Cycling The Globe

A Cycle Touring Expedition Around The World

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Day 1959, Windhoek – Okahandja: Thinking Clearly

Posted by Thomas Andersen Posted on Feb - 18 - 2016

Distance: 115.2 km
Ride time: 5:38:50
Average: 20.4 km/h
Max speed: 38.2 km/h
Total: 45440 km

I had been spending 10 days in Windhoek trying to figure out the next part of the trip. Since I wasn’t able to make further progress with my visa for Angola, I had been considering my options but without arriving at any conclusions.

I decided it was time to hit the road – sometimes it’s nice with a break, sometimes it’s good to be moving.

On the bike north of Windhoek I suddenly saw my new plan taking form; I would cycle to the northern part of Namibia, visit the Etosha National Park, make a right turn for Botswana and Zambia, park the bike for a couple of weeks while waiting for the rainy season in Congo to end, and perhaps even take a bus over to Tanzania and Kenya and to have a look at the high mountains over there. Apperently I think best when I’m cycling – and I liked my new plan!

The traffic coming out of Windhoek was rather bad, but thing got better as I got a couple of hours away. After an extended lunch break in Okahandja while waiting for the temperature to come down, I continued towards Otjiwarongo. I like the names around here!

Another stretch of 170 km with nothing in between. I should be used to this by now.

A cycled right until sunset before starting to look for a place to camp. Finding a spot was made harder by a fence at each side of the road. Finally I found an open gate where I could sneak through…

Categories: Namibia
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3 Responses so far.

  1. What’s so hard about the Angolan visa? Just a ton of bureaucracy? It’s a shame you’ve had to deviate from your planned course. However, one door shuts and another opens. 🙂

  2. It is possible to get visa for Angola, but you need a lot of documents like an official invitation, flight tickets in and out, hotel bookings etc. Also, the embassy in Namibia would not process my application since I’m not a resident. If I got hold of the documents and sent my passport back to Denmark I would be able to apply and probably get the visa, but in the end I decieded it was just faster to go around.

  3. Stephen says:

    On a second reading of your blog, I’ve realised there’s no day 1958!