The further south we travel, the less we feel like tourists. While there are some things that we are refamiliarizing ourselves with (like unique colloquial phrases and the sheer amount of meat consumed in a day), there are very few surprises. After eight years since our last visit, it all comes back and feels very comfortable. And that is a good thing.
We spent the weekend with my good friends Hanlie and Christo on their potato and onion farm near Hochveld. It is 175 kilometers off the beaten path, southeast of Otjiwarongo. I last saw them twelve years ago when we visited them in South Africa, on our way back from Mozambique. They have two boys now and we enjoyed their company immensely. The boys have not started English instruction in school yet but initiated conversations, having learned everything they know from watching American television. I am quite amazed by that.
Hanlie was the first person outside of my worksite in Mariental to speak English with me, and I had many good times with her, and then also with Christo. They have gotten to know Russ over the years and instantly there was a level of comfortableness. We were completely at home with them for four days.
The meals with them represented a deep passion of many Namibians – love of meat. We had it at every meal – deli meat at breakfast (with egg, toast, and tomato), chicken or wors at lunch, and then braai for dinner. We ate oryx, kudu and beef. We learned about the strict new laws surrounding Namibian cattle: no hormones of any kind, great living conditions, and special slaughtering processes. It’s not a farmer’s choice, it’s the law, and the only country in Africa to hold such high standards. Well, they are higher than in the US in any case, which is why McDonald’s and the like will not be coming here anytime soon. Farmers are finding a premium market in Europe, and so good for them.
The road from the farm to the tarred highway in Okahandja was a challenge. The rains have really chewed up the dirt, leaving a muddy mess and the most difficult driving since the road to Semonkong in Lesotho. What was normally a 2.5 hour drive to Windhoek turned into more than four.
We are in Windhoek now and our bearings were shaken a bit. The skyline has changed dramatically and there is much growth. It has really matured into a wonderful metropolis which is still very easy to walk around. We checked into Chameleon Backpackers, which had not only moved to a much more accessible location, but expanded into an en-suite guesthouse. It took some creative haggeling to even get in as they were so busy (we were in one room, then another). Years ago, it seemed like no one travelled through Windhoek, and now it is a bustling hub with people coming in from all destinations in Southern Africa and then fanning back out into Zambia, Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
We ran into some Peace Corps volunteers and stopped by the office which is around the corner. It felt like we were volunteers again. We met the current person who is in Luderitz and Russ enjoyed swapping stories. We’ll spend the week here walking through the downtown area, revisiting favorite places, and eating sentimental foods (first stop last night was Sardinia’s for anchovy, garlic and oil pasta, and then gelato – so very tasty). We hope to see a few friends.
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