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09.15.2005 -- South Africa, Deserts, Wine Country, Grapes - NAMIBIA --
Namibia - From desert to the vineyards of South Africa
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We really enjoyed Namibia, but our pocket book did not. When we arrived in Windhoek Namibia, we had a friendly welcome by a local gentleman. We asked what the most cost effective means to get into town was and he said that he was and gave us a ride in. This was particularly helpful because town is 48 kilometers (approximately 30 miles) from the airport and public transportation to and from the airport is non-existent - translation - a taxi is the best bet which isn't cheap there.
We spend a couple days in Windhoek. It is a reasonably nice town, but it isn't going to wow your socks off. One nice thing is that it is a developed city. Regardless, two days is plenty. We stayed at a nice backpackers called Tramper's Haven where the hospitality is excellent and it is quiet. We have learned that backpackers can be somewhat crazy with party kids. Oh... a double goes for about N$200 or just over $30 USD.
The best way around the country is to rent a car... however, the best deal we could get was going to put us right over our budget. There is one public transportation option that is cost effective... The train to the beach town of Svokopumd was actually reasonable at about $N95 each (under $15) for a business class seat. However, it is a night train and takes a full night to go 350 kilometers (approximately 220 miles). Regardless, we made it to the coast and stayed at another backpackers that was very hospitable called Desert Sky. Again it was just over $30 for a double. Maggie's favorite part was the cool dog (pit bull) named Milo. We took Milo for a walk out to the sand dunes which are one of Namibia’s tourist attractions. They have 4-wheeler tours, sand boarding and many other fun activities on the dunes. Our adventure was to walk Milo (the pit bull) without a leash or even a collar. That will get your heartbeat up... it is like having a loaded gun with a random timer on the trigger. Luckily we made it back without incident. Milo is actually pretty laid back, but he still has the pit bull skittish behavior.
One thing that struck us in Windhoek and in Namibia overall is the level of security people have for their homes and vehicles. A fence made of a six foot wall with another 3 feet of electric fencing above was not unusual. Razor wire is also a common fixture on many homes. The pit-bull was also part of the security measures for Desert Sky... no brake-ins since Milo. Theft has been a huge problem in Namibia since their independence from S. Africa in 1990. The country has an interesting history, but we aren't going to attempt any details as we are sure to get it wrong.
We spent a couple days on the coast (Svokopmund) and enjoyed it. We even splurged on a seal and dolphin boat trip. The seals were funny as they jumped right into the boat to be fed fish. We have pictures to prove it. We saw quite a few dolphins as well, but none came up for a free meal. On the other hand a group of pelicans had certainly been fed by humans before. As soon as they saw us coming, they swooned in for a bite to eat. They were absolutely freaking huge and comical looking (pictures of these too).
After 7 days in Namibia (you can easily spend more with a trip to fish canyon down south and the game reserves up north), we left for Cape Town. We confirmed that a taxi ride to the Windhoek airport was expensive (over $30 to the airport - DANG!).
Cape Town is great! The drive past the poor townships (shacks upon shacks) is quickly over shadowed by the modern city amenities of Cape Town. We were blown away by the variance of the poor and wealthy. The shanty towns are what we saw in India for all practical purposes. However, they have power running to the shacks. We learned that often it is stolen power and we learned that there is no running water or toilets in the shacks. There are communal water taps and toilets. We don't know all the politics and economics around it, but it is very impressionable upon arrival. The city center is pretty cool with Table Mountain in the background and looming above. We quickly figured out what route we were going to take to climb Table Mountain which actually encompassed our first full day in the city. After a few "minor" detours, we finally ran into some locals that showed us the way up the mountain. We can see why 100's of people get lost and rescued every year. They have very few trail signs and markers. We found trails everywhere, and could not figure out which was the right one. We understand that bushwhacking is part of the deal and with over 300 routes up the mountain, who know where you truly are. We did make it to the top and had a fantastic day overall.
We also spent a day at Robben Island (where Mandela was imprisoned). That was very interesting. Despite the injustices that occurred on Robben Island and during Apartheid, the overall message of the tour was very encouraging rather than negative. The tour guides are ex-political prisoners and their hope is that through their message, injustices like it won't happen again.
We also went down to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. This is the farthest southwest point of the African continent. We rented a car - probably a 1985 Mazda 323 - cheapest deal we could get. Public transportation down to Cape Point consists of tour operators which charge over $50 per person... ouch... we had a lovely day in our rental. There were some nice hikes down there and the sun rise was fantastic. We also saw a couple whales on the way... pretty cool. Maggie started making whale noises. It was embarrassing.
In Cape Town, we stayed at another quiet backpackers called Zebra Crossing. The staff there was incredibly helpful... from helping us determine which route to take on Table Mountain to hiring a car. In addition, their location is ideal for exploring the city. It is a block off of Long Street which is a well known main drag in Cape Town. If you are on a budget (or not) and want a clean, safe, quiet and hospitable place to stay, you should definitely consider Zebra-Crossing.
We spent the better part of a week in Cape Town and could have spent more (trying to find other routes up Table Mountain). There is plenty to keep you busy there... including the botanical gardens where we also spent a day.
That said, we took the Metro Rail to Stellenbosch to meet up with Wilma and Neville. We initially met them in Chang Mai, Thailand nearly 4 months ago. They own a guest house in Stellenbosch and said we had to stay with them when we got to S. Africa. It was our splurge and well worth it. Stellenbosch, the second oldest town in S. Africa, is in the heart of wine country. WOW! Go out and try a merlot from S. Africa when you get a chance. MMMMM MMMMMMM.
The place we stayed was called Avenues Guest Lodge. Neville and Wilma know how to host and can Wilma cook a mean omelet! We spent 3 nights there and pampered ourselves. Their philosophy is a value for money holiday. In addition to including breakfast, they provide a bunch of secondary services like shuttling you to various places near town. Neville dropped us at a walking wine tasting tour as well as a local park where we did a nice hike. The best was their suggestion to have dinner at the Fish Monger, a seafood restaurant a couple blocks away. Holy cow... what great food. If you are going to be in the area, give them a call at +27 (0)21 887-1843 or www.theavenues.co.za.
Now we are back in Cape Town for a night ... we had intended to start a drive on "the garden route" today. However, we need to get our Brazilian visa which we initially thought we could get upon arrival... whoops.
Thankfully there is a consulate here in Cape Town... or it would be something like Tom Hanks in the movie "The Terminal" - eternally trapped in the Sao Paolo airport. BUT FIRST - we have to add more pages to our passport... we have already filled them up. Thankfully, there is also a US consulate here too... whew.
Wish us luck... if all goes well, we start the garden route tomorrow.
-- Todd & Maggie
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