Africa 2017-Day 21

Day 21- Windhoek, Namibia

No one seems to know where Namibia is (except, maybe the Namibians).  Namibia is located in the southwest of Africa on the South Atlantic with Angola to its north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south.  There is a thin extension like the Texas  panhandle that lies between Angola, Botswana and Zambia called the Caprivi Strip.  The capital, Windhoek , lies in the center of the country and is its main population center.  The population is only 2.5 million in a country the size of Venezuela making it one of the least densely populated countries in the world.  The majority of the land is desert, the Kalahari in the south and the Namib Desert (the oldest desert in the world) in the north and west extending right to the ocean.

Indigenous Namibian people included the Damara, San, and Nama tribes and later, the Bantus.  It became a German colony in 1884 and was eventually lost to South Africa in 1915 during WW I.  Though Germany only had it as a colony for 25 years, there is still a strong German influence here, including German signs, cuisine, and language.  Before the Germans ceded control, though, they were responsible for the 1^st genocide of the 20^th Century killing over 80% of the Herero tribe’s population and 50% of the Namaqua’s population in retaliation for an uprising against brutal German rule.  The survivors were subject to forced labor, deportation, and racial segregation, precursors of Apartheid.

After WW II and Apartheid in South Africa and by extension into Namibia, conditions deteriorated further.  Communist backed rebels, the SWAPO, fought a war for independence which resulted in a free Namibia in 1991.  It is a parliamentary democracy and has been very stable for many years.

Now you know more about Namibia than most of the rest of the world.  Jeri and I decided to walk into town after being dropped off at our new hotel, the Olive Grove Guest House.  The new digs were beautiful and the staff very friendly. 

 

The walk into town involved a considerable amount of elevation change, both up and down.  One of the major landmarks is Christuskirche, a Lutheran church opened in 1910, built in the gothic revival style.

 It is situated in the historic center of Windhoek next to Parliament Gardens.

 Down the street are the financial and shopping areas along with several museums and theaters. 

We walked to the Namibia Craft Center, a large area of shops and restaurants featuring Namibian crafts.  We looked a lot, but didn’t buy.

Clouds started moving in (the first we’ve seen in Africa) 

and we decided to head back to the hotel and relax.  We made it with only an hour to spare before we had our first (and only)rain of the vacation. 

It was short-lived, and the sun, then the stars were back out.

Oryx was on the menu for dinner, and since we  survived eland, crocodile, and warthog, we decided to give it a try.  Outstanding! Not at all gamey, and no fat. 

Off to the desert tomorrow.