DAY 1, WINDHOEK
My first day in Windhoek was a lazy one. Arriving at the hotel I dumped my bags, took a shower and exchanged my pants and shoes for a pair of shorts and flip flops (or thongs, if you speak Australian). No better feeling than arriving from cold, wet Sweden to a hot and dry climate.
Feeling fresh, I walked over to the hotel’s bar and settled on an outside table for late lunch. I was very pleased to see milkshakes on the menu, and rather enjoyed downing my first one of about fifteen on this trip. This paired well with a chicken schnitzel.
Hotel Thule
Ahh...
Hotel Thule (pronounced tu-leh) is situated on a hill overlooking the neighbourhood of Klein. It’s a laid-back place popular with locals for dinner and drinks. Looking around, it wasn’t hard to see why.
View from the bar
By the time I finished lunch I was feeling absolutely shattered. Stockholm and Windhoek only have a one hour time zone difference, but the effects of the long journey were starting to wear on me. Potentially the heat as well. I retired to my room and tried to fight the urge to take an early evening nap, which would invariably turn into a longer sleep with a stupid-early wakeup. Tomorrow’s five-hour drive to the desert would best be done feeling awake and alive...
Large and comfortable room. Ignore the shoes and socks...
Somehow, I managed to stay up and later walked back over to the bar for dinner. I tried to check out the restaurant located on the second floor of the main building, but was somewhat shocked to see a very crowded room. Being a little pandemic-nervous – and not wanting to be an irresponsible European tourist bringing the virus to relatively covid-free Namibia – I opted to sit outside instead.