My Namibian Road Trip-Part II

Road trips are usually fun when you are young. Young here is defined specifically to address that age group when you (and your siblings) are so skinny that you have heaps of space in the back seat. Going on a road trip when you are older might not be extremely comfortable given the space restrictions but also when you are nursing a particularly bad knee. Having said that the six days spent driving around the Namibian countryside was much needed family time! When you are part of a family that spends the majority of their time away from each other, cramped back seats don't really get in the way of a good conversation.

Me: Hi S! What you doing?

Sis: Shut up! I am trying to read...

Me: Go to hell!

Sis: Ouch! Get your elbow off my face...!

And this is an example of a heart to heart between two sisters in their mid to late twenties who hadn't seen each other for over a year. Apart from flying elbows and the constant vote for switching tracks on the iPod, our drive to destination # 1 was smooth and easy.

VingerKlip- Finger Rock


Twyfelfontain- Rock Engravings

Petrified Forest:

My Namibian Road Trip- Part I

When you are told that you are going to be taken to Victoria Falls in Zambia and all you have to do is pack your things and get into the car, you will most probably do as told. The plan was to drive down the scenic Caprivi strip (a.k.a Okavango strip) to the Zambian side of Vic Falls considering Zimbabwe was having issues of some description. And a quick stopover in Botswana on the way back to Windhoek. If a depressed look could have won me an all-expenses-paid-for-holiday to three African countries, I started to wonder what else I can tease out of the deal? If you haven't already noticed the inconsistency between the title of this post and the first paragraph, well things didn't work exactly as planned. The catch: three members of the traveling group were Indian passport holders. Processing time to get a Zambian visa: minimum three weeks. Considering three weeks is usually the extent to which your employer lets you slack off from work, we had to drastically change plans. Instead of hopping across the border we decided to explore the Namibian countryside.

So we traveled for six days in our red sedan to three different destinations.

# 1: VingerKlip and Twyfelfontain
#2: Etosha National Park
#3: Swakopmund

It did help that we had Bob Marley, Beatles, Dylan, Bollywood and me singing along to my wonderful collection of Tamil songs to keep us entertained.

My Windhoek Experience

Four immigration officers, one conveyor belt, a stamped passport which read ' U.N. dependent' and toilets offering sex education-my introduction to Windhoek, Namibia. While I survived the four hours to Perth, the eleven hours and five minutes to Johannesburg, the twelve hour halt in the transit hotel and the 55 minutes to Windhoek, I was fairly certain my backpack hadn't made it. I was completely prepared for this moment- I had packed a tooth brush, my runners and an extra pair of undies that would tide me over the lack of protective clothing for the next three weeks! Just to be absolutely sure, however, I did wait patiently till the aforementioned conveyor belt came to a screeching halt. No sign of my new Macpac. While I proceeded to fill a 'LOST LUGGAGE' form and made a mental note to charge my mother for my lost hair straightener, my family had deployed a search party in my honour. I found out later that my absence was open for discussion with the following scenarios (they had even roped in a Namibian security guard):

(a) Overslept in my hotel room in Joburg
(b) Skid and bumped my head in the shower and passed out in my hotel room in Joburg
(c) Just couldn't be bothered to get on the flight in Joburg
(d) Illegally entering and refusing to leave Joburg
(e) Put away somewhere inside the airport in Windhoek
(f) Possibly sitting on the toilet inside the airport in Windhoek
(g)Having undergone plastic surgery and hence becoming unrecognisable to loved ones and currently heading into the city in a local taxi

The last possibility is truly debatable and ridiculously fictitious. After much drama and teary hellos we proceeded to Klein Windhoek- the diplomatic suburb of the capital. What followed was a month of exploring the quietest city in Africa, the customary visits to Maerua Mall, $3 Hollywood movies and a particularly grueling 8 a.m. run with a hardcore runner. I also had the pleasure of experiencing knee-rehab at a Namibian physio clinic and met a very important person from the Namibian Ministry of Sport.

My Latin Adventure in Southern Africa

One of the best parts of being a U.N. kid is getting dragged around to diplomatic gigs. However, it's a completely different scenario when you are introduced to the Venezuelan Ambassador because you are the only family member who is supposedly fluent in Spanish. Apart from embarrassing myself by getting the Spanish equivalents for 'eggs' and 'Thursdays' mixed up and potentially being a bit too casual while addressing his Excellency, it was a fun morning to mingle with the VIPs. The event was organised by the Venezuelan Embassy to unveil Simon (read with an accent) Bolivar's statue at The University of Namibia. It was an honour to see the liberator of Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia and the founder of Bolivia propped up proudly on marble and cement.

The perks: two fantastic performances by the Police Band and The Kalhari Cultural Group (or grupo de cultural)


And I was a satisfied foodie:

My Warehouse gigs

Apparently when you are young and stupid you take photos of the UV sticker on your wrist...

Louis Mhlanga: South African Jazz Guitarist. His surname is far more complicated than it looks. Had the crowd dancing to his tunes all night. Encore!

The Mojo Blues: quite successfully brought on the blues over every audience member. My introduction to Windhoek (Namibia)'s FREE JAZZ! Free referring to the part where family members pay for your ticket.

My Melbourne

#1-Central Business District
#2-Flinders Street Station (The blueprint was swapped with Bombay's Victoria Terminus)

My Rusty Introduction...

After five years in Kangarooland I leave to explore this not-so-lonely-planet. This is an attempt at touching base with friends and family and a great opportunity for me to share my travel experiences and photographs. It's also about 'writing for pleasure....?'

Bon voyage!