Transit to Namibia.....
Today will be a long day. This tour covers a lot of ground and there is no way to get from point A to B without spending, in this instance, nearly a full day even though the flights are relatively short.
We leave Zimbabwe for Johannesburg on a British Airways flight. Standard operational procedure is for a flight attendant to walk through the cabin spraying against malaria; I'm assuming for mosquitos. She announces that the World Health Organizations considers this safe...but you might want to cover your nose and mouth. Okay.....
This crew is expert in dishing out meals and drinks in record time. Having had a substantial breakfast, we skip the plane food.
It was an easy transit at O.R. Tambo airport in Johannesburg through passport control and security. Only the lap tops come out, no iPads, phones or shoe removal. Tony gives us each a pass to the premier lounge, equivalent to the Admiral's Club.
Here there is excellent wifi once you figure out the system. Log on information is posted on the walls throughout the large areas. For instance: TOKENORANGE500. After three unsuccessful tries, I go to the front desk for help. The young lady types in ORANGE500. I guess Token is the local lingo for password.
There is an excellent buffet here and a self service open bar. Our two+ hour layover went very quickly.
The next flight is to our destination in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia on South African Airways. We left around 7:30 PM. This is a much nicer and newer plane.
Again with the spraying. Again we skip the meal having brought cheese and crackers from the lounge so we might take our malaria pill on a full-ish stomach.
It is really storming for our 9:30 PM arrival into Windhoek, the last plane of the day. There are no jetways; this is the desert and they seldom need protection from the elements.
Well they certainly could have used some now. We alight from rain soaked steps onto a tarmac pocked with splashing puddles. It like a rather long trot into the terminal although Tony will remark later that he has never before parked so close!
Since we are the last plane, every passport control station was open speeding us through to the main terminal where we meet Wimpy, our Namibian guide/bus driver. Much of what we were told to expect before leaving, having our temperature taken and our bags x-rayed, is thrown by the wayside. Everyone wants to go home. So if you are interested in any Namibian funny business this is the plane to catch.
It is a forty-five minutes to our hotel in the driving rain. Windhoek is ringed with mountains. Hence, the only large flat area for an international airport is far removed.
Tonight we stay at the Windhoek Country Club which has an interesting story. In 1992, Miss Namibia, Michele McClean, won the Miss Universe contest. Tradition calls for her country to host the following year's event. But where to do that in Windhoek? An airplane hanger would just not do. So the hotel went up in a flash, sporting lovely resort grounds, tennis and an 18 hole golf course.
The topography is very much U.S. desert southwest, with cactus, acacia, lantana, oleander, plumbago and a mesquite-like tree. The sand traps are a brilliant red.
It is now after 10 PM when we are greeted with guava juice while Tony passes out room keys and wifi information at reception. Our room is lovely, large and well appointed. Wifi was good; bathroom was great.
Time for bed as we have a 6 AM wake up call.
By the way....my apologies to Permethrin and DEET. It is apparent to me the following morning that rather than a bite I may have shingles.
Well, bummer! I have been vaccinated and had no early warning symptoms such as malaise or fever, so I am hoping that I have a short easy course, if it's shingles at all. I feel totally normal so that's a good sign. It's day 3 for this and I wouldn't be able to score any anti-viral drugs until Cape Town, which is likely a little late to help. We take a daily photo for my local doctor to view. The other possibility is an uncommon side effect of my antimalarial drug Malarone.
So my red New Zealand patch and I are going forward!
Today will be a long day. This tour covers a lot of ground and there is no way to get from point A to B without spending, in this instance, nearly a full day even though the flights are relatively short.
We leave Zimbabwe for Johannesburg on a British Airways flight. Standard operational procedure is for a flight attendant to walk through the cabin spraying against malaria; I'm assuming for mosquitos. She announces that the World Health Organizations considers this safe...but you might want to cover your nose and mouth. Okay.....
This crew is expert in dishing out meals and drinks in record time. Having had a substantial breakfast, we skip the plane food.
It was an easy transit at O.R. Tambo airport in Johannesburg through passport control and security. Only the lap tops come out, no iPads, phones or shoe removal. Tony gives us each a pass to the premier lounge, equivalent to the Admiral's Club.
Here there is excellent wifi once you figure out the system. Log on information is posted on the walls throughout the large areas. For instance: TOKENORANGE500. After three unsuccessful tries, I go to the front desk for help. The young lady types in ORANGE500. I guess Token is the local lingo for password.
There is an excellent buffet here and a self service open bar. Our two+ hour layover went very quickly.
The next flight is to our destination in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia on South African Airways. We left around 7:30 PM. This is a much nicer and newer plane.
Again with the spraying. Again we skip the meal having brought cheese and crackers from the lounge so we might take our malaria pill on a full-ish stomach.
It is really storming for our 9:30 PM arrival into Windhoek, the last plane of the day. There are no jetways; this is the desert and they seldom need protection from the elements.
Well they certainly could have used some now. We alight from rain soaked steps onto a tarmac pocked with splashing puddles. It like a rather long trot into the terminal although Tony will remark later that he has never before parked so close!
Since we are the last plane, every passport control station was open speeding us through to the main terminal where we meet Wimpy, our Namibian guide/bus driver. Much of what we were told to expect before leaving, having our temperature taken and our bags x-rayed, is thrown by the wayside. Everyone wants to go home. So if you are interested in any Namibian funny business this is the plane to catch.
It is a forty-five minutes to our hotel in the driving rain. Windhoek is ringed with mountains. Hence, the only large flat area for an international airport is far removed.
Tonight we stay at the Windhoek Country Club which has an interesting story. In 1992, Miss Namibia, Michele McClean, won the Miss Universe contest. Tradition calls for her country to host the following year's event. But where to do that in Windhoek? An airplane hanger would just not do. So the hotel went up in a flash, sporting lovely resort grounds, tennis and an 18 hole golf course.
The topography is very much U.S. desert southwest, with cactus, acacia, lantana, oleander, plumbago and a mesquite-like tree. The sand traps are a brilliant red.
It is now after 10 PM when we are greeted with guava juice while Tony passes out room keys and wifi information at reception. Our room is lovely, large and well appointed. Wifi was good; bathroom was great.
Time for bed as we have a 6 AM wake up call.
By the way....my apologies to Permethrin and DEET. It is apparent to me the following morning that rather than a bite I may have shingles.
Well, bummer! I have been vaccinated and had no early warning symptoms such as malaise or fever, so I am hoping that I have a short easy course, if it's shingles at all. I feel totally normal so that's a good sign. It's day 3 for this and I wouldn't be able to score any anti-viral drugs until Cape Town, which is likely a little late to help. We take a daily photo for my local doctor to view. The other possibility is an uncommon side effect of my antimalarial drug Malarone.
So my red New Zealand patch and I are going forward!
TOKENAWESOME
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