The previous day we entered Namibia, which was previously known as South West Africa when it was part of South Africa, and before that as one of Germany’s few colonies. The country only broke away from South Africa in 1990 after many long years of conflict for independence. As a country the scenery is spectacular and maybe some of the best in Africa. It is diverse in its environments and our journey will take us through bush, beaches, dunes and deserts. It is also very sparsely populated, only 1.8 million people live in Namibia, so there are times when you can almost go through a whole day and not see another vehicle on the road.
Our first Namibia experience is the San, or Bushmen people. It is a dying culture and there may not be more that 3000 San people living a traditional life in all of Africa. They have been pushed out of every niche they inhabited including the inhospitable climate of the Kalahari and now have to reside in reservations. So we try and visit these people and get a glimpse of how they used to live and how they are capable of surviving in the bush of Africa.
The other great thing about this campsite is the kids. They are fearless little devils that will try anything for a laugh and a bit of fun. They play with us (and our football) for hours. They take photos with our cameras and pose like gangsters trying to look as cool as they can. We try and entertain them with things they may not get regularly, like balloons. It’s a great afternoon and evening watching and playing with the kids.
Did I ever mention that overlanding was an experience like no other? Have you heard of the term T.I.A.? This is Africa? Well sometimes in Africa things happen that are out of your control and we experienced that on the day we left the Bushman’s reservation. We got bogged! Not your average bog but a big fat African BOG! If you are going to do things, do them properly once or don’t do it at all. So we experience team work, t he coming together of people to achieve a common goal. So, we come together and dug Eeyore out of the sand and got her back on the road. Not without the help of about 20 Bushman, 20 kids and a few dogs. All in all it ended up being a good experience for the guys and gave a taste of what Overlanding used to be like several years ago.
Tip of the Day: If you are going to dig out a truck, do it properly the first time.