Entering into Namibia has been quite an eye-opener for me. This is no longer the Africa that I had expected to see and experience on this tour. We are back in civilization. There are lots of signboards in German and Afrikaans, evidence of Namibia’s colonial history. Gobabis, the first town we’ve passed today in Namibia, struck me as a surprisingly Western looking city.

Gobabis—the first “Western” looking town since leaving Europe

On the flip side, civilization (or perhaps in particular the German legacy) also seems to have its drawbacks—cars and trucks passing us at high speeds that remind me of German highways. It’s mostly the 4×4 tourist vehicles that seem to be in a particular rush.

Today’s post reflects what I had already written on day 58: African roads and traffic are just as good as elsewhere. Throughout most of our tour, I’ve found the prejudice that African drivers are hazardous to be exactly that—an unfound prejudice. In reality, it seems to be the Western tourist drivers that constantly seem to be in a rush and turn the roads back into a race track!

Stage 71: Buitenpos – Witvlei (Namibia), 152km

Road & traffic condition:

Good tar, but no more shoulder to cycle on.

Flat straight road, as usual for the past weeks

Noticeably more traffic than in Botswana, mostly racing past us at high speed.

Weather:

Fortunately, no rain today. Pleasant mid 20s° C temperatures in the afternoon.

Blessed with sunshine early morning after a cold and rainy day

Culinary highlights:

Pasta with chicken stew/sauce and salad. Having pasta instead of rice made for a welcome change. I couldn’t stop eating!

Group highlights:

It seems everyone is already looking forward to our rest days in Windhoek. This has been a long section. Several riders went on the truck to recover from yesterday’s long and tough day.

On the more positive side, we’ve crossed the 9,000km mark today. Well done everyone!