Travels With The Big Guy!

Six weeks was not enough time to explore beauty & the mysteries of the hot capital city Windhoek, Namibia.  Yes, my thinking has changed since the last post. We really do need to come back to visit more of this African country.

This country stands out from the other African countries we have visited with its obviously strong German influence everywhere! Language, architecture, street & city names – it really has that European feel to it in neighborhoods & shopping areas.  We loved the street names though there were many street names we could not pronounce!

Language Barrier?

Language barrier? Not here. I have to admit that I was worried that we would face a “language barrier” prior to our trip to the continent of Africa, but boy were we surprised! English has been the official language in each of the African countries that we have visited & the largest tribe usually gets the title of being the National language. The African countries that use English as the  official language also teach it as the primary language in school & tribal languages along with the National language is usually taught in the homes.  It is not uncommon to hear someone speaking German, Dutch, Russian or one of the hundreds of tribal languages – and smoothly change/transition to another language without thinking. Amazing to hear!!

Weather in Namibia

As foreigners from the U.S. (Texas), we are used to longggg hot summer months but…Namibia tested our heat tolerance. In Namibia there are two seasons – summer from November – April with winter from May to October. There is no getting around it, Namibia is a hot country & has one of the oldest deserts in the world (Namib Desert) & the Namib desert is said to have the highest sand dunes in the world.

Windhoek sits in a bowl of sorts surrounded by mountains, which prevents the heat from escaping & makes it one very HOT city.

We were told northern areas of Namibia are hotter, but if you want cooler weather you can take the four hour drive to Swakopmund & Walvis Bay, both sitting on the Atlantic Ocean. It seems these are the go to cities for Namibians during holidays & are hot tourist areas for holidays as well. These two places in particular are why we need to need to come back to Namibia, specifically Swakopmund, Namibia. This is definitely high on the list!

Water Treatment in Namibia – Toilet to Tap!

Namibia has been recycling waste water or as it is called “Toilet to Tap” since the 1960s! With the harsh sun & lack of water in the country, Windhoek, has been innovative in their search for drinking water. I know when we were first told this by some Namibians, I’m sure we had that LOOK on our faces, but they just chuckled at us. The waste goes thru I think about ten processes to become drinkable. I can’t tell you the process but if you are interested, here is a short article. For these two traveling seniors, we joined in & used the recycled water re-fill stations that were located in all the major grocery stores.

Is Windhoek, Namibia Safe?

Windhoek is a diverse city with people from Angola, South Africa, Germany, Serbia, India & other European countries that have lived here for many years, but like any capital city Windhoek has its share of crime, such as pickpockets, petty thefts & robberies. We walked in West Windhoek during the morning & afternoon hours with no problems, except for people asking for money at the Mall entrances/exits. I can’t say how safe it would be for people to roam around during the night-time as we choose not to move around after dark.

The U.S. State Departments ranks Namibia as a Level 2 Security threat, which means increased chance of petty crime, etc. We try to always be aware of our surroundings & take extra care not to draw attention to ourselves no matter what country we are in & so far it has served us well. Since we do walk a lot of places we try to be aware of our surroundings or as The Big Guy calls it our heads are on a constant swivel. We also register with STEP so that we do receive any alerts about activity that could pose a danger to our safety.

Bottom line, be careful, we did not experience any danger in Windhoek & we are thankful.

Walkability of Windhoek

We’ve had some really good walks around our neighborhood & en-route to Wernhill Mall, coffee & medical shops.  The scenery was good, but there are places that are not paved for walking.  We still enjoyed the walks & loved finding these huge rocks that were intentionally left in place, while walkways were built around a few of them.   These rocks were sitting in or embedded into bricked sidewalks. Some were as white as quartz, but I can’t swear the exact type or name other than they were a nice surprise.

Now the traffic here is much calmer than other countries we have been in but if you are a pedestrian you must stay focused on crossing streets. As in the other African countries we traveled, cars are driven on the left side of the roads & the steering wheel is located on the right side of the vehicles. The drivers don’t always come to a full stop at stop signs, but some are very courteous to other drivers.

Oh, Windhoek is about 5,000 feet above sea level & there are hills to navigate while walking, so we had to pace ourselves, no matter where we were walking. These street signs are a mouthful! LOL!

Namibian Currency

Each country we have been in has fabulous currency art. Namibia has its own currency, called Namibian dollars, but it also uses the South African Rand. We were told that South Africa does not use Namibian dollars. The exchange rate of the Namibian dollars offered us a better rate compared to the U.S. dollar, but whenever they would give us a price they would say dollars. Our facial expressions must have shocked some people, because they would quickly state Namibian dollars. One U.S. dollar is ranges between 18.30 to 19.02 Namibian dollars, at the time of this writing.

We did find it very interesting that it is not unusual to receive Rand (South African currency) mixed in with the Namibian bills when receiving cash here in Windhoek. Here’s the deal & it doesn’t seem fair but I guess its proving a point of sorts from South Africa to Namibia. [Namibia was once part of South Africa but won its independence back on March 21, 1990 with the help of Angola!]. It could be said South Africa was just a sore loser so although their currency is accepted in Namibia…..South Africa DOES NOT ACCEPT Namibian bills. Sounds like sour grapes don’t you think?

Medical Care in Windhoek

We had the opportunity to check out the medical healthcare in Windhoek. Let me say that the standard of professionalism, treatment & care by the staff & the doctors far exceeded our expectations.

First off, we happen to visit Windhoek in the middle of pollen/allergy season. Go figure! For probably three weeks I was sneezing with a stopped up head alternating going through boxes of tissues like crazy & then the cough when The Big Guy suggested that I better get myself to a doctor. I searched online & found Dr. Limon at the Windhoek Family Practice close to us & called. They asked me what time I wanted to come in that day!!! Within an hour I had my consult with Dr. Limon, received prescriptions & was on my way to pharmacist at Wernhil Mall. Office visit was $25 U.S.D. & prescriptions (3) costs about $50 U.S.D. Yes, I have survived the remainder of our visit here with no repercussions!

Secondly, I was complaining of having difficulty reading, because I could not see clearly out one eye. So we decided it was time for yearly vision checkups. The Big Guy started searching google map & found a place called Rita Franks Optometrist. After reading numerous positive reviews about the optometrist we decided to get an eye checkup. We made appointments for the next week & went to see Dr. Marissa Krone. She was even better in person than all the positive reviews that had been written about the office. Thanks Google for your map, reviews & pictures, because we loved her. During my eye examination she advise me that I had a cataract in my left eye (which I knew) & that she really hated to give me glasses, because of the cataract. I told her that I would have it looked at by my vision care specialist in the U.S. with the same doctor that had removed my previous cataract in my other eye. I told her I had insurance that would cover the majority of the cataract surgery if they decided it needed to be removed. I told her my sight was starting to really suffer in that eye so I didn’t mind getting glasses now. So we proceeded with new glasses.

The Big Guy was impressed with how she sat down with both of us to explain what she had seen during our vision examination. She spent time telling each of us what she had seen during our individual eye exams. The Big Guy was made aware of the cataract she had noticed during my examination & how she would try to provide glasses that would help me until I could return to the states & consult with my medical doctor about the cataract. I was listening closely as she explained to the Big Guy about the different options he had in picking contact lenses. He said he NEVER had a doctor go into so much detail with him & he really appreciated it while learning at the same time.

Eye Surgery in Windhoek, Namibia

After The Big Guy & I walked back home, we started discussing the pros/cons of having my cataract surgery done here vs waiting til we arrived back in U.S.? We talked in detail about the possibility of having to stay in the states longer, because of the process that would be required by the insurance company before I could be approved for cataract surgery. After much discussion & looking at the potential costs to us of staying stateside in a hotel or Airbnb while waiting for insurance approval, I called Dr. Krone & she gave me two doctors names, so that I could do price comparisons.

I called Windhoek Eye Centre (yes, this is the way the Europeans spell Center) & they gave me the full fee broken down over the phone (!!) so I would know exactly how much it would cost. She even told me consultation dates & surgery dates that were open – at that time – if I wanted to call back & proceed. I then called the second clinic she had referred me to but they said basically gave me a starting price & told me it goes up from there, their price was quite a bit higher than the other. Budget minded & not liking that receptionist attitude, I went with Windhoek Eye Centre.

Finally, the cost of eye surgery in Windhoek was just a little more than I the amount that I would have had to pay out of pocket in the States, but it was less because when I include the costs of what we would have paid for a place to stay in the States. I think it was an excellent decision to get the cataract removed, so worth it in how quick they were able to get me in. Can’t say enough about the clinic, Doctor or his employees. Just perfect!

Cost of Living in Windhoek

I was very happy with the cost of living in Windhoek. As we get close to end of the month (& praying for no emergencies) we will be over budget just a bit only because of the medical expenses explained above. So am I happy? First time in 25 years I don’t have to wear glasses except for up-close reading! Yes, though some things were more expensive – we found items that were a great bargain (compared to U.S. prices). I feel by being very aware of our budget we did really well! Here are the three stand outs for December budget.

Over Budget! We had eye checkups & I had a cataract removed which was not planned for – here. These two things were outside of normal budget for month but were necessary after we compared here vs. U.S. prices!

Under Budget! Renting was higher than what we would have normally paid (we stayed under budget only by a few dollars) but our accommodations were adorable & had everything we could have asked for with very helpful owners who were quick to respond to any questions.

Under Budget! We didn’t have any favorite restaurants so we decided to eat out a couple times a week & the balance of the week The Big Guy cooked. I will say the fruits & vegetable although beautiful to look at just were not that good. It felt like everything had been frozen or picked before its “time”. We ended up under budget on groceries & that was because, we did not eat out as much. The Cork & Fork across the street from Maerua Mall had good food & priced affordable!  

Final Thoughts on Windhoek, Namibia Visit  

Probably our only real disappointment was not being able to find a good pedicure in Windhoek! We went to at least four or five places…sad. They are strictly nail techs & that is fine but with The Big Guy & I walking everywhere, we are really finicky about a good pedicure.

While driving, we definitely saw the disparity in living conditions. From very nice homes with that international flavor in town to the million(s) dollar homes as in Eros to the outer metal/tin house ‘settlements’ where we were told workers live that work in town – it is quite a disparity. 

As in many African countries, Namibia is rich in natural resources but the resources are sold to outside countries & by time the dollars are distributed down thru companies & governments, the people get paid little to nothing for working long days.

I said earlier that one month was enough time for Windhoek but I don’t think I really meant it. With the severe allergies for a couple weeks & then the eye surgery, we flat ran out of time. There are still a couple things we would visit if we came back such as a trip to Swakopmund & Walvis Bay. Its a trip to get there & we planned on doing just that but than the eye surgery & glasses over rode the trip there…But…when we come back… Until then here are more photos/video of this wonderful city of Windhoek.

Friends took us on a drive around Windhoek the difference in areas of the town. We saw the new U.S. Embassy complex & it is HUGE. I took this night shot of it from one of several lookout points over Windhoek. We actually received an invite for the unveiling but it fell on doctor consult day for surgery so we missed out on it. I swear the Embassy can probably be seen by satellite at night the way it was lit up!

Next stop is Johannesburg, South Africa! We are nervous about this trip…lets see if what we heard is actually true? Let’s go!