The end of a dream…is the beginning of new ones (Epupa falls, Kaokoveld, Skeleton coast, Namib dessert, Windhoek)

I had to rewrite this post several times in order to reflect the current situation. Hope this will go out in time.
I am already in (or rather the end of) week 4 of this trip, which is very different from what I thought it might be (as it is for the rest of the world). But I will come back to this later. Let me first start with the itinerary of last week.

So, I left you off last time before we went to see the Himba people. I didn’t had a nice experience with the guide and I should have stopped the whole trip there but I also wanted to see the traditional people. I wonder so much of what I should do and how to make a difference and it was interesting to see that they “just” live and are happy with that. Why do I (or we westernes) think that we have to do differently?

We stayed two nights in Opuwo before heading out even more north. I talked to another fellow German (yes, there are many here!) and he recommended the Epupa Falls. So, 4 hours on a gravel road later we saw them. And it is an awesome sight seeing this river (Kunene) like a green oasis in this harsh environment.
The night at the community camp was very noisy but I managed to sleep quite good…Susana not so.


Next day, after another crisis morning (fear of loneliness) we got on the way to Ruacana, which started with a 4×4 track that made me forget the morning and Corona.
We arrived at Camp Cornie at around midday and intended to have a small lunch there. 2 beers later we stayed for the night 😀

I realize (and maybe not only me) that the more I read the news about Corona the more horrible I feel. So, next day was the same and we just started before lunch time on our onward journey to Ruacana…or so we thought. We arrived at a big river crossing and even that Cornie said it is possible to cross we hesitated:
And here the answer to the puzzle :-D:
We were back at Camp Cornie for the night and the next morning went back the way we came from since even our neighbors with the Mercedes Unimog didn’t want to risk being stuck in the river (which they wouldn’t have). And to go there alone makes no sense.
That day and the next we covered a lot of miles and basically got from the Angolan border all the way to just outside the southern gate of the Skeleton Coastal Park (a very remote area). Looking back it was too much driving but sometimes we just realize things afterwards.

The next days we took it easier and went to Henties Bay (fishing must be THE thing in South Africa!) and Swakopmund (if I miss Germany I know where to go).


Has Corona affected my/our travels? Yes, in the past, present and it will also for the future. My plan of traveling the southern and eastern African countries is out of question right now.

The last week was though some times as it was not clear when Susana will get a flight or if at all. So, I had to deal a lot with my fears, which are around loneliness and homelessness (and death). And with my dislike of goodbyes of course!
I questioned whether my decision on staying in Namibia would be the right one. It might be also triggered by my fears that if I go back to Europe I have to face the questions I couldn’t answer so far and was hoping this travel might bring some insight:- What will I do (professionally)?
– Where will I live?
– How do I want to live?
Beginning of the week Susana managed to get a flight to Portugal for tomorrow. So, instead of going more south we went with a small detour in direction of Windhoek.

So, how will I continue? Yesterday we received the information that Namibia will lock down the Khomas (Windhoek) and Coastal region. Once inside you cannot get out and vice versa.
That changed my outlook for the future completely. I wanted to go back to Europe and was looking for similar flights as Susana’s (although to the UK). Yesterday, I had to realize that there are no more commercial flights as South Africa is locked down since today, which was the last connection point for Namibia and Namibia is closed by tomorrow midnight.
In case you wondered about Susana’s flight…her’s got canceled. Our only chance lies now with the return program of the German embassy. I was already registered but managed to talk with them today and they said they are working on a plan and the first planes might leave on Saturday. Of course, these days nothing is for sure (it could take several weeks).
You can say what you want about the German government or Germans (hey, after all I know what I am talking about), but right now I am very happy to be German. The employees at the embassy are doing an amazing job, especially since I can compare it to other ones. They are reachable and they inform as soon as possible. And hey, they even organize to bring fellow countrymen back home. I expressed my gratitude to the lady on the phone and it is people like her that should receive the money we give managers or sportsmen actually.

Today, we tried to prepare ourselves for the lock down. We bought provisions for a week, some equipment to cook, got a place to stay close to the airport and I will drop the rental car tomorrow.

As everybody, I realize that you can prepare for the future but what really happens is often beyond our control. So, my dream of a world trip (through Africa) is over…at least for now.

Stay save, stay healthy, stay positive!

Love,
Matthias

PS: I still hope to be able to make a world trip one day. This week I nurtured this dream by visiting a company that converts LandCruisers into caravans. Who knows? 😀