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Published: September 18th 2012
We started thinking about a trip to Africa last year and after deciding on a self drive the number of countries that we could go to was reduced quite a bit and in the end we decided to go to Namibia and South Africa which seemed to encompass most of what we wanted to see or experience. Given the difficulty of booking accomodations especially in Namibia we decided to employ a travel agent and after getting quotes from multiple agents and a few false starts including an agent whose quote quadrupled after we decided to go with him everything is booked. And so after months of planning and preparing we are finally starting our Southern Africa adventure. And it starts with a good omen as the Phoenix airport actually opened an exhibition on African animals so it seems we will be able to see them at least as art if we get unlucky and cannot see them in flesh during our trip.
But first we have to get to Windhoek with almost 21h of flight plus 10h in stopovers divided evenly between London and Johannesburg. We have passed through Heathrow a few times before so we already know most of the shops which makes it the more boring stop. The one thing that we try to do is to get a boarding pass for the flight to Windhoek but no luck supposedly it can only be gotten from Johannesburg. So we do some window shopping eat a lunch and then it's on to the second long flight of our trip. In Johannesburg it is a bit less clear what to do as a transit passenger but we finally find the right exit and we get to border control which poses a small problem as we do not have a boarding pass and we seem to be alone among all passengers with that problem. However when we mention Windhoek all is solved as they pass us through and tell us to get the boarding pass right afterwards. Which we do after we stand in a queue for about 1h after a group of Japanese flying to Victoria Falls. Finally in the airport we investigate all the interesting and new shops and even buy a couple books about the birds and mammals of Southern Africa and we eat breakfast. In the end we also decide to exchange some US dollars which in the long run proved to be a wise decision.
And then we finally get on the short flight to Windhoek. To our surprise the plane is really comfortable compared to the long haul flights and we still get food even on a 2h flight. From the plane we can catch the first glimpse of Namibia and its roads as we approach the airport. And then we are finally at the Windhoek Hoseo Kutako International Airport, which is a bit small as you even have to walk from the airplane to the terminal. The border formalities are relatively fast after we complete a 20 question questionnaire similar to the entry to US when on visa including the same weird question "where do you intend to stay while in the country?". In the airport we first try to buy a Namibian SIM card for our phone which we think is worth the $5 cost as we can use much cheaper domestic rates if needed. It takes about 30 min but we succeed as everything seems to take a lot longer as it should. Then we try to exchange some money but we give up after another long wait (which was a mistake as we found out in the long run) and we simply withdraw some money from the nearby ATM. And then we finally get to the car rental counter and after a lot of formalities we finally get the key to our 2x4 Nissan Xterra. Knowing what we know now we would have insisted to get a second spare but we didn't know what we know now of course at that point😊. Then we go outside to get the car which again takes some time as the agent cannot find the car for some time and then he shows us that the spare tire is there and in good condition and that all the needed tools to change a tire are there. We give him a tip and then it's off to Windhoek 40 km away. Actually it takes a bit to be off as we kill the engine a few times as we get adjusted to a manual on the left side but finally sounding like a race car especially when starting from a standing position we get to the highway.
The road is paved and in great condition with a speed limit of 120 km/h so we zoom along towards our accomodation for the night, Olive Grove in Windhoek. There are relatively few cars on the highway which is good as it is a bit difficult to juggle both the manual and driving on the left side of the road. And then we notice the roadblock - we are a bit scared especially as we kill the engine right at the checkpoint but we are waved through and then we enter the city. Luckily we have directions and the accomodation is an easy find - getting inside is a bit more difficult as it is gated but somebody notices us and we get in safely.The room that we get has both the advantage and disadvantage to face the veranda which is used for dinner and breakfast as it is noisy but also very easy for us to just step out for breakfast. It feels great to finally see a bed after all the travel and to take a bath - the bath actually is impressive with 3 different ways to get water in the bathtub or take a shower and his and hers sinks. Also the minibar is stocked and we like the fact that the electricity plug is build such that South African, European and US appliances can be used in it.
Before dinner we take a short stroll on the grounds to take a few pictures of the veranda in front of our room and of our SUV still clean and shiny new before the start of our grand tour.
After an 1h of relaxing after our arrival we go to dinner which is menu based and as we did throughout our trip we each chose separate dishes to sample as much as possible. The food was great especially after the airplane food and it was soup followed by either kudu steak or pork medallion and then a selection of chocolates which came to about $40 for the 2 of us.
And then we simply crash in the bed after our two days of flying to get to Windhoek so we can recuperate before the real start of the tour tomorrow.
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