Dust & Dishevelment – Part II

Friday 09.08.19. After 5 unforgettable days in Botswana we have a 5.30am alarm call with a 6.30am departure this morning as we’re heading for Namibia and the capital Windhoek. A journey of around 550km awaits and Prosper is keen that we don’t waste time at the border. It’s freezing, the sun won’t be up for at least an hour and we really want to stay in our snuggly sleeping bags. Ever so slightly regretting staying up till 10pm drinking red wine!! Thats how we roll these days. Its a bit of a struggle to pack up and take our tent down. Our hands are cold and our brains are ever so slightly sleep fogged. A quick hot beverage and a slice of toast have to suffice this morning. No doubt at least I will go back to sleep on the truck. We pack the truck and stumble onto the truck hunting for extra layers as its so bloody cold.We reach the Botswana border just before 8 and complete exit formalities relatively smoothly. We jump back on the truck to travel the 500 yards to Namibian border and a fortunate powercut sees our passports stamped for entry promptly. The truck paperwork takes around 30 mins. Prosper gives us a a brief introduction to Namibian. He’s a very intelligent and informative guy and Brownie and I also enjoy his nightly briefings.Its still freezing even though the sun is now up and warming the morning. We’re hoping that this isn’t how its going to be in Namibia.We spend the day chatting amongst the group, reading, watching IPlayer/Netflix downloads, listening to music or stretched out sleeping. The landscape is quite formless, dry and dusty. It’s just mile after mile of small trees and scrubby bushes alongside our perfectly straight tarmaced road.We make it in to the Namibian capital, Windhoek at around 2.45pm. Its been a long day on the road. We park at Christuskirche in search of a money exchange from our US$ to Namibian $. Windhoek’s population is around 300,000 with a small commercial district at the bottom of a hill.