Namibia
Trip Start
Jul 19, 2009
1
100
147
Trip End
Oct 25, 2010
Windhoek Namibie, Khomas, Namibia
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Due to the fact that vast areas have (little or) no population, and also because of the way we are travelling - as a group, self-supporting, camping - there wasn't much interaction with the locals, apart from the guides, but they were there in a special capacity.
So I missed the South African people's warmth and fun. I missed the beauty of the country, the shores and forests, the Transkei, the rural villages.
Although Namibia has its own beauty, the eye grows tired of endless deserts, flat and dusty. But the rock formations and canyons are stunning, the sand dunes startling. Starry nights and fairytale sunsets, though not uniquely Namib, of course, but the mountains and absence of urban light create special cirumstances to see them at their best.
I am writing this in the truck, as I do most of the writing, in a note book, hoping for an opportunity to send it. We have just arrived at Etosha National Park for a game drive. It is not what you imagine when you think of a park, it is as big as a small country (I'll find out which.) The flat, barren land leaves the animals more exposed than in the greener reserves, but much as I love animals, I know for sure now that I don't like safaris. The whole thing just makes me feel very uncomfortable. No, not for me, unless maybe I could walk around by myself or with a friend or a guide.
The wind has picked up quickly, clouds of dust are blocking the view now, the sun all but disappeared.
Dust in your eyes, nostrils, ears, mouth - and that's just sitting in the truck. My hair is transformed into dirty, fraying strings of rope, skin sandpapered.
So, yeah, Namibia - a very interesting and unexpected experience. I will not forget this stoical land of sand and stones, but I don't think I will feel the need to return.
