I managed to
get down south to the capital the next day to replace it.
Six hours
there and six hours back.
It was a
pretty great day, actually. I welcomed
the unexpected break from school.
Somehow I was
miraculously excluded from the invigilation timetable, and, with the HOD’s
blessing I fled.
Got to know
two of the curmudgeons in the upper management at NDC in my village.
Though the ride
home was bit of a litany on grace…
Someone
trying to convince the unconvincible for 4 hours is a bit much.
I should
have put in my mother has been trying to steer me towards it my entire life.
I’m not
going to give.
Anyway.
Got in and
out of the Zambian embassy in under an hour with my visa.
They’re
pretty fantastic there, in their rooftop office. Nice digs.
Afterward, inadvertently
found myself where all the white people were, but by the time my quiche Lorraine
and beer arrived, I opted not to care. I haven’t seen that many in one place in
a long time. It put me on edge a bit. The beer helped. The manager giving me
the stink eye for drinking beer at 9:45am did not.
At some
point you get to an age where it is no use pretending that the arbitrary line
of noon being the accepted drinking hour means anything to you. Then again, I
gave up on that years ago. And, hell. I’d been up since three.
After that I
roamed to and from Marurua Mall – intent on replacing my lens. The selection at
the one store was crap. No I am not in the market for a telephoto lens that
would not even begin to fit in my camera bag. Luckily strangers directed me
back downtown. Ignored the constant honking horns of cabbies intent on giving
me a lift.
Got pulled
into yet another tourist trap by the lure of pumpkin cake. I mean, seriously.
How am I supposed to resist pumpkin cake? Almost spent an idiotic amount of
money on a green sun hat. Realized I was only attracted to it due to clever
merchandising. Fought my way back to the cake.
Found the
sought after camera shop in Windhoek I’d been given vague directions to – “Near-ish the Hilton, on Independence, near
Markhams, I think..” Nitzsche-Reiter Cameras at San-Lam plaza. Worth it.
New lens. Reasonable price.
Went across
the street to lay on the grassy knoll in the park and nap while clutching my
backpack with a death grip, when an impromptu engoma drum circle started taking
shape. People from all walks of life joined in, and were given basic percussion
instruction. It was pretty damn cool. Not the cheese you feel, say, if you’re
on the Venice Beach boardwalk and there’s a band of white hipsters with Rastafarian
dos and no rhythm going at it. There was joy in it.
Laying
there, it was definitely an up moment. One of those hell yes, I live in
Southern Africa - this is what modern urban Africa looks like. It may have just
been the sleep deprivation, but I enjoyed the moment.
Back into
the car. The ‘grace’ thing. After about four hours, I decide to launch in and
use misdirection, distraction, and confusion to my advantage. And the fact he
was speaking in a second language, Afrikaans being his first. Holy trinity
semantics, Sodom and Gomorrah and Westboro Baptists, Adam, Lilith, and Eve,
translations from the original Aramaic versus the versions in use now. The poor
man didn’t know what he was up against when he started.
Finally
worked the conversation back to the Namibian landscape. We started discussing
underground lakes and rivers. The area I live in is rife with them. Not least
of which is Dragon’s Breath Cave. It is about an hour away from where I live.
Dragon’s
Breath Cave is the world’s largest non-subglacial underground lake. It is over
a 60m descent underground, and the lake’s depth is over 100m. No one’s gone
farther. Yet. It is also on private property, and in order to climb and dive,
you need your own equipment.
So. New ten
year goal. Not that I
ever had one before.
Diving
certification. And an abundance of climbing experience.
And I’m
going to attempt it on a return trip.
2025.
I’ll be 39
years old. And hopefully still physically fit.
Though the ‘still’
is a bit hopeful now.
Anyway if
you've never heard of Dragon’s Breath Cave…
Check, check
it out.
If these links don't work... Well... That's the reality of being unable to open them on my end and check them, what with a 55kbps connection.
The plight of the PCV, unconnected from the world... And immersed in it.
The plight of the PCV, unconnected from the world... And immersed in it.