Namibia Part 6

After sunset with a baseball bat

The only downside for me personally in Namibia is safety. You can’t go out at night on foot for too far or too long. For example: Whenever I want to use the internet at the Goba lodge, it’s a little over 1km walk from Horizons (the place we are staying at) If we take a taxi it costs quite an ammount of money! And, let’s face it.. it’s just a little over 1 km, right!?

So every now and then I walk. But here comes the inside scoop. Every time I’d go on foot (especially after sunset) the owner of our hotel gives me a baseball batt to bring along. ‘Just in case,’ he says. A nice enough guy, really, but you kind of feel like you are back in the middle ages. On your way from one place to another, always alert for someone (or something) jumping out of the bushes and trying to rob you or worse.

These restrains of freedom truly annoy me. You feel like you are in a prison. Something that is normal for us in Holland (allthough we think of it as ‘normal’ while in really I think it is not), to go out alone at night, is not considered normal in Namibia (and many other places around the world off course).

Especially in the weekend it’s not safe to go out. Especially in and around the slums it’s best to stay away. This is because everybody gets payed for their jobs or they get some money from the government et cetera on friday.. Because water for many people is too expensive, a lot of people buy alcohol (tombo, also read ‘Namibia part 3’) instead.. and no good can from that, under these surcomstances.

So here I am, typing my blog Part 6 in the Goba lodge, complaining about safety in Namibia.. something the people in the slums have to deal with each and every day (it’s not just foreigners that aren’t safe) and Jelmer and me are only here for nine weeks in total! For them it’s life, for us it’s adjusting. I actually feel strange thingking/writing about it..

It’s 18:45 now, already dark outside. Better decide to take a taxi or walk tonight, from Goba lodge. I came here on foot, so I guess I’ll just take a taxi back this time.