The DRC visa was one of the easiest to obtain to date. Issued by some of the most laid back consular officials around. At first they told us it would take 2-3 days to process, but asked if there was any way to expedite things, they told us to collect them in the afternoon. No extra cost, no extra hassle. We could even submit the application forms and photos at time of pick up!

We’ve had no such luck with the Angolan visa however. No being Namibian residents it was impossible for us to apply in Windhoek. So we’ve rushed to the border town of Oshakati only to be told by the Angolan consular office that our invitations are incomplete, the application process could take up to 14 days, cost US$350 - US$400 and… we might not get them in the end! Crazy! Now we’re stuck here jumping through beauracratic hoops. How long? Who knows. But we’re already thinking of plan B. If they don’t let us into Angola we’ll detour around it via Zambia and the DRC. Let’s wait and see…

Windhoek has got to be one of the smallest and understated capital cities we’ve seen. German infuence is evident throughout, particularly in the locally brewed beer. At the backpackers we met Flo. A happy-go-lucky Belgian pilot looking for work and more African adventure. He’d previously spent 5 years in Africa, tried to return to Europe but found it hard to settle down and now he’s back for more. Many hours were spent chatting over whiskey and now Kamil has a few more ideas with regard to future employment in aviation

From Windhoek we took a series of side roads through Namib-Naukluft Park towards Walvis Bay, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn along the way. The vistas continued to inspire.

Mountains surrounding Windhoek opened up to savanah, itself transforming into desert dominated by long stretches of dark red sand dunes. The going was tough and we had to regularly pick ourselves up from the soft deep sand.

Almost the whole stretch from Windhoek to the coast is a barren no-man’s land. The are no villages, water or petrol for around 400km. This also means there are some fantastic places for camping where you have the whole place to yourself, even the sunset. We found such a place at Mirabib, within the confines of the national park, where apparently a permit is required. But there were no check points, gates or fences so we made ourselves at home…

We quickly passed through Walvis Bay and Swakopmund as they seemed very touristy and crowded. They’re supposed to be some of the most popular destinations in Namibia, but if you don’t have the budget for the adventure activities on offer, there’s not much else.

Since leaving Windhoek the temperature has been rising steadily and was now hitting the high 30’s. So getting three punctures in quick succession didn’t help cool us down.

From Sesfontein we rode through the flooded countryside of Opuwo and into Oshakati. We didn’t linger in the land of the Himba for too long, but as soon as we finish applying for the Angolan visa we’ll go back for a closer look.