Windhoek

After an early start and a glorious sunrise in Spitzkoppe on Friday it was off to Windhoek. As we were packing up one of the locals came by in a donkey cart. Andre asked him if he could take it for a spin, he said sure. I asked if his insurance was paid up. After a giddy-up Andre was off at pace heading for the horison. He passed the camp next to us and after shouting that is was easy to get them going but he had no idea how to stop them a burst of laughter errupted. Luckily one of their guides stopped the cart and got him turned around.

We bought some Spitzkoppe T-Shirts at the entrance and some gemstones from the locals along the road back. We gave the first one we stopped at some food as well.

We stopped at a really nice restaurant and B+B in Usakos called Namib Wuste Farmstall for second breakfast. We went with the Wuste burger which was devine and at a very reasonable price.

The road to Windhoek was the greenest so far. Lots of large green trees and shrubs. There are also large amounts of termite/ant mounds scattered all along the road. Some are just over half the height of the electrical posts!

We arrived in Windhoek at about lunch time and after driving right through the centre of town we headed off to The Cardboard Box Backpackers. We got a double room at a good price. It was called the Moulin Rouge (LOL). Sadly no dancing girls 😉

They had a pool and a nice bar and after a swim we headed down into town, which was in walking distance. After 10min of walking around in Windoek it felt like I was in Joburg (and I don’t particularly like Joburg). We walked up to Christuskirche and the Equestrian monument. We also popped in the museum which was a bit of a bore. It mostly contained the political history of Namibia. The only interesting thing I found was the rock paintings. We took a quick walk through the gardens at parlement and went looking for the info centre. We tried to find out about the brewery tours (you have to taste Windoek in Windoek) but they were only open Mondays to Thursdays.

I then decided to walk up to the Botanical Gardens. As you walk up you get a nice view over parts of Windhoek. I spotted some very colourfull lizards as well. Entrance to the botanical gardens is free. I had about 30min before closing time so I picked the route up to the lookout point. While walking up I came across a tap where they had made a small reservoir which was full of millipedes having a drink. So I got my camera out to take a picture and suddenly felt a sharp bite in my foot. The knee jerk reaction sent my slipslop flying and I found my feet covered I some seriously agro ants trying to eat me.

I ran back down the path got rid of the ants and started planning a search and rescue operation for my slop. No easy task when everything is covered in ants!

With the slop recovered I completed the rest of the tour on a light jog. No time to stop for pictures. Back at reception I brought the ant problem to their attention and they were kind enough to offer me a glass of ice water. While arranging the water I filled in the guest register. Comments: “Beware the killer ants! Very nice.”

On my way out I passed some shady characters who tried to coax me into conversation, but I ignored them and carried on walking and got back in once piece. While I never felt in great amounts of danger in the city, I was never quite at ease either. You are very aware that you stand out.

Back at The Cardboard Box we met a French guy called Julian. He was busy backpacking through parts of Africa. He was having a very hard time in Namibia because there was no transport to any of the remote sites. He even struggled to get to the Etosha pans as the bus only went to a certain point and from there if you were not booked on a tour or had your own transport you were stuck. His next stop was Cape Town, so he and Andre exchanged details.