Before I head off to Australia, I have managed to squeeze an extra country into the trip by heading up to Namibia for a week. Well I say a week, but actually it’s more like 5 days because of the distances involved…

The coach from Cape Town to the capitol Windhoek takes 21 hours! -which certainly gave me plenty of time to read and watch the truly awful films they put on!

In Windhoek, as well as drinking plenty of the beer that bears its name, I met a number of people during my stay too, from an American herbalist that gave me my first ever banjo lesson, to a pair of straight-from-school gap year lads, Adam and Josiah, who very bravely had comitted to teaching at a school here for the next 12 months!

After drinking plenty of this tasty beer over the last few weeks,
I can now see why its so good – Namibia was a German colony back in the day,
so Windhoek lager is made to the German purity law the ‘Reinheitsgebot’

The night before I left Windhoek for the coast, we headed into town for the Raleigh International leaving party… the charity is moving on to pastures new after running projects here for the last ten years or so, and I had received an informal invitation from Tim, who had been down here for four months working as a project leader. As the night went on, it got busier and busier, but mainly due to people attracted in off the street at the prospect of a free bar, and while the event was ‘open to the public’ the guys eventually called time on the bar and we all headed off to find some happening Windhoek nightlife elsewhere – something we just about managed, despite it being a Thursday in a pretty small town.

I was up bright and early the next morning for the bus to Swakopmund on the coast – The road is pretty much a straight line West, through the desert, so not so many breathtaking views as on the way up to Windhoek…

After exploring the town and getting a few hours of beach time I headed back to Sam’s, the guesthouse I had been recommended by one of my regular customers back in Cardiff. Sam, a Swiss hotelier moved here to the predominantly German speaking Holiday resort of Swakopmund a few years ago to open his own place after running hotels in Zurich for many years. As an extra for gusets he runs tutored tastings of South African wines in his ‘Grotto’ – which also houses his extensive collection of wine.

My timing was pretty off though, as just the day before my arrival, Sam’s beloved Bernese mountain dog ‘Einstein’ had died, so he seemed somewhat subdued as he took me through the wines he had open.

Of the seven wines we tasted, I particularly enjoyed the Kanu Chenin blanc 2003, which with balanced oak and added honey and beeswax complexity from a few years age in bottle was still lively with fresh acidity.

The Vergelegen Merlot 2004, which I had only the other day at the winery was my favourite of the reds, the Steytler Pinotage 2000 by Kaapsicht was a fairly well made example of the South African grape, with a rather tough nose of molasses and burnt plums but a redeeming palate with the fruit much more appealing with sweet plum jam flavours and soft dusty tannins. The Thelema Shiraz 2003 was also good, with a round creamy nose with rich berry fruit and a touch of spiced fruitcake. On the palate, the fruit seemed drier, I suspect this and some of the other reds could have shown better, but they had been open for a couple of days…

The food afterwards was excellent, with locally grown asparagus and super fresh fish. This stay in Swakopmund is probably the first time I felt really on my own travelling though, as I usually stay at backpackers where you meet people as a matter of course… So to avoid having to sit alone through the four course meal, I gatecrashed my way onto a table with two young-at-heart ladies also staying at Sam’s during their tour of Southern Africa, so thanks Penelope and Sue!