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Climate? What climate? I'm just sitting here inside this convection oven, getting pelted by hot sand and watching my nose bleed!
Namibian Dollar ($). The Nam Dollar is tied directly, one-for-one with the South African Rand (about 6 to 1 in January, 1999). Consequently, you can expect to enjoy the unfortunate benefits of their struggling currency, which has lost half it's value in the last year and a half.
I laminated several double-sided, wallet-sized cards that had emergency information listed on them. Things that I included:
Africa is a notoriously dangerous place to visit. But if I were to choose the safest country in all of Africa to visit, Namibia would be it. It is such a harsh, forbidding climate that few microbes can survive. I mean, let's face it, if you were a virus, would you want to search for a victim in the Namib Desert, where it is 100 degrees in the shade, there is 0% humidity and not a living thing for a hundred miles in every direction? The biggest health concern you are likely to face is a bloody nose from the dry heat. Keeping this in mind, anytime you travel in Africa, you should have a sober understanding of the risks: Malaria is endemic in northern Namibia and HIV is at epidemic levels. Both of these things are preventable.
Basic preparation for a trip to Namibia involves a getting couple of shots and some malaria prophylaxis.
Malaria
Malaria is not endemic in southern Namibia. Actually, malarial mozzies are not really something to worry about in a desert. They thrive in humid, moist areas. Having said that, I left nothing to chance! I started taking Lariam in South Africa, just in case.
Lariam has a bad reputation. Apparently, it has some potentially dangerous side effects. A small percentage of people (say...20%) experience some strange dreams. A small fraction of these people (...perhaps 1%) have trouble sleeping because of the Lariam. An even smaller percentage of people (maybe 0.05%) can develop psychosis and become clinically insane. This has led many european countries to recommend against Lariam, despite the fact that Lariam is 95% effective in preventing malaria...Most everyone that I travelled with was using the Chloroquine cocktail instead (only about 80% effective). This involves two sets of pills: a daily chloroquine pill and a weekly pill of proguanil. Personally, it sounded way too complicated! I had no problems with the Lariam, and I would recommend it to anyone, as it currently offers the highest effectiveness.
Every evening, as the sun passed over the horizon, the risk of malaria became the driving force in a ritual slathering of DEET over every exposed milimeter of skin. I took this risk very seriously, and perhaps I overcompensated with bug-juice (...or as we called it in Africa, "mozzie repellent"). But Mosquitos have always particularly enjoyed nibbling on me! So I didn't mess around with them. One evening, I covered all of my exposed skin with mozzie juice, except for the space between my toes, and one enterprising mosquito managed to get in there and take a bite!
Make yourself a routine at sunset. Go to the tent, or the bedroom, identify what you will be wearing that evening (it's a good idea to wear long sleeves or long pants, if the temperature allows for this). After changing, get the 20% or 100% DEET out and be generous with the quantities you use. If you think you are overdoing it...just think what the consequences would be if you got malaria.
The Center for Disease Control recommends using at least 20% DEET compounds for travel to Africa. Personally, I never felt completely secure unless I had 100% DEET on. I would recommend bringing both.
Shots
Necessary shots include, but are not limited to:
In 9 African border crossings, I was never asked--not once--to show anyone my vaccination certificate. My wife and I went through a lot of trouble to carry copies of all important documentation, and half the time, no one bothered to look at anything!
I can't speak with much intelligence on this subject, I'm afraid. I travelled through Namibia on an Encounter Overland truck, named "Rachel". It was an experience that I don't ever want to repeat. Overland travel is an aquired taste...For some people, this is the most exciting and rewarding way to see a country, but in my opinion, we spent too much time in the back of a truck, whose top speed was 45 mph, and not enough time experiencing Africa.
Eventually, everyone gets either a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide book. I used Lonely Planet's Africa-The South, which was a great book. I highly recommend this tome for southern Africa. It has adequate coverage of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi. Personally, I count Malawi in central--not southern--Africa, but...what do I know?
Windhoek is the capital of Namibia. All embassies are located here, although you will not really need to bother with the embassy unless you have legal difficulties. Namibia is an easy country to visit as a tourist--very few countries require visas for vacation travel.
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