A Leisurely Day

What a treat - a lie in- in a bed!!  We wander down to breakfast after sending our laundry to be washed...$5NZ for a whole basket load!  There is a wonderful breakfast laid out and I partake happily.  Well, it would be rude not to.  Hils and I sit with Ronney, Uwe and Maria and discuss our plans for the day.  Ours is pretty much just a wander around town. 



Gary is excited, he has booked a fishing trip and, as a keen fisherman, is thrilled at the prospect of going out in the African waters. Swakopmund is a popular seaside destination for the inhabitants of the capital, Windhoek, about 280 kms away and its colonial history is still apparent in the many German buildings around town.  Hils and I are just starting out for a walk  when Gary comes to tell us his trip has been cancelled due to high seas.  He is disappointed but philosophical and joins us for a look around the shops. The centre of town has some very smart, upmarket shops but it is early in the trip and we don't shop. We stop for lunch at a particularly fun and funky cafe with all sorts of quirky signs and artifacts displayed.  The kitchen is labeled "The Labour Ward" and everything on the menu has a fun name and or explanation.



Down by the beautiful seafront we watch the locals playing and swimming and meet a local woman named Johanna who tells us a lot about life in Namibia.  She is very proud of the fact that one of her daughters is a school teacher and gradually gets around to asking for money for her daughter's music lessons.  We give her some, more for our admiration at the subtlety of her request than anything else.

 We run the gauntlet of the open air market on the way back to the hotel.  Some of the stall holders are quite persistent and we feel a bit mean not buying because we are sure they need the money but they are all selling the same things and we are not interested. We rest, write our diaries and then Gary, Judy and Raewyn come to our room for drinks.

  Ronney calls in a short while later.  We have a marvellous evening, laughing and talking.  Ronney tells us a lot about his life.  He is 31 and the son of a farmer.  His father has two wives and Ronney is the only child of the 2nd wife. As such he will have no claim on his father's estate when he dies.  His dream was to be a vet and he started training but had to drop out because the fees were too expensive.  He was chosen by the owner of the safari company as someone with great potential and offered a position as a guide.  It is deemed to be a prestigious job in Namibia and he is one of the youngest guides in the country.  He was very keen to learn, and ambitious, so listened hard to the senior guides, making notes and asking questions. He  wrote everything meticuously in a book and then lost the book. Fortunately he soon realised he had memorised everything  anyway.  His aim is to work as a guide until he has enough money to buy a farm.  He already has some cattle, or cattles as he calls them, but he needs six more as a bride price.  He is engaged to a kindergarten teacher but must have the bride price before they can marry.  He has never met her parents because, he said, it would be very disrespectful to meet them until they agree to his marriage to their daughter.  His parents must make the approach to her parents and they must do it by approaching her parents house on their knees.  I loved hearing this very personal insight into his life and culture. We all think so highly of Ronney, he is a fine young man.  He told us he loves our group because we make him feel like part of the family.  He said he usually takes English groups on safari and they are generally private, standoffish and don't include him.  We decide to go to the restaurant for dinner around 8.30pm however it is extremely busy and we have a long wait for our meals but they are worth the wait....I have the best calamari I have ever eaten.  In bed at a late 10.45.

                                                                                 
                                      



Photos: (1) German style building, Swakopmund, (2) Morning tea at a funky cafe, (3) Hilary and me with Johanna and family, (4) Ronney, our Namibiam guide, (5) The lighthouse, Swakopmund