This was a day for getting oriented and acquainted with Windhoek. We went to a nearby shopping mall to buy a cell phone for use in Africa. (I had brought a global phone from home, this one was cheap and better for someone to call from Namibia and South Africa.) We got introduced to some local shops and food items. All very good. Of course, to some extent at least, a shopping mall is a shopping mall. At least there are no Starbucks, very few McDonald's, and only one KFC. Local is better!
Tim, Abigael, and we visited the National Museum of History. Unfortunately, not much time, so we only saw part of it. It is located very close to "the most famous building in Namibia," Christ Church, a big German Lutheran church in the center of the city. It is a very prominent building.
Summer is the wet season in Namibia (except in the deserts along the coast), so it rained a lot, everyday. Mostly passing storms, but very strong storms. Lots of lightning and thunder, and heavy rains. Sometimes more extended.
We took Tim (and the family) out to Joe's Bierhaus for dinner for his birthday (a couple weeks late). The rain was heavy enough to cause us trouble getting there. At least twice, we had to turn around and find another route because of flooded streets. It looked like a river running across the streets, flash flood like.
We decided to eat inside, rather than on the patio, in deference to more rain possibly coming. It's a very interesting place with the usual sort of collection of miscellaneous junk on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. The food was very good. We tried things one can't get in the states, mostly African game (although my skewer did have a piece of chicken on it, amongst the gemsbok, springbok, crocodile, and the like).
This was also our first encounter with southern African style of paying for parking. You don't put money in a meter, but in the hands of a "car guard." Both on the street and in most parking lots. They "guarantee" your car will be safe and there when you return. In return you give them N$2-4. That's their livelihood. We found them almost everywhere in both Namibia and South Africa.
The return home was easier since the rains had mostly stopped, and the floods had somewhat subsided. Altogether a very interesting and fun first full day in Namibia.
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