Location: Namibia

Summary:

On February 12th, I received word that my emergency passport had arrived in Windhoek, so I needed to make my way there to pick it up. My nephew Gert-Jan was arriving from the Netherlands on the 13th, flying through Cape Town to Windhoek's international airport, which is about 40 kilometers east of town. I decided to take a different, more direct route to Windhoek - about 320 kilometers total, with only 60 kilometers paved and 260 kilometers unpaved. Despite choosing the rough road, I found Namibia's unpaved roads to be quite good, though I encountered corrugation and soft sand. The journey was incredibly lonely - I saw fewer than 5 cars the entire 260km stretch. After leaving Swakopmund, there were absolutely no services, stores, or people for the entire 320km, just desert initially, then some vegetation and cattle gates. The route included the challenging Boshoi Pass with steep climbs, ruts, and big drops, but the scenery was absolutely beautiful. I made it to Cades Nest Guest House where I'd stayed before, and successfully picked up my passport just before 5 o'clock. The emergency passport turned out to be pink, only 8 pages, and valid for just 7 months from February 3rd through September 3rd. It's essentially only good for traveling to South Africa to apply for a real passport, but at least now I can leave the country.