German California, aka Namibia

We are in our ninth of ten countries, Namibia!  We crossed the border back on the 207 km day, right at the end of the day, then rode the last kilometre into camp.  We were surprised to come into a very civilized campground with lovely green grass, hot showers, and flush toilets - wow!  Plus a store which still has Wayne talking about how easy it was to buy our usual stash of cookies, chocolate bars and chips ( why am I not gaining weight??), pay in Botswana currency and get change in Namibian currency!  Just like that!  Plus the clerk knew how to make change and figure out the different currencies with ease.  It has been surprising to see how lacking in basic arithmetic skills some shopkeepers are but I guess that may be an indication of education levels affecting literacy and numeracy.

But back to German California....we feel we have left what we've come to think of as the "real" Africa behind - riding into Windhoek yesterday was weird, it is clean, orderly, hilly, green with lots of flowers and palm trees, and all the street signs and business signs are in German.  European, yet tropical.  Sort of African, but not at all chaotic.  One thing that has not changed though is the drivers, do they ever go fast.  The speed limit on the 2 lane highway with absolutely no shoulder is 120 km/hr.  That was true even back on the Elephant Highway when running into one of those big boys could definitely slow you down.  We have learned to keep a sharp eye on oncoming traffic and an ear tuned to what is happening behind us and are always prepared to hit the grass on the roadside if need be, and sometimes we do just to be on the safe side.  Windhoek is very western and we are all noticing the difference.  Last night we went out to celebrate a TDA friend's 60 th birthday at a fantastic restaurant with giant steaks, lots of red wine and excellent service.  What a treat!  Today we have tires to change ( actually, I have my camp valet working on that chore right now) then we will visit the good bike shop here, the first we have come to on the tour so Wayne can restock his supply of tubes.  He keeps saying he wants to do a blog entry about his flat tire woes but he hasn't got around to it yet.  Too busy patching tubes, I guess.  

We head off into dirt road country tomorrow, into the Kalahari and lots of sand!  Three days of that, then a rest day, then five more days, another rest day and a final five day push into Cape Town!