To state the obvious: Namibia is a big country and we cover long distances between interesting sites. But there are plentiful. Here a little selection. Geographically, Namibia crosses the tropic. This should remind the reader that the temperature here is set on "hot". However, it is far from being too humid.
Secondly, a lot of meteorites have been recovered in Namibia. This one near Grootfontein is the biggest piece yet discovered on earth. It is a mix of iron and nickel and fell on earth around 100000 years ago. Too late to be responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs.
Thirdly, Namibia has a rich pre-historic period, in particular with the Bushmen. Near Khorixas, there is a very interesting site with numerous engravings. On this one, we can easily recognise a lion and a giraffe. On others, there are even pinguins and seals, whereas the sea is more than 200 kilometers away. Some animals are depicted with a 5 fingers-paw (like the humans), which is a signature by the drawer. Apperently, these drawings were used as some educational tool for the kids.
Fourthly, Namibia has a troubled colonial past, with a short but still very pregnant German domination. In a few towns, houses have been built by the Germans, such as in Swakopmund. In shops and caffees, we still hear locals talking in German, and the local newspaper "Allgemeine Zeitung" proudly states that its article are written in pure German.
Fifthly, Namibia is independant since 1990, while the ruling SWAPO party having ruled ever since. The party still very much dominates the political landscape.
Sixthly, local customs are still in use, especially amongst the Hereros. One can often see Herero women in their traditional dress.
Finally, economically, Namibia relies mostly on minerals (uranium, diamond, gem stones) and on agriculture. We visited this crocodile farm. The owner - a white - told us he had to sell his farm to the government (for redistribution) and decided to move into this new line of business. He now sells the meat to restaurants and the skins are exported to Asia.
At 2pm sharp, we all started thinking, scribbling, counting, checking, double-checking, sweating. It reminded me of the good old days at school. The 16 questions were increasingly difficult. Thankfully the first ones (as show below) were manageable and gave me a confidence boost. However, I must admit there were two questions I did not even understand what was required of me. And of course, there is one question that made me go into so much calculation, whereas the solution was so easy... In the end, I managed 10 correct answers. Quite proud of my performance. Before you start thinking that you expected better from me, try it yourself and we will talk again. Good luck!
And if you feel like a real challenge, let me know and we can register for next year's competition.
Fantastic to stay in town. For once, instead of living in the suburbs, I enjoyed the city life. And it is so simple to do, one can just walk to a coffee place or even to the work place. A very unusual feeling for me to experience in Cape Town. And I felt safe, probably because there are many visible security guards.
Do I need to mention that my friend was then seriously late for lunch... Thankfully, the afternoon went much better. Still Cape Town is a great city and I am not the only one saying so, as its current Mayor was voted "world mayor of the year". Congratulations!
Indeed from anywhere, the mountain can be seen. It dominates the city and it is a must to climb it. This time, we chose another route, which was equally challenging and beautiful. On that day, the swiss-made cable car did not function (too much wind), so there were not many people on the top, but we did come accross numerous climbers. Nice to see that locals from all races are motivated to do such a climb.
And if anyone needs another sign that the environment is of good quality in the area, these seals enjoying their swim close to the Waterfront are a very good sign.
What is reassuring is that there no sense of urgency as yet, since the construction workers did indeed enjoy their Christmas holidays. Work started again as usual in mid-January. Unfortunately, the next day a worker was killed by a truck. And the controversy continues around corruption allegations at another stadium with the suspicious killing of an inquisitive local politician. 
