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Diary This is Jan's diary. If you want to receive this diary by mail, write your mail on the contact form.
‹ Previous (19/06/2007) MONTH Next (2007-08-18)› ‹ Previous (2007-07-16 - Angola) COUNTRY Next (2007-07-28 - South Africa)› Namibia Frontera amb Angola (see on map) 21/07/2007:
in the embassy of Romania they had recommended us to arrive as soon as possible to Namibia not to have problems with the expired visa and in the same way that on the previous days we have been waking up at 5:30 in the morning in order to be able to drive about eleven hours till 6 or 6:30 pm. However, if on the previous days we had fear not to arrive to Luanda, we now had fear not to arrive to Namibia. Although we had not said it openly, Alex and I shared the fear of destroying the car before arriving to the border. The ambassador had explained to us that in Nigeria the car of a diplomat broke down while he travelled with his wife and daughter. When returning from searching help the women and the child were decapitated. Afterwards, the ambassador added: "Angola is not too different from Nigeria in this regard". The first day we drove 615 kilometres through a good asphalted road. The second day we drove 190 km for a track comparable to those of the north and started to worry about the days that it would still take us to arrive to the border. Ben and Maria had written to us that the roads of the south of Angola were also in very bad state and I had already calculated to drive the last 400 or 500 kilometres in 4 days. But on the third day the track improved and we advance 290 kilometres. If the road followed in good state we could arrive to Namibia the day after at noon and if not then in two days. It was a little frustrating, because the people did not know how to give any convincing answer on the state of the tracks often told us that the tracks were good and ended up being terrible or that they were bad and were tolerable. The second day in the afternoon, while Alexandra warned me continuously "soft, that you are entering in a hole", a motorcycle arrived on our side. It was Tim. At night we dined together and drank a beer conversing on our journeys and about how to gain money in route, writing and making photos in my case or making films in his. Even though we circulated at different speeds, we met once again on the third day and also today in the border. Today we have woken up early again with the intention of driving all the day towards south, as fast as possible but with the speed limited by Alexandra worried for not having any problem with the engine. The track has kept improving in the face of our incredulity. We did not understand because Ben and Maria had described us the track as terrible. There were many completely fixed sections and others in works; this was the only explanation that occurred to us. Anyway we kept thinking that in front of us the track would crack again. When we were only 120 kilometres away from the border I thought: "we can arrive in 2 hours or in 24 hours, who knows"?. And in the end, we have arrived to the same midday in the border and have expressed again our joy singing "we are the champions". We have crossed the border of Angola without receiving any fine for the expired visa. But on the contrary to what we expected we have found the problems in the border of Namibia. Windhoek (see on map) 23/07/2007: We showed our passports among tens of hands that also wanted to seal their documents with the entry stamp and finally an officer caught them. He sealed my passport, but when opening Alexandra’s passport he commented: - The citizens of Romania need entry visa and it can not be obtained here in the border. - And what can we do? - I asked. - Return to Luanda and carry it out from there. - But we can not enter again in Angola, our visa is expired. There are not any other options? - Not, there isn’t any other option. You have to return to Luanda. I insisted that there had to be some other solution because we could not nor we wanted to enter Angola again. But the officer became annoyed with me because i doubted his word and because according to him I appeared proud. In the end I had to go outside not to worsen the things and Alexandra had to stand the shouts of the officer who screamed that because of me we will stay between the two borders with threats of prison. Alexandra went out hysterical but hopeful that in spite of everything the things would straighten up. In the end, the officer was softened and he explained to Alexandra that in fact there was a solution. The visa could be carried out from the border, but we should wait between the two borders until Monday in the morning, that a superior officer would come. I could cross the border to buy food and after a while a Polish girl that wanted to go to Angola and did not have visa came because practically she was in a similar situation to ours. Mónica, was a little - not to say a lot - crazy, talked a lot and had the project of travelling up to Europe doing hitchhiking and with only 400€ in her pockets. We advise against central Africa, where only the visas would eat all her budget and in the end it seemed that she changed plans by going through eastern Africa or perhaps by plane. Today on Monday Alexandra presented herself in front of the officer that had to solve her problem, who with not too much interest said that they could make a transit visa of only 3 days. It has been the hardest moment of the journey: we had all the hopes and expectations in relaxing and visiting for about four or five weeks some nature reserves and the marvellous landscapes of Namibia. We have had to go to some town 60 km away from the border so that they printed the visa for her on the travelling document that Alex had from her embassy, and then had to return to the border so that they put the entry stamp and we left towards Windhoek through the same road as in the morning. We were again in a road race against the clock to arrive as soon as possible to the capital to carry out the visa of South-Africa and to try to extend the 3 day transit visa. We have been driving up to ten in the night, bad-tempered and pessimistic on our situation in the south of the continent. The only consolation has been the excellent road and the spotting of different wild animals illuminated by the lights of the car. 25/07/2007: Yesterday we went at first hour to the embassy of Africa South and when seeing the passport - without blank pages - they informed us clearly that they could not carry out the visa (The only country where Alexandra can obtain a new passport to continue the journey). We went to the embassy of Spain to look for support and they were very nice and let Alexandra call the embassy of Romania in Angola - were they were surprised that we couldn’t pass with the travel doc. - and to the embassy in Africa South - where there was nobody that could attend her. The ambassador of Romania in Angola told us that he would do some calls to fix the situation and we returned to the Embassy of South Africa where they were amazed that we came again. They denied again any possibility to enter South Africa, although, when Alexandra started to cry of despair, the girl that attended us suggested going to the department of immigration of Namibia where we could carry out a similar document to the travel document. Meanwhile, two days ago the battery of the car started to fail and in the end proved to be completely used up, we could only start the car by pushing it or by charging it from some other car. In the face of the difficulty to move with freedom through the city, the following thing that we did was to change the battery. Afterwards we went to immigration but they asked us to come the day after in the morning. Today we went there and after quite a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy they have delivered the required document. They have also informed us about not being able to extend the validity of the visa that expires tomorrow for Alex. Next we have gone to the embassy of South Africa where surprisingly have refused the new document. The supervisor did not even want to receive us and have returned to the Spanish embassy to make new calls. The Romanian ambassador in Africa South has expressed that he could not do anything to help us. The ambassador in Angola has surprised again and worried (in fact, we were in this situation because the ambassador gave us this travel document thinking wrongly that it would open all the doors). The ambassador has told us that he would call the embassy of South Africa, but we have received a call of the supervisor mid-afternoon announcing us that in spite of everything, he could not do anything to solve our problem and that likewise he would communicate it to the ambassador of Romania. But miraculously after five minutes, the supervisor called us again asking us to come to the embassy with all the documents. The supervisor has received us very nicely and apologised with a good excuse that had not received us in the morning. We have been commenting on the problem and he has finally suggested sticking the South African visa on a page of the passport reserved to the Romanian government, always and when he received a fax of the ambassador of Romania allowing this operation and also if Pretoria allowed him the procedure. We have left with hopes that the things would be solved soon, although I felt discouraged and sad for all the last problems and in the face of the inability to visit Namibia. When we obtain the visa we will have to leave towards South Africa due to the probable impossibility of stretching the period of validity of the visa. 26/07/2007:
We have received the fax of the ambassador of Romania and the embassy of South Africa has also received the consent of Pretoria and the assistant has commented to the supervisor, we will tomorrow have the visa in the passport of Alexandra. At last, the main problem was solved. Now we had to solve many other secondary problems, as for example to change the oil and filters of the car that was done very nicely by a service in spite of the fact that they were working on schedule. And in the afternoon we have relaxed. We have done tourism again since last time was long ago. Alexandra went to walk for shops and department stores and i visited churches and museums. Windhoek does not seem an African city. When we entered some days ago we identified it with Copenhagen. The city is clean, tidy; with big well asphalted avenues flanked by modern buildings and green parks; with some streets for pedestrians, centres of tourist information, women selling imported African art, and many whites walking, some of which have commented that the country is much worse now than years ago (in Namibia there had also been apartheid), a thought similar to the South Africans. South Africa frontera (see on map) 28/07/2007:
Alexandra already had the 3 days visa expired, but after collecting the South African visa, the office of immigration in Windhoek allowed us to arrive to the border the day after, Saturday, in the morning. But we took a couple of touristy visits ourselves through the country and we have arrived today, on Sunday, at night. These visits have obliged me to drive many more kilometres for roads and tracks, which despite being excellent, start to weigh on my aching back of so many African races. For luck, in South Africa, we will be able to relax ourselves at last (I cross fingers). On Saturday we visited the dunes of Sossusvlei introducing us in a territory where ostriches, antelopes and órixs grazed surrounded by big mountains of sand. When we could not advance more, we did a hike among the dunes to arrive to a valley that sometimes is flooded, with the ground cracked as a puzzle and the few trees lye in the powerful heat of the sun. We also discovered the small and interesting canyon of Sesriem, but not as spectacular as the Fish River canyon that we have visited today Sunday, an impressive and deep canyon winding through the middle of an arid plain, but, there was no river and no fish. Bitterfontein (see on map) 01/08/2007:
Yes, we have at last started to relax. The races finished and we have started to drive with pleasure, few kilometres every day, enjoying the landscape and discovering pretty places. Before however, we did a small technical stop in Springbok, to buy groceries, clothes on sales, gas for the auto caravan (here it is winter - spring and starts to be cold) and to operate Alexandra. When arriving to Springbok Alex discovered a black and painless granite with a hole to the centre that seemed like a parasite under the small finger of the foot. And indeed, we went to the doctor and with a needle he took out a larva of fly, or of some older bug, because the animal in the form of white worm measuring almost one centimetre. In Springbok it started to surprise us the physiognomy of the South Africans, with Asian features (I have read afterwards that in the seventeenth century slaves of the east of Asia were brought to Cape Town). Also there are whites, which as in Namibia direct the businesses usually. We have observed some men driving 4x4, listening to country music and exhibiting cow-boy hats, a copied image of the Texan legends of the United States. Perhaps one may not find it strange if we think that the history of both countries has many similarities. The Englishmen colonised a new continent where already there were other natives living. After a time exterminating natives, the settlers wanted the independence from England and a war breaks out. The two new independent countries prosper thanks to the slaves, but a fight consolidates with time in favour of the human rights and finally the dignity imposes itself. Maybe, one of the most important differences in this history is the proportion of black and whites that has remained, where in the case of Africa South little more than 10% are white, although they continue having most of the wealth of the country. The last two days we lost ourselves through small tracks that were going to coastal villages south of Springbok, a region famous for the flowers that bloom in spring. We had arrived two weeks earlier (the two weeks that we could have been visiting Namibia), but there already started to be many flowers, illuminating some meadows with tonality, red, yellow violet, white, orange, blue... The places were excellent. The only blemish in comparison with Namibia was the great quantity of fields fenced and the consequent non-existence of wild animals crossing the road (except for a turtle). Cap town (see on map) 04/08/2007:
We have been three days circulating towards the south, to Cape Town, without haste and driving few hours per day, although not always for the shortest path. The first day, despite being grey and rainy, we went towards the mountains of Cederberg with the expectation to do some hike on the following day. But for the joy of Alexandra, exactly when going out of the auto caravan to do the excursion, it started to rain again. We followed the road towards Ceres, driving through a big valley with impressive sights - through the mountains as well as for the climate. And today we have continued with the sunny day crossing a mountain crossing where there were baboons and in the afternoon we walked through the town called Paarl. It has surprised us, that in the town centre we only saw whites. To the outskirts there were poor neighbourhoods where the blacks seemed to be living, but in the centre there was none, either through the street or in a very busy bar where we have taken a drink. It has surprised us, but the motifs seemed evident when knowing the history of the area. The west half of the province of Cape Town was declared during the apartheid "preferably white", and consequently the construction of new homes for blacks or the recruitment of blacks was forbidden if it was not proved that there were whites ready to do the job. 14/08/2007:
It’s already one week since we arrived in Cape Town and we will still be here for another week or more. We had marked Cape Town long time ago on our map as a technical stop and also Alexandra had to renew her passport. We went to her embassy, completed the necessary forms, sent them with DHL in Romania and today her brother phoned us, saying that in the police station they do not accept one of the forms because it doesn’t have the correct seal of the embassy, that is, we will have to repeat the process. On the other hand, the car needed some repairs to be able to follow the journey trouble free (or with less problems): fixing the starter; adding the end of the exhaust pipe; holding a part of the radiator that was falling; dismantling and taking the fridge out of the autocaravan so that they can repair it; and some other small repairs that we will probably leave for further on. Anyway, Cape Town would also have deserved a long stay, and between management and repair we have also had time to relax and enjoy this charming city and its people. We arrived last Sunday, a sunny day that was magnifying the panoramic view of the city of skyscrapers in front of the ocean and small houses extending up to the lap of the impressive Table Mountain. We walked in a big mall and recreational hotspot in front of the port, where there were some outdoor shows interpreted by black people (or colour people) in front of a majority of white spectators. In the afternoon we went to View Point with the car where there is a good view on the city surrounded by the ocean. When going out of the car, a man with two girls was looking at the map printed on the autocaravan and began to show interest in our journey. We answered some questions and asked him afterwards whether he knew any safe place where to park the autocaravan during the night. He suggested parking it in front of his home, a little on the outskirts and like this we did. We have spent very nice days with Johan and Maryna and their daughters Nina and Nicola Botha. During the day we have been running up and down through the city, but every night we have parked in front of their house and spent very good evenings with them maintaining some very interesting conversations. I showed interest on the apartheid, not without asking them before whether it was a taboo subject. They answered me very openly but some of the questions produced some family disagreements, between Johan and the mother of Maryna, Saarah. Johan opined that the government during the apartheid did not make anything good and that if it had not lost so much energy keeping the black and white communities separate at present South Africa would be at the level of Australia. Saarah opined however, that the government during the apartheid had made very positive things that the current government can destroy and that on the other hand the racial segregation already had been initiated by the Englishmen with posters of the type "only whites". What yes Saarah accepted is that the government during the apartheid should have promoted more the education of the non white community for which at present, the black community claims the same educational and working opportunities but they do not have the same base (45% of the South Africans are illiterate). Saarah works as music professor in a good school. When finishing the racial segregation the school opened the doors to the non white pupils, but these - according to Saarah - do not have the educational base of the whites and the level of all the class is lower. The explanations of Saarah did not surprise me, because many professors in Europe complain about similar problems with the immigrants. I thought that South Africa is going out from a dark period of racism, but Europe is maybe entering a similar dark period... They followed explaining the situation of the country after the ending of the apartheid. There are blacks that do not have preparation to occupy specific jobs but there are laws of positive discrimination and they access to good positions in front of other better prepared whites. It is the same in the university, where the note of entry for the whites is higher than for those that are not. Johan opined that despite being a drastic measure perhaps it was a good action for both communities to put a little more and to create a productive black middle class for the country. Anyway, there are many things to do still, the government (black) follows liberal policies that benefit the rich ones (generally white) and maintain to the poverty many town ships, with bad education and very deficient healthcare. These marginal town ships, the only consolation that have after the apartheid is that they have gained the freedom despite continuing in misery. The Botha family described the current South Africa as a small Europe in Africa, where you can find areas very developed (as Cape Town) close to tribal villages that are still anchored in the past, living with their traditions, rituals, introductions... This Africa and Europe are obliged to understand themselves and to evolve together, although it will not be an easy task. Before the only concern of the government was to maintain an infrastructure for 6 million whites, but, with the same money, at present they have to take care of a country of 45 millions. We have not met only with the Botha family; we have also run into other people that we had contacted through Couchsurfing. We met Mandi, a graphic arts young student. Mandi was coloured, born in Springbok and emigrated to Paarl once finished the Apartheid. In Paarl she felt a little out of place, because she lived in the middle of the white neighbourhood, but she was able to make friends in time and now she feels at ease; she does not observe racism either, for at present it is considered very bad. Mandi also explained to us what meant being coloured. According to the record of the population during the Apartheid three great racial groups were defined: "white", "red" and "native". The "red" ones were classified in different groups according to their origin, Indian, Chinese, mulatto... The "natives" were also classified in another 8 groups according to the tribe from whom they originated. In any case, the "red" ones and the "natives" they were considered an inferior class - the "natives" still more inferior than the "red" ones - and closed them automatically some doors, as for example the good education or the good working opportunities. On the other hand, they tried to keep all the social groups separate or segregated among eachother. Another girl from Couchsurfing that lived close to a beach in the south of Cape Town (from where we could observe some whales and seals) invited us to a party at her house. There I talked with Jessica, a girl from Johanesburg that explained the differences between the capital (competitive, materialist, racial conflicts) and Cape Town (relaxed, slow, and integrated). Jessica - white - also opined that during the apartheid the government had more money and that therefore the blacks ate better had home, better health... Fikiswa, a black girl that worked for an ONG in the poor neighbourhoods, confirmed me that at present there is a lot of poverty and insecurity, but that before was the same, with the difference that at least now the government does not kill you. Anyway, even if it is slow and complicated, the state is making steps and takes actions to improve the life of these people, with better schools, better medical centres... ‹ Previous (19/06/2007) MONTH Next (2007-08-18)› ‹ Previous (2007-07-16 - Angola) COUNTRY Next (2007-07-28 - South Africa)› |
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