Botswana > The luggage is lost…

Despite the conditions on the plane, I slept reasonably well during the night. Unfortunately, the Swede next to me had to go to the toilet frequently. At six o’clock—now seven o’clock South African time—we are woken for breakfast.

Botswana - The central square in Windhoek

Two hours later, we land at Johannesburg Airport. At the SAA counter, we check in for the flight to Windhoek. To be safe, we also ask about our luggage. The friendly gentleman types the baggage numbers in—again and again. Then he smiles and says everything is fine. Whether this is actually correct or whether he just doesn’t want any trouble, we don’t know at that moment. At eleven o’clock, we take off for the third and final flight to Namibia. Just under two hours later, we land at Windhoek International Airport. The sun is shining, but it’s cooler than I expected at the airport. At the baggage claim, we wait in vain for our luggage. When the belt stops moving, we go to the South African Airlines counter. The staff member, Byron, tells us that our luggage is on the next flight and will arrive in about three hours. He smiles and assures us that everything will be fine. Byron even guarantees that the luggage will be delivered to our campsite, 300 km away. But we’ve already heard several times today that “everything will be fine,” and we’ve grown somewhat skeptical. The prospect of temperatures dropping to freezing tonight, with all our clothing and sleeping gear in the luggage, does not give us peace of mind either. Behind customs, we meet our guide Cheryl. We inform her about our luggage problem. She walks back to the baggage claim to speak with Byron. I’m surprised that she can move freely past customs like that. Byron again assures her that the luggage is on the next flight. Since it’s now only about an hour and a half until the flight lands, it’s decided to first drive into Windhoek for a drink. On the way back, we can pick up the luggage. If, by chance, it doesn’t arrive, we can buy warm clothing at the airport. Before leaving, I exchange some euros. The advice is to exchange euros for South African Rand (ZAR), as ZAR is also accepted in Namibia. Cheryl isn’t entirely clear on how much money we’ll actually need. I exchange 150 euros. Since no ZAR are available, I get Namibian Dollars (NAD) instead. Windhoek is 30 kilometers west. In just under half an hour, we reach the capital. Thomas, our driver, drives us around the city in the minibus. At the central square, we get out and take a seat at a terrace, ordering a “Windhoek Lager” beer. Back at the airport, we go straight through customs again without any problems. When Byron sees us, he immediately stands up, gestures, and walks away. A few minutes later, he returns with our suitcases in the hall—a huge relief. With a few hours’ delay, we are finally on our way. It’s now three o’clock. Along the way, we see our first wildlife: a warthog walking along the roadside. In the town of Gobabis, we stop to buy water. Everyone purchases a 5-liter bottle, enough to get us through this stretch. From here, it’s still over 100 kilometers to the campsite. It’s dark by now, and we doubt whether our luggage would have made it here on its own. Even the driver struggles to find the campsite entrance. After turning around twice, we finally drive onto the campsite. A young man, bundled up against the chill, waits for us at the gate. Deep in the forest, we set up our camp. Originally, we were supposed to arrive in the afternoon; now we arrive after sunset. This means we have to set up the tents for the first time using our flashlights. Thomas explains how the tents should be set up, but it’s fairly straightforward. We quickly arrange the tents, put on an extra sweater, and sit by the campfire. Thomas has prepared a good meal over the fire. Around ten o’clock, after a long day of travel, we go to bed. It’s quite cold, so I crawl deep into my sleeping bag.