Day 1
We pulled out of Concordia around 7:30pm, dropped Casey off at the airport, and started our drive towards Namibia.
I was the first to drive, which was a little scary since none of us had driven in the city, let alone at night. We got a little lost looking for our exit but finally found it and the first night ended up being really fun. We passed through this mountain pass which I'm guessing would have been really beautiful if we could see it. When I started getting a little tired, we pulled over to trade off. It was then that we realized how beautiful the open sky was. The area we were in was really flat and it had to have been at least midnight. The sky was really deep blue and there were so many stars! We got a really nice picture of us there, but it was on my camera. This was the one we were most upset about losing :/
I was the first to drive, which was a little scary since none of us had driven in the city, let alone at night. We got a little lost looking for our exit but finally found it and the first night ended up being really fun. We passed through this mountain pass which I'm guessing would have been really beautiful if we could see it. When I started getting a little tired, we pulled over to trade off. It was then that we realized how beautiful the open sky was. The area we were in was really flat and it had to have been at least midnight. The sky was really deep blue and there were so many stars! We got a really nice picture of us there, but it was on my camera. This was the one we were most upset about losing :/
Day 2
Around 5 or 6am on Sunday morning we reached the Namibian border. We were all sleepy and ready to be out of the car, but at the same time so excited to finally be somewhere. Since it was our first border post we were nervous and confused and ended up having to circle back around for paperwork we forgot. Then the immigration office had one pen (literally, one for the whole office to share..) so our paperwork took quite a bit of time. Once we finally got our stamps and made it past inspection we set into the desert. That's when we first felt the heat! The drive was pretty for the first few km's but, as I'm sure you know, the desert all looks the same. After about an hour we realized we were on the wrong road and had to turn around. We found the road we were looking for and it actually turned out to be a pass through a national park. It was so beautiful! We expected to see some big animals but didn't see anything except a baboon. It sounds cool, but they are everywhere! Seeing a baboon on the road is like seeing a deer on the road at home. We stopped at one rocky spot to take a break and stretch and take pictures.
It took longer than we thought to get there, as we were still driving through the desert in the dark. I woke up when we hit the really rough road. Then the fog rolled in and it got even harder to see. The car was bouncing around like crazy and we were all tired. It seemed like the only thing we had going for us was that there were probably not going to be any other cars on the road that night. I remember waking up another time to the car stopping suddenly. I opened my eyes and saw a zebra crossing the road! It was really awesome! We finally pulled into Walvis Bay, where we were staying, around 11pm. The backpackers we were staying at was already closed and we had no clue how to get anywhere else to stay at a hotel so we parked across the street and slept in the car that night. I had a hard time falling asleep because I kept expecting someone to knock on the window, either to tell us we couldn't stay there or to try and take our money. It was a rough night.
Around 5 or 6am on Sunday morning we reached the Namibian border. We were all sleepy and ready to be out of the car, but at the same time so excited to finally be somewhere. Since it was our first border post we were nervous and confused and ended up having to circle back around for paperwork we forgot. Then the immigration office had one pen (literally, one for the whole office to share..) so our paperwork took quite a bit of time. Once we finally got our stamps and made it past inspection we set into the desert. That's when we first felt the heat! The drive was pretty for the first few km's but, as I'm sure you know, the desert all looks the same. After about an hour we realized we were on the wrong road and had to turn around. We found the road we were looking for and it actually turned out to be a pass through a national park. It was so beautiful! We expected to see some big animals but didn't see anything except a baboon. It sounds cool, but they are everywhere! Seeing a baboon on the road is like seeing a deer on the road at home. We stopped at one rocky spot to take a break and stretch and take pictures.
I must have fallen asleep once we got back in the car because I woke up to Damon pulling the car off to the side of the road because he said it was driving funny. Yep, that would be our first flat tire! It was way easier than we expected though. The boys changed it in less than 10 minutes while Emmi and I got lunch ready. After we got out of the park we were still driving along more desert road. We saw kudu, warthogs, ostriches, and lots of horses and donkeys. We watched the sunset over the dunes and then I fell asleep.
Day 3
We woke up around the time the backpackers opened and got into our room. That was when I realized that I forgot our malaria medication in my room. We didn't technically need to start taking it until the next day so we had a little time. We drove to Swakopmund and found a prescription for about $100, which is way better than what I had expected. We didn't think it was going to turn out to be a nice day so we had to turn around and get our swimsuits. Luckily the trip between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund only took 15-30 minutes, and we had a great view of the desert on one side and ocean on the other. We ate at a cafe next to the ocean and the entire menu was in German. Then we spent some time on the beach but it ended up being too cold to go in.
We woke up around the time the backpackers opened and got into our room. That was when I realized that I forgot our malaria medication in my room. We didn't technically need to start taking it until the next day so we had a little time. We drove to Swakopmund and found a prescription for about $100, which is way better than what I had expected. We didn't think it was going to turn out to be a nice day so we had to turn around and get our swimsuits. Luckily the trip between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund only took 15-30 minutes, and we had a great view of the desert on one side and ocean on the other. We ate at a cafe next to the ocean and the entire menu was in German. Then we spent some time on the beach but it ended up being too cold to go in.
On the way out of the beach, Damon and I both had to go to the restroom, so Nick and Emmi waited in the car so we wouldn't have to pay. When we came back they had these little carved souvenirs with their names on them that a guy had come up to the window and made for them. That night we went to the grocery store to get chicken, rice, and chocolate chip cookies! We didn't get the chance to sandboard while we were there, so on the way home we pulled the car off the road, grabbed the spare tire cover from our trunk, and ran across the road and up the dunes. It didn't exactly work like we thought it would, but it did make some pretty awesome memories! Damon was the first to fall and ended up with a nasty burn. He and Nick tried over and over to make it work with no success. Then we saw a big 4x4 coming over one of the dunes. We weren't exactly sure if we were allowed to be there so we sprinted all the way back to the car and peeled out. Oops!...
We stopped later down the road at a spot where we were actually allowed to get on the dunes. When we failed again at sandboarding, the boys decided to use a sleeping bag. At that point Emmi and I gave up and just played in the sand.
That night we made dinner and attempted to shower all the sand off before finally crashing.
Day 4
We woke up and left the backpackers at 4am! We wanted to make it to Windhoek by noon so that we could cross the Botswana border during daylight. It was a long drive, but the road that leads from Swakopmund to Windhoek is very straight so I was able to drive pretty fast (I was loving it). We saved a bit of time that way, and made it to Windhoek around 11. The city is in the middle of nowhere but nonetheless it is gorgeous! You would never know it's in the middle of the desert. It actually reminds me a bit of Pittsburgh with the schools in the middle of the city. The architecture is also really pretty. The pictures we got aren't very representative, but I promise it's beautiful there!
Afterwards we kept driving towards the Botswana border and made it around 3 or 4pm. We stopped right outside the post to get gas and fill out our paperwork and I think that's when it was the hottest of the whole trip! We could barely stand to be outside the car. The border was pretty easy and everyone was nice. We made it through in less than half an hour and headed for Maun, at the base of the Okavango River Delta.
Read on in.. Part Two: Botswana
Afterwards we kept driving towards the Botswana border and made it around 3 or 4pm. We stopped right outside the post to get gas and fill out our paperwork and I think that's when it was the hottest of the whole trip! We could barely stand to be outside the car. The border was pretty easy and everyone was nice. We made it through in less than half an hour and headed for Maun, at the base of the Okavango River Delta.Read on in.. Part Two: Botswana
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