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Published: January 29th 2021
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Khun Frang
wonderful Thai food The day has come. Originally we would pack our bags, give back the rent a car at Cape Town airport, fly to Joburg and connect to Zurich. Thank you Swiss Government for making a mess of things, and especially thanks to Nenad's parents who told us not to worry about them, but to enjoy Namibia. They are looking forward to our pictures and stories.
Well, now we pack, give back the rent a car, fly to Joburg, go to Pretoria, make a Covid test, leave half of the luggage in the hotel, fly to Windhoeck and continue discovering Africa's driest sub Saharan country, Namibia. Oh almost forgotten, restart a Malaria prophylaxes. The northern part of Namibia (Etosha), where we shall start, is during the rainy season a malaria risk area. As predicted, with the wine bottles from the Graff winery, we had a serious problem of space in our suitcases. Our host of African Dream bungalow took pity on us and donated an old, but very suitable bag she did not need any longer. We filled it easily.
Pretoria on a Sunday evening is sleepy. Few people out and about, also because of the Covid restrictions, which include no
alcohol sales on Sunday and a curfew at 10:00PM. In South Africa the cases are on the rise and the Government is tightening the measures. They even talk about a partial lockdown again for the country. One story we have to share with you, that will make you laugh. Nui got to know an officer at the Thai Embassy in Pretoria, when she tried to get the Embassies help for a visa extension. Craving for Thai food after a long absence, she asked her for a Thai restaurant recommendation in the city. Calling there, she got the owner on the phone, but had to hear, that it is the off day and the restaurant is closed. A longer chitchat in Thai followed, (Nenad smiling because he knew what Nui was up to), where Khun Frang (not Farang) agreed to open specifically for us and offered to cook herself, something she usually has an employee to do. The "Thai lady food mafia" (as Nenad calls it), brilliantly at work. And yes, the dinner was a great success, the food delicious and Nenad even got his Singha beer with it.
Arrived in Windhoek we were surprised how far from town its
Namibia here we come
wide spaces, arid soil airport is. For a town of barely over 300'000 inhabitants having an airport 50km out is not usual. The airport has a very small building for a capital, despite the runway being able to accommodate long haul aircrafts from Frankfurt or Addis Ababa. It is quite similar to the provincial airport of Klagenfurt in Austria. You have to walk from the aircraft to the building over the tarmac. As we were reaching our hotel, Nicole was still struggling to finalise our arrangements for Namibia. It was weekend, Christmas and due to the lack of tourists many facilities have temporary or permanently shut down. At least we knew where we go tomorrow, Etosha, the prime safari area in the country.
The Republic of Namibia has been inhabited since early times by the San, Damara and Nama people, who were bushmen, hunter-gatherer communities. Around the 14th century, immigrating Bantu peoples arrived as part of the Bantu expansion, we have also seen happening in South Africa on the example of the Zulu, Xhosa and others. Since then, the Bantu groups, the largest being the Ovambo, have dominated the population of the country. In 1884 the German Empire established rule over most of
the territory, forming a colony known as "German South West Africa". It developed farming and infrastructure, built a railway and established military bases.. Between 1904 and 1908 it perpetrated a genocide against the Herero and Nama people. The Himbas, a tribe of the Herero, are often found today in tourist places showing themselves (especially their ladies) in their traditional way (which is semi-naked), selling local handcraft. German rule ended in 1915 with a defeat by South African forces, who were part of the British colonial army. In 1920, after the end of World War I, the League of Nations mandated administration of the colony to South Africa. They imposed its laws, including racial classifications and later the full apartheid laws. Despite the UN recognition of Namibia as an independent nation, the South African regime continued to rule over the territory and people. It resulted in a guerilla warfare with the eventual full independence in 1990. Namibia has a population of app. 3 million on a surface of 825'000 km2 (more than double the size of Germany). People in this vast, empty land live of agriculture, tourism and mining, including mining of diamonds, uranium, gold, silver, tin and zinc. Situated between
the Namib and the Kalahari deserts, Namibia has the least rainfall of any country in sub-Saharan Africa. This lack of rain has forced flora and fauna to make some amazing adjustments to survive. Natural ground water reservoirs are plentiful with excellent water quality in most regions. Getting to them, humans, animals and plant have developed unique strategies we shall observe as we travel the regions. Namibia's GDP per capita is USD 11'000 per annum, compared to its former master Germany at USD 45'000. English, Afrikaans, German and 6 native African languages are officially recognized as National languages, of which Oshiwambo (the language of the Ovambo tribe, who constitute 50% of the population) is the most widely spoken.
The residence Heinitzburg (originally called Heynitzburg castle) is one of the three castles in Windhoek. It was built in 1914 and owned by Hans Bogislav Graf von Schwerin. Heinitzburg is used today as a restaurant and hotel. It is a member of the Relais & Chateaux group. Welcomed by the General Manager, Tiaan Jooste, a South African from Fanschhoek, who was lured to Namibia by the peacefulness of the environment, we quickly felt at home. On the verandah of this historical building
we settled down with a big grin and a huge satisfaction. Let the Swiss talk about Corona, we want to talk about four wheel driving in the wilderness we will start tomorrow. When asked at the dining table what we want to drink with our lovely looking food, Tiaan, a trained sommelier, advised us competently. And yes it was a South African red wine from Franschhoek of course.
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