Category Archives: Namibia

Swakopmund, Namibia

Adventures, Namibia, ,

The desert around Swakopmund seems to stretch away forever and forever. In the centre, this small, holiday town nestles on the edge of the cold Atlantic, waiting to welcome foreigners and locals alike. Although it is busy all year, it fills up more than usual during December. I struggled to find backpackers accommodation at short notice. Not that I’m complaining – I ended up staying in a lovely, comfortable B&B (Hotel-Pension D’Avignon). Between backpacker stops in Windhoek, a nice, comfortable bed and my own shower for a night wasn’t exactly a hardship.

Accommodation establishments aren’t scarce in the town, which is probably an indication of just how popular it is. They are scattered all over the place, many of them in beautiful old, occasionally nation-monument, buildings. Some are more distinctive than others. Turning a corner and coming upon the Hotel Europa Hof was delightful – a picture of (possibly movie-ified) old Europe, complete with dark roof and edging and window-boxes full of flowers. The government-run Youth Hostel is situated in the old army barracks, built in 1905 to house the 2nd Eisenbahnbaukompagnie while they built a landing jetty in Swakopmund. Pension Prinzessin-Rupprecht-Heim was once an old German Military Hospital, built in 1901.

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Something like a desert

Adventures, Namibia, trains and train stations, , ,

It is a terrible stereotype to say that Namibia is a desert. Namibia is a huge country (almost twice the size of Kenya according to my guide-book), with something like 29 different climatic/environmental zones. Two of these are desert – Namib and Khalahari – but even these are not anything like uniform. I knew all this long before I took off from OR Tambo on the last Thursday in November. And yet, I found myself, as we came in to land in Windhoek, surprised that the veld below me looked green and pleasant and rather like the Northern Cape. Stereotypes are hard to break.

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The joy of home

Adventures, Namibia

Some trips are more intense than others. It’s the more intense ones – whether emotionally draining or just intense because of the constant movement – that bring the greatest relief and joy at being home. Sometimes even when “home” is 12000km from the place you long to be.

I got back from nearly 3 weeks travelling in Namibia on Monday. Yesterday was my first full day at home. It wasn’t a particularly productive day (although it should have been). I pottered around and did ordinary things that felt like luxury all of a sudden. I had a long, hot bath. After weeks of (mostly cold) showers, soaking in a hot bath felt amazing. You’d think a year in no-bath Korea would have broken the attachment I have to baths but the reverse has happened – I am more keen on baths than ever but now they’re quite a distinct symbol of luxury.

I ate salad. When I was travelling, I wasn’t eating out much so was either throwing together cheap, quick options at backpackers (ramen noodles ftw) or eating tournament food. There wasn’t a lot of salad. And I love salad. So yesterday, I made myself a large bowl of salad with butter lettuce and basil and rocket and fresh mint and rosa tomatoes and baby cucumbers and blueberries and balsamic and olive oil and cheese (CHEESE :D). Travelling food is not always enthralling, particularly when travelling in a country where the food traditions have almost entirely the same roots as one’s own. The kitka was good though.

Other fun things about being home? Soft but firm pillows. Being able to do laundry and then put it in the tumble dryer (because home has missed the memo saying it is summer) and forget about them  for hours and hours. Watching mindless TV programmes for an hour or two. Uncapped internet on my laptop. Finally catching up with all the emails from the last few weeks. Clothes other than those I’ve worn and re-worn all this time. Ditto for books. And did I mention the cheese?

I wouldn’t give up the travel for anything but it’s great to take a deep breath and just relax into enjoying the things that are lovely and luxurious and unique to being home.