Namibia is another of those places with a wonderful name. Namib
translates as 'open space', and the Namib Desert is thought to be one of
the oldest on earth. I will be traveling with small group, including my
sister Lisa, and under the capable leadership of my friend Michael
Ellis. I have followed him many places, and have never been disappointed
by what we found.
What I know today about Namibia could fill a large thimble, but that's already more than I knew before getting ready for this trip.
What I know today about Namibia could fill a large thimble, but that's already more than I knew before getting ready for this trip.
I do know that Namibia's population is a little over 2
million, spread over a large arid country. It has a distinction of being
one of the world's most sparsely settled areas; right up there with
Mongolia and the Falkland Islands. The only real city is the capital,
Windhoek (think "Vindhoke" - from German for "windy corner", I think)
with a population of about 230,000. From what I can tell from here, the
countryside varies from severe to surreal - a photographer's playground
of sand dunes, salt flats, deserted beaches. Wildlife is pretty diverse,
with species that you would expect to find in arid desert areas. More
on that later, I hope.
Namibia's history ranges from original settlement by mainly San (Bushmen) peoples, later German colonization and eventual struggles for independence - it finally broke away from South African domination only recently, in 1990. The economy is largely based on mining of minerals. Looking at a map, I see a whole section of the country's southwest marked "Diamond Area 1 - Restricted Area" - pretty cool, but we'll be in the north.
I hope people will be able to follow the trip through this blog, but postings may be sporadic, due to technology, or lack of same.
Namibia's history ranges from original settlement by mainly San (Bushmen) peoples, later German colonization and eventual struggles for independence - it finally broke away from South African domination only recently, in 1990. The economy is largely based on mining of minerals. Looking at a map, I see a whole section of the country's southwest marked "Diamond Area 1 - Restricted Area" - pretty cool, but we'll be in the north.
I hope people will be able to follow the trip through this blog, but postings may be sporadic, due to technology, or lack of same.
