Taxi Antics

I did not mention, in my last posting, the shopping problems in catering for the party. It took 5 shops before I found one that sold birthday candles. I could not find ice cream at all although, in the 4th shop, I found a watermelon … that was ideal. I had to buy things at different shops! Ah, well. At least we do have these things here. At least 90% of all the produce in shops comes from South Africa. The fresh produce comes up in huge trucks from the Cape.
Owamboland, esp in this area, is becoming more open to commerce. This is where the bulk of the fighting went on in the war for independence, with the SWAPO resistance fighters coming in from bases in Angola and with South African troops based in and around Oshakati and Ondangwa.

David’s taxi trip to the Anglican conference was an adventure in itself. I drove him the 3km to the main road (Oshakati-Ondangwa) and he took a taxi to Ondangwa. There he had to change for the conference centre which is near Oshikango up on the border. He was first dropped off (the taxi driver agreed to leave the main road and take him the few extra kms) at a place where he had some NETS business. The guy had not turned up so David waited for him. Then the chap kindly took David to another place where he had promised to try and help someone with their computer. He gave up after 2 hours and had to lug NETS books (for a demonstration and talk he was scheduled to do at the conference), his bedding etc back to the main road and catch a taxi towards the conference centre. The centre is quite a few kms off the main road with just a sand track leading to it. The taxi would not take him there so he had to start lugging all his stuff in the blazing heat along the dirt track past homesteads (mini hut-villages comprising of extended families) of people staring at him until finally a truck coming in with water stopped and let him join the other folk squashed on the back!
Coming home was much easier: a lift to Ondangwa and a taxi to Ongwediva.

Today is his trip to Windhoek for the graduation. David will be speaking at the graduation for the Distance Ed students. We considered going down with him but it is a long drive (esp for the children) for just a couple of days. (David will enjoy the fact that it is at least 5 degrees cooler down there.)
Taking David to the ‘taxi rank’ was bedlam. The location is at the huge Oshakati open market. There are quite a few mini buses going to major towns, all vying for custom. Before we had even stopped the car, we were mobbed. The drivers crowd and push and shout and grab you to persuade you to go in their taxi as they can’t leave until all the seats are filled. People were pulling David in every direction. He saw someone taking his bags from the back of our ute/bakkie and putting them in their taxi. David had quite a fight to get them back. Others were swarming over the car, trying to get in and all shouting at me to tell David to go with them. David finally saw a driver he went with last time and said he was going with him. Other drivers accused the driver of being a ‘bochocho’ (thief/schelm/unsavoury character) and saying he would not take David all the way to Windhoek … all of which David knew to be untrue. It took another 2 hours before the taxi was full enough to set off for Windhoek. (Wish I had risked my camera there and taken a shot!) Even though I knew they were just looking for custom, it was a bit scary. I would hate to be in a real uprising.
Can you imagine the chaos if inter-city trains you are used to waited till they were full before setting off?!

How we are longing for the pool area that they are building here to be finished. It is a whole complex with a restaurant, place for wedding receptions, etc and entry will be costly. But just driving past every day on the school run we look at the pool beyond the electric fence and long to be immersed in cool water! Knowing this is the only swimming pool in Owamboland (except small private ones in guest lodges), the owners will be onto a good thing. They have also laid turf so there is real grass (a rare sight up here) and they have 4 springbok grazing on it. Perhaps they will open the pool in December???? If so, I know where we will all choose to spend our birthdays!

People say the weather should start cooling down in March and, as we came in March, we can remember how hot it was but how soon it became bearable. David wonders when the thermometer will show a temperature BELOW 30?! Of course, I actually enjoy being warm but, with the rains due, the humidity is very high and unpleasant. Like the poor, the mozzies are always with us but are worse now with the rainy season about to start. I will attach a pic of the children’s bed.
The rains also bring out the giant millipede. Caris, being animal-mad, loves to pick them up. The locals, seemingly scared of any insect or reptile, look on in horrified fascination.

Interested in our local news? Here is the site of the national paper: www.namibian.com.na.

I have found a great book to read: the autobiography of Nancy Bird, one of Australia’s earliest women pilots , covering the emergence of the Australian flying industry.

I had better go and feed the children. Étienne is writing a book on invertebrates and Caris has written a letter to Santa (see pic).