So, since my last post the guys of the World by Road team and I have split. We met a guy at the hostel here in Windhoek who is starting an amazing organization called Promote Africa (http://www.promoteafrica.org) that promotes local African artists, musicians, writers, etc. as well as provided micro-finance loans and grants. We interviewed Ben and afterwards attended the series of free hip-hop concerts around Windhoek in celebration of World Music Day. The guys broke the news that they wanted to part ways early in the day, so I was determined to celebrate/rage that night, and some new found friends helped make it happen!
Windhoek is quite small, but still has a good nightlife for the most part. Ben, April, Laurie, Robby, Fu (all Americans), and I headed out to the last big free show with Namibian hip-hop star "The Dogg" and then hit El Cubano (most of us made it). It was a good night out, although there were definitely some snafus: Ben was mugged by a guy with a knife while April and I snuck into the club. Hmm...not quite the safest of nights, I guess. But we still had fun, and I made some new traveling friends.
The following day I started making plans with Robby, Laurie and Fu to rent a car and head to the 300m/1000ft sand dunes in the Namib National Park in southern Namibia. I had to rent the car, since I was the only one with a driver's license, but all the cars were manual transmission (which I have no clue how to drive!). So I had to slowly and awkwardly make it out of the parking lot and around the corner before Robby could take over for the 400km drive to the park through mountains and down dirt roads.
The drive was beautiful, and we only almost died once when Robby hit a soft patch of gravel and spun out. We arrived at the park just as it was closing and had to pay the park entrance fee of $80N/person. The card machine was down, so we didn't pay the $900N for camping and were told to return the next day.
We woke up at the crack of dawn and sped to Dune 45 for a sunrise photo and breakfast. Then we drove to the end of the park, hiked 5km to the base of Crazy dune, then started our ascent up the 1000ft dune in the heat of the day. Not the best of ideas since it was about 33C/90F degrees outside and dry!!! On the hike back in we had hoped one of the many trucks driving past would stop to pick us up, but we had to hike most of the way before an Afrikaans guy from Swapkupmund returned to pick us up. Thank God! We were all dehydrated and sore! We hit another unmarked dune for sunset then headed back to camp. It gets to be about 7C in the desert at night, and I broke out into hives it was so cold (yes, I am allergic to the cold!).
We managed to sneak into Sesrium canyon the next morning for a quick look-see and then leave the park without paying at all for the two nights camping or the second day's park pass. Oops! Guess we stuck it to the man?!
Just said bye to my new friends yesterday then grabbed a bus to Cape Town, where I am now. Am still bus-lagged from the 20+ hour bus ride, and will write more about CT as soon as I explore.
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2 comments:
Thanks for the book title. I thought about the point it made but I'd still have to argue that it varies by circumstance. If the job was working in a family business, such as a corner store or restaurant, I would agree with it. Hell, even I used to work at my parents fast food joint when I was 10. But when the job is physically laboring and potentially lethal where it could stunt a child's physical and psychology growth, I don't think anyone, regardless of culture, would consider that acceptable. I'm also interests as to where the author of the book is from because it is often very easy to make these types of observations where one will never know what it is like to grow up and live a life of those they research about.
I think you'll see my point based of the words you left me, which I really appreciated. What you say is very true. No matter how long we stay in a country or how much we think we know a place, we will always be viewed differently. But I think we can still function well with that, as long as we acknowledge it, which you obviously have. I think a lot of backpackers and ex-pats overlook that very crucial point and in some sense that type of thinking is dangerous. I'm glad to see you're not one of them.
In terms of "being lost", I honestly am all for that. Haha. I'm about a quarter of the way through my "planned" journey, but taking your words, I kind of just threw the whole iternary out. I've been finding ways of saving money here and there, finding random emplyoment along the way and overall, I'm pretty content. I don't know when I'll go back. Maybe when I feel like I've stopped learning, or when I feel like I need a break, but at this point, I'm just going to keep on going. It's nice to know that another Bonderman is feeling the same way =)
Interesting to see the exchange with "Wandering Pugilist" and to guess at what your half of the conversation may have been like, Jen.
It's also so interesting to read the comment "No matter how long we stay in a country or how much we think we know a place, we will always be viewed differently."
Sparks a lot of thought in my head for a few reasons. From my perspective, your stays in these countries seem like expanded vacations -- although not swanky vacations. Living 3-4 years in each country puts everything in such a different light. Multiply that by spending the last 20 years living overseas. What you guys are living now seems like the "Cliff's Notes" version.
If you don't return to the U.S. until you've "stopped learning" or you feel like you need a break, you may turn out to be one of the many Americans who spend almost their entire adults lives overseas. I hope you never stop learning, no matter where you are!
Although you've told me you "could never work for the Government," Jen, I hope your travels (and perhaps meeting Embassy employees) have helped you understand why so many of us can and do. It's frosting on the cake that I get paid a helluva lot of money to leisurely tour the world, and that the money tree I planted 20 years ago will soon begin bearing fruit in a USG retirement check that only stops when I die.
The last 20 years and 7 countries (not counting my own vacation stops) has been the best of all possible worlds.
Linda
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