This is the day we finally get to see where our children lived in Gobabis, Namibia, at least for the next few years. They are always on the move depending on where the next contract is. With another long drive ahead of us (about 470kms; 290miles) we left Mariental soon after an excellent breakfast.
The dining room was a most interesting place to relax and enjoy the décor. It was set up in 20’s style but very tastefully. We enjoyed reading many quotes on the walls as well as photos of actors from that era.
The road, B1 which is a well-maintained tarred road, covers the full length of Namibia from Noordoewer on the Orange River in the south to Oshikango on the Angolan border in the north. Another thing is that it is flat and straight, with a small break in the morning’s monotony by arriving in the Windhoek region. Windhoek is in the centre of the country and is surrounded be green mountains and hills; so very different from all of the land we had seen thus far. There is interesting information on the mountains around Windhoek on the link site. It was beautiful to drive through this area looking quite lush and green. We wound round corners, up hills and down the other side. Eventually we arrived in Windhoek around lunchtime. For those of you do not know Afrikaans the meaning of the word Windhoek is “Windy Corner” and I guess that it does get quite windy with all the mountains around.
Driving around the town was not difficult as it is well sign-posted but it was fascinating as to how many left and right turns we had to make to change from travelling north to go east to Gobabis. What we noticed as we drove around was that the streets are wide and the town is clean.
The view on entering Windhoek. Note the mountains all around. (Photo by Getty images)
Finally we were on the road to Gobabis and just 2 hours until we got there. The one thing that drivers in Namibia, as in Botswana, must remember at all times that the animals have total freedom of movement. On our drive along this long, straight tarred road we saw warthog and some small buck. Later we learnt that quite a variety of animals are seen along this road. It is the B6 which links Windhoek to Botswana and also forms part of the Trans-Kalahari Highway. It was a very busy road as it carries all the traffic from small car to 32-wheeler trucks which travel day and night with the result that it was not unusual to find the carcass of a small animal on the road in a morning.
The long straight road from Windhoek to Gobabis and across Botswana, the C3
As we drove along we saw a couple of taxidermy which are kept busy as many of the Game Farms allow hunting of game for trophies. This is not something with which I agree personally but it is permitted in Namibia.
Entrance to a taxidermy business
Another interesting structure which we saw from the road to Gobabis was the rail brisge over the Seiss River, or at that time, the riverbed. It was absolutely dry even thought there had been floods just 5 months prior to our visit.
The beautiful rail bridge
There was no doubt as to when we entered Gobabis. We had been told that it was beef farming country and at the entrance to the town is a very large statue of a bull. In fact, most of the farmers are ex-South African farmers who have settled there with the majority from northern South Africa. Now, for those of you who don’t know, rugby is almost a religion in SA and each province has its own team with names such as Sharks, Blue Bulls, Lions etc. These farmers came from Blue Bulls country, Northern Province, while those in KwaZulu-Natal are Sharks supporters ie. our children are strong, no VERY strong, Sharks people. They have flags, shirts, caps and more. We ourselves don’t watch rugby but do like it when we hear that the Sharks are successful. Following the directions given to us we found their home with ease. There is only 1 main road in the town which is the C3 as it continues on its way to Botswana making it very simple.
This is what greets one as you enter Gobabis from the West
After a long but very interesting few days of drving, it was a real joy to see our children.
