I just returned from Namibia, and though my pictures speak for themself, I will update as best I can! The journey was LONG, 20 hours each way on a bus from Livingstone to Windhoek. Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, is an incredibly clean, calm, friendly city. Namibia has one of the smallest populations in the world, because it is mostly barren but beautiful desert. The country gained independence in 1990, so the German influence is very strong in the cities and towns. The effects of colonialism are deeply felt but difficult to grasp, as Windhoek and Swakopmund seemed to be run by large German businesses, in addition to the diamond and oil mining industries. Poverty exists mostly on the outskirts of these small cities, as there is little water available far outside these cities.
Everything is much less expensive in Namibia as compared to Lusaka (though prices in the village are of course next to nothing), so I was able to buy fresh produce and funky accessories like a new yellow hat and yellow sunglasses for cheap! We rented a vehicle in Windhoek and drove for a day in the desert to Sossusvlei, where we camped and awoke at sunrise to climb part-way up the second largest sand dune in Namibia called "Big Mama." We hiked to petrified trees, saw the largest sand dune in Namibia ("Big Daddy"), drove past giraffe, kudu, ostrich, warthogs, baboons, and feasted our eyes on glorious canyons and mountains. We then drove to Swakopmund, a touristy coastal town where the desert meets the ocean. I hadn't realized how much I missed the ocean. The weather was chilly at night but scorching during the day, the sunsets were absolutely unreal, and the trip all in all was magical. My friends and I had a few scary experiences driving in the desert (I will spare the details, we are all totally safe!), as is transportation in Africa. Now it's back to work in the village!
