The Namibian Odyssey Part 1: “Winging it to Windhoek”
I’m sat quietly in my bedroom reading my favourite book at the time “My Family and Other Animals” by Gerald Durrell. Just as I’m enthralled by tales of critters and exotic animals, my Mum and Dad casually ask — “What do you think about relocating to Namibia?” Namibia, or as it was called back then, South West Africa. The mere mention of it made my imagination go wild with visions of desert landscapes and dangerous wild animals, the kind you’d see in a nature documentary. Being the nature enthusiast that I was, (and still am) there was only one response on the tip of my tongue — “YES!” The real question was: When’s the next flight to Namibia, and can I pack my binoculars?
The day we bid adieu to the rainy streets of England (yes it was raining) for a new adventure in Africa just so happened to be the same day the Governor of the Falkland Islands surrendered to the Argentine forces. Talk about perfect timing, April 2nd, 1982 — a date etched in history as the day my life took a detour and set the stage for a four-decade love affair with the breath-taking continent of Africa.
We were all a bit jittery because my elder sister, Jenny, got stuck with a suspected appendicitis. We had to say farewell to her, yes, we were leaving her behind. This was a temporary delay so she could rest and recover from her operation. See you soon, Jenny — can’t wait to catch up with you in Windhoek! It’s going to be one happy reunion!
Our new life in Africa started on the day the Falklands were undergoing a temporary change of hands, setting the backdrop for a saga that would soon intertwine with my own. Life has a funny way of surprising us, and in my case, it chose the backdrop of political turmoil to start a love affair with Africa that would last a lifetime.
Touching down in Windhoek felt like I’d landed on the moon! (Not that I’ve ever been to the moon), The airport was smack in the middle of the desert, a hot 40 km away from the city of Windhoek. As I looked out of the window, my brain paused, “Hang on, where on earth have we landed?” It was hot as hell and as dry as a desert. What else was I expecting? I decided to just keep quiet as this was my Mum and Dad’s bright idea. We kids were just along for the ride, with no escape route as we’d arrived on a one way ticket. 🌵
My Dad had got a job with a local firm of German architects, and suddenly, we were on our way up in the world! The company sent a snazzy car (Mercedes Benz) to drive us away from the airport and to drop us off at a five star hotel in Windhoek. We were on cloud ten (infinitely better than nine) for the first few nights, savouring the posh hotel hospitality while my Dad’s workplace we’re looking for a more permanent place for us to live. They were on a mission to find us the perfect pad to call home sweet home. We, or I in particular was in no hurry as I was living it up in this five star luxury hotel, taking long walks through the exotic gardens and thoroughly enjoying the amazing birdlife. No more blackbirds and sparrows for me.
One night after dinner our five star life came crashing down on us. After a quick walk around the hotel gardens listening to the strange insects including the hideous looking Armoured Bush Cricket and scorpions it was time for bed. We all went up to our rooms and said goodnight. A minute later I could here my Mum shout, “We’ve been robbed, We’ve been robbed” Thieves had broken into my Mum and Dad’s room and stolen all their cash from the safe. This was all the money my parents had and it was earmarked to buy furniture and stuff for our new home.
I was only fifteen at the time and to this day I have no idea how my folks got us through that. I remember not having much furniture, a bed each and a fridge if I recall correctly. That didn’t matter because my Dad’s work had found us a new home — a first-floor flat perched on the side of a hill along Promenaden Road in Klein Windhoek. It only took us an hour to move the beds, fridge and suitcases in. Talk about minimalistic living, we’d given the phrase a new meaning!
If you enjoyed reading my post you could always buy me a coffee 😊
