Don't Allow Namibia's Jewels To Lose Their Shine
MY husband and I visited your beautiful country for three weeks in September-October 2003, when we covered over 4 000 kms on mostly good roads, met many wonderful people, enjoyed the spectacular and varied landscape, paid for a variety of accommodation and meals, and shopped in many different places.
We came from far-away Canada, so this expedition was planned ahead
of time and involved a significant amount of our hard-earned money.
We enjoyed the visit, our fourth time in Africa.
We have many photos, slides, and mementos, which we share with
friends and colleagues - and notes, which we will share with the
world's leading travel guide.
I wish to compliment Namibians on your welcome to us as
tourists.
The outstanding "ambassador" we met was Renee Baard of Walvis
Bay, who has a wealth of knowledge about the country, which she
shared with great enthusiasm and generosity as she showed us around
the area.
As your country prepares for another tourist season, may I
suggest some areas which could use some attention? These were
noticed by many fellow travellers.
The roads in the "tourist jewels" of Etosha and Sossusvlei are
in desperate need of improvement, as are the road signs there.
The three rest camps in Etosha are overdue for basic
maintenance.
There were leaking taps and toilets almost everywhere, which is
strange in a time of critical water shortage.
Lack of thorough cleaning and repairs to broken items (such as
the shelf on which to place one's toothbrush) are things which
visitors notice and talk about.
Etosha's food services are priced for the wealthy; not all
travellers fit that category.
Are we being gouged when paying top dollar to use roads and
rooms which are deteriorating and ignored? Is this a government
attitude?
The private hospitality outlets generally did not have this
approach, but went the extra mile to ensure good value - and those
are the places where we stayed longer and spent more money.
The "jewels" just need regular polishing to keep them gleaming
and attractive.
- Linde Turner - Rosebud, Canada
We enjoyed the visit, our fourth time in Africa. We have many
photos, slides, and mementos, which we share with friends and
colleagues - and notes, which we will share with the world's
leading travel guide.I wish to compliment Namibians on your welcome
to us as tourists. The outstanding "ambassador" we met was Renee
Baard of Walvis Bay, who has a wealth of knowledge about the
country, which she shared with great enthusiasm and generosity as
she showed us around the area.As your country prepares for another
tourist season, may I suggest some areas which could use some
attention? These were noticed by many fellow travellers.The roads
in the "tourist jewels" of Etosha and Sossusvlei are in desperate
need of improvement, as are the road signs there.The three rest
camps in Etosha are overdue for basic maintenance. There were
leaking taps and toilets almost everywhere, which is strange in a
time of critical water shortage. Lack of thorough cleaning and
repairs to broken items (such as the shelf on which to place one's
toothbrush) are things which visitors notice and talk
about.Etosha's food services are priced for the wealthy; not all
travellers fit that category.Are we being gouged when paying top
dollar to use roads and rooms which are deteriorating and ignored?
Is this a government attitude? The private hospitality outlets
generally did not have this approach, but went the extra mile to
ensure good value - and those are the places where we stayed longer
and spent more money.The "jewels" just need regular polishing to
keep them gleaming and attractive.- Linde Turner - Rosebud,
Canada