried about the credit crisis. Who are we to deplore their "condition"?

Mainliner Bus
It doesn't look all that bad from the outside. NEVER judge a book by its cover. Rattle trap.

5 Liters
So much water that it lasted us through our trip in the desert, on top of the 16 hour steam bath that is the InterCape Mainliner.

Trusty Polo on Namibia's Finest
1.6 Liter, ABS, 5 speed, aircon. What else do you need to cross two of the world' most infamous deserts on roads with massive rocks, potholes, gravel, and wildlife?

Off the D1275
Near Spreeshootge Pass. A farm in the middle of nowhere farming God knows what. Hard scrub shrubs?

Solitaire Gas Station
The Namib Desert's isolated emporium. Freshly painted, it used to be some petrol chain, but they got rid of it. Who needs to pay someone else money when you are the only show in town for hundreds of kilometers?

Room at Sossusvlei Lodge
Our tent/room. Doesn't look like much, but very well done.

Exterior of Room
At Sossusvlei Lodge.

View from our Room
At Sossusvlei Lodge. I could not find a single critter despite wandering a good ways. Lots of droppings and holes in the ground though.

The Sossusvlei Lodge
On the walking path to the individual rooms.

Afternoon Cocktails
Under an acacia tree, at Sossusvlei Lodge.

Sun Setting on the Savannah
On my critter exploration.

Comments

[Tia Wise]

It seems you had fun in Southern Africa but still after touring, you dont know that Livingstone is in Zambia, not Zimbabwe?? Should we read something into this??

[The Steiners]

Livingstone
Where do we say it is in Zimbabwe?

[Emmanuel Murwira]

Hi...I agree with you about the Mainliner but Livingstone is not in Zimbabwe but in Zambia

[The Steiners]

yes but we were staying in zimbabwe, so that is why zimbabwe is mentioned. we had to cross the border in order to go to the bus terminal. i also had to get a dual entry visa from those crooked, scheming corrupt zambians in order to do so.