Country Information:
The capital of Namibia is Windhoek. There are approximately 3 million people living here. Namibia has 13 recognized languages, including 10 indigenous African languages and 3 Indo-European languages. Oshivambo languages comprise the majority of the indigenous languages while Afrikaans is one such widely spoken Indo-European language. The majority of Namibians practice Christianity.
Namibia is known for its Namib Desert, stretch nearly 1000 km long. One part of the desert known as Sossusvlei has tall sand dunes that shift colors at the sunrise and sunset! Nature lovers will also enjoy Fish River Canyon, one of the largest in the world. Here one can go hiking, river rafting, camping, or just stargaze at the beautiful desert skyline!
Jim’s Perspectives:
In 1996, after saying goodbye to Susan in Joburg, Dad and I boarded our flight to Windhoek and spent the night there before we were to take an early morning flight to visit the famed Etosha game park in the north.
However, I screwed up … and read the tickets wrong … and we missed our flight. “You big dummy!” is what my dad told me for weeks, months and years afterwards, and was usually accompanied with the shaking of his head. Undaunted, we hired a taxi to drive us six hours to Etosha. What’s cool about Etosha is the “salt pan” that is so large it can be seen from space. Around the watering holes, we saw lots zebra, large elephants and some lions. At our hotel we ate kudu, and I was determined to bring this dining experience back to North Carolina … and import kudu.
Loved my time here, but next time if I get back would love to see the desert elephants, if any still exist.