Interesting tidbits, observations and impressions from the trip to Namibia

Ivana
28/07/2025

As always, I had the honor of meeting a bunch of locals, despite my plan to drag myself along some insane gorgeous chunk of nature’s oddity alone with my thoughts. The words cannot describe how good and comfortable I felt in this environment, which has nothing to do with my comfort zone – it was quite hot and I exposed myself to strenuous activities in that climate. It was so worth it that I am sure I will return.

The people

The locals are incredibly cordial and open in communication, and they do not even try to refrain from starting conversations. Their knowledge of the English language is above average in almost any country I have ever visited (except maybe Norway or other scandi-countries); the vocabulary is rich and incredibly opulent in volume. They are aware of their country’s rare and unique beauty and very proud to be living in it. They are also very used to tourists and try hard to keep us happy. Even a small bit of this positivity would be enough for me, to be honest, there is no need for excessively excessive – even though genuine – politeness.

Safety

I was alone quite a lot. Being exposed to the elements around me and possibly venomous fauna was an endlessly bigger threat than any hypothetical contact with humans. There were moments when I felt a bit off, but I would assign this more to my own inner and projected fears than the actual external threat.

Addis Abeba, Ethiopia

I had layovers in Addis Abeba. The city is E N O R M O U S and the airport is like a small country itself. This is one of the massive hub types of airports, such as Istanbul, as it is a gateway to many african countries. The endless ocean of passengers coming from all possible directions felt almost intimidating.

Here, in Addis Abeba, I have seen the first african dawn.

Crossing the equatorial line

This was a personal milestone.

SPF 50

I prefer myself as pale as I can be, and any tan on my skin is unwanted. If I could be even paler, I’d accept that in an instant. Staying pale, and even more important, pale with no streaks from clothes is of the utmost importance, so using an SPF like cream cheese on bread was an everyday activity. I chose a random drugstore SPF 50 spray type of cream for babies and came home like I wanted. Highly recommended for desert hikes.

Eating locally

I did not spend a lot of time exploring the local cuisine due to the extensive kilometers which I crossed, which I regret in a way, but all I did eat was extremely tasty and worth recommending.

I would like to mention the Arebbusch restaurant in Windhoek (it is perceived as a white ppl’s place to eat, yes, I am a cliche) with very good prices for what was brought to the table.

Rocomama’s killed me; I had to order several thingies just to try them as all looked so tasty. For some reason, I had zero interest in veggies there. It was very atypical for me, but all this was compensated by incredibly tasty fruits in the stores.