Bridging The Continents

Location: Namibia Summary: Today I took a fascinating day trip to Lüderitz from my base at the Bahnhof Hotel in Aus, Namibia. My first stop was Kolmanskop, an abandoned diamond mine about 10 kilometers before Lüderitz. This ghost town once housed around 300 people who worked the diamond mines, and now it's a tourist attraction. You have to pay to enter and it's mostly open in the mornings. Many of...

Location: Namibia Summary: Today I experienced another incredible day of my Namibian desert journey. Starting from Sesriem at the Quiver Desert Lodge, I had to share what I missed from two days ago - our stop at Solitaire, a tiny desert outpost famous for its apple pie. Getting there meant driving through nothing but desert and corrugated roads, where we even spotted Dan, a fellow traveler struggl...

Location: Namibia Summary: Today, February 20th, I'm continuing my journey through Namibia's stunning desert landscape. I wanted to mention a fascinating museum in Swakopmund that I visited a couple days ago - it showcased the incredible mineral wealth found throughout Namibia's vast desert regions, including uranium and other metals, particularly in the north. The past few nights, Gert-Jan and I...

Location: Namibia Summary: On February 19th, I left Swakopmund for a day trip to Walvis Bay with Gert-Jan. Having been there before, I knew where to go, which was helpful since everything was new for my companion. In Walvis Bay, we saw ships and offshore drilling operations, then visited the salt collection area where we spotted flamingos - not many, but enough to take photos of these impressive b...

Location: Namibia Summary: Today I made my way to Swakopmund in Namibia. Along the journey, I attempted to visit a desalination plant but was turned away due to ongoing instrumentation work and calibration. They mentioned offering monthly tours for water users and stakeholders, with the next one scheduled for March, but I won't be staying that long. I also stopped at a shipwreck and visited a camp...

Location: Namibia Summary: Today I made my way from Aus to the Namibian coast, driving on rough unpaved roads at 55-60 km/h through desert landscapes. Along the way, I spotted the Dauris Green Village, Africa's first zero-output community with greenhouses and accommodations that offered Wi-Fi and refreshments, though I didn't stop to explore. My main destination was Cape Cross, where I paid 350 Na...

Location:Namibia Summary: My February 16th adventure began with breakfast at the hotel, but I saved room for the highly recommended bakery in Ocho - what a treat! The journey to Aus was spectacular, though entirely on unpaved roads through amazingly beautiful scenery. Traveling without reservations during low season, I relied on my Garmin GPS to find accommodation. After checking out Petra's Inn (...

On February 14th, I traveled to Tsumeb, close to Etosha National Park, which was one of Gertjan's must-see destinations. We stayed at a guest house owned by Jenneke's friend Victoria. This was a route I had previously traveled when my belongings were stolen, but this time I could properly appreciate the journey along the smooth two-lane highway at 80-90 km/h through this small Namibian town. The n...

Location: Namibia Summary: Today was a busy but wonderful day in Windhoek, Namibia. I started by picking up Gert-Jan at the airport around 1 PM. The airport has two separate buildings for arrivals and departures, which was a bit confusing at first. While waiting, I managed to get forms for reclaiming VAT on my phone and computer replacements, though I'll need to process this at the border when lea...

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...

Location: Namibia Summary: Today I took another day trip from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay, about 35km south. The drive features flat sand strips to the sea with small communities that look like second homes, each with basic services. The area offers great adventure activities - dune buggy rentals, camel rides, and desert tours for cruise ship visitors. Walvis Bay itself is very industrial with lots o...

Location: Namibia Summary: Today I made a day trip from Swakopmund to Henties Bay, driving about 70 kilometers north through the desert. The journey took me past various beach stops with amusing South African names like President's Gat, and I noticed a desalination plant that supplies water to the region. The landscape is completely barren - just desert with scattered, mostly boarded-up second hom...

Location: Namibia Summary: I started my Monday morning early, leaving Windhoek at quarter to 6 to reach the Toyota dealership in Okahandja by 6:30. I learned from my previous experience in Oshakati that arriving early determines your position in the repair queue. My main concern was replacing the passenger door lock mechanism, which was damaged when I was robbed - the thieves had tried to pry it o...

Location: Namibia Summary: I started my day at Kate's Nest Guest House and picked up my friend Nico for an adventure to Dan Viljoen's Game Reserve, about 25 kilometers from Windhoek. Even though their day services were unexpectedly closed, we could still do the self-drive tour through the reserve. We drove along the track with a regular car and spotted amazing wildlife including birds, zebras, gir...

Location: Namabia Summary: I'm currently stuck waiting for my emergency passport to arrive, hopefully early next week, which has left me unable to leave the country. While waiting, I tackled some important administrative tasks, particularly renewing my real estate broker fingerprints for Washington State - something required every 6 years that I can't get an extension for. I first tried a modern e...

Location: Namibia Summary: On February 2nd, I had to leave Yenneke and Byron's home in Okahontja and travel to Windhoek for an important mission - applying for a new passport. Yenneke was incredibly helpful in preparing all the necessary paperwork. In Windhoek, I found the honorary consul's office at Imurgo Consulting, a company that provides marketing and internet presence consulting across Afric...

Location: Namibia Summary: I had quite the adventure trying to replace my phone and computer in Windhoek. After finding that Okahandja didn't have what I needed, I traveled to Windhoek where I discovered two iStores in different malls. I managed to purchase a new iPhone and computer, but had to visit both locations to get everything I wanted. The real challenge began when I tried to activate my ne...

Location: Windhoek, Namibia Summary: On January 30th, I focused on recuperating from the previous day’s incident and making my way to Okaukuejo to meet the family who could help me recover from the losses. It was a long drive—around 500–600 kilometers—but I arrived around 3 p.m. and was grateful for their support. We got in touch with the honorary consulate in Windhoek, and they laid out the proce...

Location: Oshakati, Namibia to Rundu, Namibia Summary: On January 29th, I left Oshakati heading toward Rundu and then north toward Botswana. I stopped briefly in Ondangwa for supplies, but about 15 minutes out of town, a car with several men forced me to stop. They attacked me, took my phone, laptop, and my travel documents, including my passport, international driver’s license, and yellow fever c...

Location: Oshakati, Namibia Summary: On January 28th, I spent the day in Oshakati, northern Namibia, getting my car serviced. I arrived early at the Toyota dealer, and they replaced the rear brake drums and shoes along with performing routine maintenance. Communication with the service staff was frustrating—they didn’t keep me updated, and I had to figure out when the work was done myself. Afterwa...

Location: Angola to Oshakati, Namibia Summary: On January 27th, I filled up my diesel tanks in Angola, taking advantage of the low price before heading to the border. Crossing into Namibia was relatively smooth, with the proper paperwork processed for Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa, which should make future border crossings easier. I only had a short drive to Oshakati, where I checked...

Location: Lubango, Angola to Onjiva, Angola Summary: On January 26th, I left the lodge and headed toward Lubango, stopping at an overlook where I could take in a great view of the city. As I continued toward Ondjiva near the border, I enjoyed the drive through relatively green landscapes, though I had to stay alert for cattle crossings, occasional large potholes, and even passed a recent minibus a...

Location: Namibe, Angola Summary: On January 25th, I woke up in an incredible place right on the beach, surrounded by cliffs with the ocean just steps from my room. The lodge is built on the remains of an old fishing site, and I learned from the owners, Rui and Monica, how they developed it over the years into a unique and remote retreat with about 17 guest rooms and a full team of staff working i...

Location: Luang Prabang to Banteay Chmar, Angola Summary: On January 24th, I chose to follow the longer coastal route instead of taking the quicker inland road. Before leaving, I dealt with frustrating payment issues at the hotel, where credit cards weren’t always accepted, so I had to book online day by day while cash withdrawals were expensive. Once on the road, the start was smooth, but I soon...

Location: Lobito, Angola Summary: On January 23rd, I spent more time working on my classes and managed to log about 13 hours toward the total I need. In the afternoon, Nico arrived after an intense 600 km ride from Luanda on his Yamaha, even finishing the last stretch in the dark. We met up, shared stories, and talked about our travels—it was great connecting with someone from the overlanding comm...