Monday, 5^th of march to Friday, 9^th of march

Entering Namibia goes so fast and smooth that it’s almost unreal. I put my passport on the counter get my stamp and they wish me a nice trip.

Beeing used to long bordertalkings from all the other african countries I went trough I automatically start chatting with the officials. They signal me to pass so that I don’t block their counter any longer than necessary. So now, this is another part of Africa, roadtraffic goes on the left side and the supermarkets are fully stored again.

Today’s journey leads me to Odangwa which is 60 kilometers behind the border.

In this area most of the Namibian population lives and poverty still prevails. Here I will stay for a couple of days and visit some of the UNICEF projects.

The campsite is fine and the next days I spend working on my bike and cleaning the equipment. There is not a single part of kit that doesn’t show signs of all the wear and abbrasion from the last months.

Just like my back, where the spinalcord is hurting like hell after all the potholes angolan roads had to offer. I hope this is getting better soon!

Running is possible again on a dailly routine and that makes me really happy. Especially if you consider all the good food available again. Not to look like this lady here some day.

Saturday, 10^th of march

I hit the road again. After the break I have already missed the long highways and I’m quite happy to be on the saddle again. Namibian roads are great and horizons are unlimited. The sun is high up and freedom is just around the corner. It feels like easyrider!

Today my trip ends in Hohenfels, near the town of Otjiwarongo. A beautifull campsite up on a hilltop, overlooking the land.

I place my tent on the highest point of the rock and go for a run.

Just in time for the sundown I return and cook my dinner in front of the tent. In the restaurant with the greatest view.

Sunday, 11^th of march

Today it is really hard for me to leave this great place and I decide to come back again.

In the afternoon sun I reach Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia. The town lies at 1700 meters of altitude and the weather makes me feel quite comfortable.

Today is a sunday, the streets are empty and I go for a little bikeride around town.

Christus Church and Reitermonument

Windhoek is a very modern town with top infrastructure. The streetnames are partly in german and as I end up in Joe’s Biergarten where they play “Anton aus Tirol” I get the complete impression that I have just made it to some Austrian Skihütte. After all the months spent in dark african rainforests without music at all, even this is big fun.

Monday, 12^th of march - Thursday, 22^nd of march

The next days I spend working in the office of UNICEF Namibia. I get my reports done from the projects I have seen so far and do a presentation about my project and my trip around the world involving the whole team.

We are also getting some attention by the media.

Namibias Newspaper “New Aera“ covered my story as well as “Allgemeine Zeitung“ and the “Namibian” .

A TV team of NBC comes to visit a school with me and Radiowave 88.7 invites me for a life interview.

Apart from that, Windhoek is becoming more and more my “Best City Ever Seen”. Every evening I run from Westwindhoek, where I stay at a teachers place who is also a marathon runner, all the way through the city to the Avis Damm. The running distance is about 20 kilometers and leads from the citycenter up to the mountains. Downtown you pass all the sightseeing places and up in the mountains you come to a beautifull lake where you find yourself on small singletrails overlooking the city.

In the evenings all this is topped by a scenic sunset.

People in Windhoek are really laid back. Locals ride on their horses up to the lake, start a fire and have a barbeque.

Passing by on a run, one is often kindly asked in german to stop for a little rest and enjoy “Ein gutes Bier zur Stärkung”. That’s the way we like it!

Friday, 23th of march

As I get set to ride to UNICEF, my bike decides not to start any more.

It’s the starter again and I have to pushstart the bike down the hill.

This time I’m quite lucky, it seems that only the starter is affected. 12000 kilometers up the road and in Togo a similar failure fried my whole wirering.

Anyway here in Windhoek it should not be a big thing to solve the problem and to get the bike working again.

In Angola of course this would have been a different story.

So, instead of going to the office, I ride my bike to the repairshop. In the northern industrial area there is a place called “Surf and Turf”. Kai Ahrens works there and in Namibia he is the specialist for quick repairs on the travellers bike at a reasonable budget.

He has got a look on my Valeostarter and states that its time has expired. So I need a new one.

Well that’s what I expected but I really don’t like the Idea of riding to BMW and order a new one. The official price for this notoriously failing thing is around 390 Euros. There is better ways to spend the money…

So, to southern industrial area I go and there is a big shop for used carparts. After some talking to the guys there and some examination of their stuff I’m really lucky. I find an Opel Astra starter from the 96 model which is virtually the same as the one I have on my bike. Only the transmission and the mounting need to be changed. No big deal I expect, just take all that from the old one and make two out of one.

As we talk about the price I’m happy again, 60 euros cash and I’m on my way back to the repairshop. Two hours of work there and I’m back on the track. The bike starts at the first attempt.

Opel Astra meets BMW

making one out of two...

As I ride my bike back to the street I feel really good. It’s working again and I solved the problem perfectly well. Back home, I would surely have tried to spend a lot of money on an original part. Here I just learn how to improvise, work for an afternoon and the result is the same.

This evening I go the cinema with some friends and we watch Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happiness”. It’s a good movie with a true message. Luck never is a permanent companion, if you don’t catch up with it you will lose it.

Saturday, 27th of march

Today I get up at 5 in the morning. I will run the Wernhilpark Charity Run for the namibian cancer aid.

At the break of dawn we gather at the counter and get the registration done.

It’s quite funny, I’m on a motorbike trip around the world and I find myself at a competition again.

Today’s distances lead over 10 and 5 kilometers but they are not to be underestimated, Windhoek is at 1700 meters and the roads go up steep hills.

The better runners all start at the 10k race for they take it as a preparation for the Capetown marathon in two weeks. One of the namibian guys is very good, he already won the New York marathon!

I decide to take it easy on a vacation and do the 5k run. At 7 on the dot the race starts and as it was to be expected the top runners begin fast and sprint up the hill.

For an ultradistace runner on a motorbiketrip I get on quite ok and manage to keep up with the second group of runners.

20 minutes later I finish the run with a rather wet 4min average the k but surprisingly I’m the first in the 5k run.

That’s really a nice surprise.

In the afternoon I get a fire going in the garden of the hostel and make a barbequeus for the friends.

In the evening we hit a club. Getting there with the taxi reminds me of my days in Bamako.

It all starts at the corner Fidelcastro Street and Independence Avenue. The taxi arrives and now the original sound baby…..

Driver: Whats up my bro? You’re out there takin’ an evening stroll, want to join my ride. Where you at baby, where you’re goin’ tonight?

Felix: Southern Industrial, Blue Note Club

Driver: You’re my brother, tha Blue Note is pure dopeshit. You gotta check the ladys out!

I’m a burn some tires man, lets go quick. You like my car, it’s my baby, I love my baby. Everybody round town knows me and that I’m the main man. You know I’m sayin.

Mister Rap King Pin himself drives me to the Club today.

I have to say I haven’t laughed that much for a long time. Notably as the cab driver wants to challenge a mercedes cabrio at a trafficlight and shouts out of the window.

“Yo Mercedes, my Toyotababy’s gonna shag your ass now!”

The pretty lady is looking over to us giving us a smile and off she goes as she hits the gas.

„Hang on my brother“ I call out but she is faster.

So we finally reach the club without further duelling out and the whole nightout is great.

Sunday, 25th of march

Today I go for a run in the mountains and instead of doing some regeneration it’s a 30k loop again.

The evening I spent in the openair cinema of Windhoek. There is a good movie about a refugechild from Libanon who is confronted with a problematic new life in sweden.

It’s already my second movie this week, and with this I have reached my year record at home.

Monday, 26th of march

Today is my last day at UNICEF Namibia. I send off my reports and I gladly see that BMW brought my Interview on BMW World.

For dinner I’m invited at the Representatives place where I meet the namibian ambassadors of UNICEF.

On the picture is famous sprinterstar Franky Fredrick and Agnes San Maria, Namibias hope for olympic gold over the 800 meters.

Tuesday, 27th of march – Tuesday 3rd of april

After the full program in Winhoek I decide to go on a little vacation an head up to Hohenfels again. I spend a week up on the hill with the great view.

The days pass by fast. After a nice morning run I take out the motorbike and drive through the beautifull landscape. I stop to check out the big antcastles and I chase the wild living baboons, in hope to get one in front of my camera.

During the evenings we have barbequeus together and enjoy long conversations at the bar.

Once we come up with an interesting theory. Quite often, when we start to like places very much, we find ourselves moving on again. But, would we never move on, we would rarely find places we like. Not always easy but true in a way….

Wednesday, 4th of April

Today I ride from Hohenfels towards the coast. The northwest of the country is like an altiplano and goes up to the mountains of the Damara land. Further west this mountainrange borders to the Namib Desert which forms the coastline of Namibia to the Atlantic Ocean.

The dirtroads are great and on the gravel speeds up to 100k are no problem.

.

People here are living much more simpel than in the modern city of Windhoek.

I frequently pass by old shags and see kids running up to me. In one of the small villages, a little boy comes out and gives me beautiful cristal with a big smile. As I want to give him something back, he runs away.

Only the long convoys of tourists in rent cars can be a little bit anoying some times. Those people often pass me by with speeds over a 120k and I find myself in the ditch taking cover from rocks and dust.

Thursday, 5th of April

Today I’m going to cross the Namib Desert all the way to the coast. After a nice run just in front of the Brandberg I buy water and food in the supermarket. It’s 10 o’clock and the temperature already reaches 40 degrees. I feel like in the western Sahara.

Without words....

Here I am again in my favourite element. The endless width of a desert is always a special experience on the motorcycle.

In the afternoon I reach the small town of Swakopmund and the desert climate finds a sudden end. The temperature amounts straight to 20 degrees! and the cold wind of the Atlantic drives enormous nebula banks over the beach.

I get my winter clothing out and feel somewhat funny. There I am in Namibia and do freeze.

Friday, 6 April 07

When I get up today, Swakopmund presents me again with tough fog. I go running along the beautiful strandpromenade and enjoy the morning.

Actually one could believe to be in Germany, German is spoken here almost everywhere and the weather reminds you constantly of vacations at the Baltic Sea. In any case I like it here. I go for a city walk in the afternoon and sort my things in the Internet cafe. As I sit at a table in the shoppingmall operating my laptop via W-Lan, suddenly a little girl climbs on my lap.

As I ask her whether she can write on a keyboard she immediately types in her name to my surprise.

One moment later then her mummy appears and apologices for the disturbance. Of course, I convince her completely that we learn typing and soon we sit all together having a nice conversation. Journeys are always good for surprises.

Saturday, 7 April 07

Today my friends from Windhoek arrive and we spend a beautiful day together.

We traditionally gather mussels for dinner during the day in the cold water and in the evening we go out together. At easter time half of Namibia is in Swakopmund and most places are rocking.

Sunday, 8 April 2007

At today's eastersunday my journey continues again. I say good bye to my friends and the children and feel a bit sad. The time spent together in Windhoek was really beautiful!

As I continue my ride from Swakopmund to Walvisbay, there is completely unexpected entertainment. Suddenly a motocross rider appears behind a dune and performs a proper drift just in front of my nose. 

As I head down the famous Kalahari Highway later that day, things only work according to the principle desire.

Is it real…

It is!

As dusk creeps in I drive over the great piste road into the night. I cross the Tropic of the Capricorn, the Cross of the South burns in the night sky right above me and the Milky Way seem to be close for seizing. That is one of these moments, that you never forget for the rest of your life.

Suddenly I pass by a roadsign. It says „Rostock Ritz “and I turn in. At least I know the real Rostock and after such a day I’m also ready for the Ritz.

The surprise is big, there is a fantastic Lodge in the middle of the mountains. As I ask whether I could stay here overnight, the owner says of course and that he already saw and also overhauled me today. With his airplane. Isn’t the world a small place and because it is easter time today, I treat myself for a crocodile steak in the restaurant tonight.

Monday, 9 April 07

Often it is the coincidences, which lead one to the most beautiful places. If you wake up at a Eastermonday in such a beautiful environment, you must absolutely use the day for extensive investigations.

The fantastic view from the pool probably is unique in the entire world!

Whereby the landscape is naturally not harmless. My small friend here has just found his new cave.

In the afternoon I go for a run. I follow the traces of the wild animals in the sand and feel like a white Massai. Before me the Witberge literally radiate in the sunlight and the wind paints playfully over the dunes.

The Zebras stand in the evening sun and as I take my dinner on the veranda, a radiating red Venus is descending from a starlit night sky directly over my head. An impressive phenomenon in the southern hemisphere!

Tuesday, 10 April 07

After a nice run in the morning sun I continue to ride on the Highway C14 through the desert. At the side of the road the windmills sing their song and again and again I pass by enormous petrified dunes.

Today my journey leads me to the small town of Maltahöhe. There I spend the night at the camping site beeing the only guest.

Wednesday, 11 April 2007

Endlessly and without curves the pist leads through the altiplano of the Namaland.

After approximately 250km with exactly this view I get to a small village. From there the road leads through the Naukluftmountains down to the Orangeriver, the border river to South Africa.

Shortly before the river the small city Rosh Pinah lies. In this area diamonds are diminished and I stay overnight just next to the mine.

Thursday, 12 April 07

As I start my morning run at 6 o'clock I pass by the long queues of the mine workers. They wait for their changing shift, when the drilling rigs stand out against the steel-blue sky in the first sunrays. A special athmosphere it has got here and I must think about the song „Born in the USA“.

Today the last piece of Namibia lies before me. I drive over the piste along the Orangeriver and I can already see South Africa on the other side.

Because I feel like beeing crazy today and the river almost invites for swimming overb, I can not leave it and drive my fully loaded bike down to the sand banks. Naturally the inevitable happens and the bike gets stuck. No people around, anyway I take it easy, filter some drinking water from the river, swim briefly to South Africa and push and dig then the machine back on the road.

As I arrive at the official border in Nordower it is already late in the afternoon.

And the direction is correct, I turn my motorcycle and head for the goal straight lines. From here it is only 600kms to Capetown and then I have crossed the full length of Africa. A biker’s dream is close to become reality. Start your engines for the finally count down!