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Windhoek

Well, I’ve switched countries again! Now I’m in Namibia, which lies on the Southwestern coast of Africa surrounded by South Africa, Botswana, and Angola.

I’ve had exceptional luck in my post-PC travels so far. On the first day at Afrikaburn I met a very friendly guy from Namibia who gave me a ride up to Windhoek, the capital city. When we arrived, he offered to let me couchsurf at his apartment, so that’s what I’ve been doing along with exploring the city by foot and trying to take some time to relax from all the recent traveling and excitement.

The drive up here took about 16 hours, and there were three of us in the truck. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I couldn’t help with driving since it was a manual transmission, so my contribution to the drive was conversation and keeping the drivers awake. I actually learned about Namibia’s history, environment, and economy during these conversations, so I really enjoyed them.

When we started out, the landscape was full of fruit and wine vineyards, far off mountain ranges, and green-ish fields (the drought that’s hit all of southern Africa has devastated a lot of agriculture this year). We crossed the South Africa/Namibia border at night and had planned to sleep at a lodge of some sort after getting across, but everything was booked. So, we continued driving until everyone was falling asleep at which point we stopped at a gas station and slept in the car for a bit. At 3:45 AM, we were at it again. When the sun came up, giving us a delightful show, I was finally able to see my surroundings. On either side of the straight as an arrow road were flat, vacant, sandy plains with a simple barbed wire fence separating the road and the vast lowlands. As we went further north, the landscape became more and more bushy with desert shrubs and trees. We saw some animals along the way—Springbok, cattle, sheep, and baboons—but apparently it’s not uncommon to see warthogs, zebras, giraffes, and other typical African animals during the drive. Windhoek lies in a highland at an elevation of 1,650 m (5, 400 ft) and immediately surrounded by thick bush. As JB told me, it’s not hard to get out of the city and escape to nature when you live in Windhoek.

We got into the city around 10 or 11 and immediately took naps. Later in the afternoon, we went to acroyoga as JB is sort of an informal teacher. It was my first time ever trying acro, but it was super fun! I accomplished a few simple moves on the first try and only had three or so tumbles. It really enjoyed watching everyone flying in the air on the lawn in front of the parliament building as the sun glowed beautiful and pink and sank behind the city (super sad I didn’t get any pictures!).

Then Monday and Tuesday I spent wandering around the city and indulging in all the free parks and museums in Windhoek. This included the botanical gardens, the national art museum, the cultural center, the national museum, and small art/craft shops downtown. I also ran essential errands like getting a Namibian SIM card for my phone, buying new running shoes (since mine went missing at burn), and finding a delicious froyo place.

I’ve also had a pretty active social life here, accompanying JB to various get togethers and meeting a lot of international people as well as locals. Windhoek is a small city, much like Asheville, where everyone really knows each other. It’s refreshing to feel that tinge of home in a place 7,624 miles away.



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