The return date for the Wounded Zebra was fast approaching so we needed to head to Namibia (or as the self anointed Irish Princess, Wilma C would say, "why the heck would you want to go there...by gosh and by golly??"). As the Wounded Zebra backfired its' way across the border, South African authorities were surprisingly eager to see us go and the Namibian border guards were equally reluctant to let us in- we had all of the needed paperwork so after the usual power-tripping antics by bureaucrats, they waved us on mumbling something about Canadian hillbillies. 

Namibia is a large and sparsely populated (2.1 million people) country on Africa's south-west coast which has a surprising German flavour. Surprising because Germany wasn't exactly a beloved colonial occupier initiating a genocide that saw 10,000 Nama (half the population) and approximately 65,000 Hereros (about 80% of the population) killed after the indigenous population took up arms against the Germans. Surprising also because they weren't even there that long given that Germany took control of the area which it called South West Africa in the late 1800s and were kicked out during WWI. Past transgressions seem to be largely irrelevant and German influence has remained strong- it has been a destination of choice for many German expats and vacation types (and most restaurants offer up a wonderful schnitzel of some sort). 

The discovery of diamonds in 1908 prompted an even bigger influx of Europeans. It was South Africa that seized the area during World War I and administered it under a League of Nations mandate (can you say "bad to worse"). A number of Namibians served time with Nelson Mandela on Robben Island as they fought for independence from South Africa and its apartheid policy. Namibians actually achieved independence in 1990 after a bush war of almost 25 years. Although the transition to independent country was done better than in other parts of Africa, many problems remain- during the South African occupation of Namibia, white commercial farmers, most of whom came as settlers from South Africa and represented 0.2% of the national population, owned 74% of the arable land. Not wanting to scare off whites who were critical to the economic health of the country, the government of Namibian only began expropriating property in 2007. Since then whites have started leaving, German tourists aren't coming as often, and crime is rising dramatically in urban areas. Who knows what the future holds.

Being situated between the Namib and the Kalahari deserts, Namibia is the country with the least rainfall in sub-Saharan Africa which, for us, turned out to be both good and bad. It was good because in SA we discovered that the Wounded Zebra leaked when it rained with one of those leaks occurring directly over our sleeping area. But it was also bad because the Wounded Zebra was anything but airtight so as we maneuvered around the country on dry and dusty dirt roads we ended up we a series of Namibian sand-dunes forming in the back area of the camper. 

Namibia is one of few countries in the world to specifically address conservation and protection of natural resources in its constitution (although in a country this arid, outside of Etosha National Park, you're not exactly tripping over animals). What the country does lack in wildlife numbers, it more than makes up for in varied and spectacular landscape which was something of a surprise for us. Except for the lack of paved roads, this was going to be a great roadtrip for us. Our first big stop was Fish River Canyon. There's nowhere else in Africa like Fish River Canyon, and it's been compared favourably with the Grand Canyon although it's a unique sight all on its own. It's huge- 160km long and 27km wide and there are trails available for multi-day hikes but because we couldn't leave the Wounded Zebra by herself for that length of time we just did the one day visit. We need the Wounded Zebra to be in good spirits because she's taking a bit of a pounding on the Namibian dirt road system, and with very limited vehicle traffic, any sort of breakdown might give DH the kind of "I told you so" ammunition that I'd never hear the end of. Whenever we take a break I spend an intimate few minutes with the Wounded Zebra giving her inspirational words of encouragement. Fingers crossed.