Air Namibia In-Flight Magazine: Flamingo

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FLAMINGO

Flamingo is published by Media Nova Namibia www.media-namibia.com ISSN: 2026-7924 Publisher Mynard Slabbert Contributors • Anne Schauffer • Namdeb Corporate Communications • Michael Olivier • Dr. Andreas Vogt • I Dream Africa • Gareth Edwards • Jeff & Kerryn-Lee Tyser • Corlette Wessels • tuvie.com • Helene Wiggett • Anna Mart Kruger www.hawkphotography.org

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Advertising Sales Media Nova Namibia Ferreira’s Garden Centre Shop #2 Maxwell Street Southern Industrial Area Windhoek, NAMIBIA MARNOX MEDIA 122 Barkston Drive, Blairgowrie, 2194 South Africa Tel: (+2711)789-6614 Fax:(+2711)789-8320 Cell: +2782 4581629 E-mail: mark@marnox.co.za Web: www.marnox.co.za Namibia and Africa Mynard Slabbert +264 (0)85 227 2380 mynard@media-namibia.com Chris Coetzee +264 (0)81 668 0697 chris@media-namibia.com Godfrey Lancellas +27 (0)83 501 5999 godfrey@madhattermedia.co.za Art & layout design Ministry of Magic +264 (0)85 149 9608 henri@ministryofmagicnam.com Printers: Solitaire Press, Brahman Street Northern Industria Windhoek, NAMIBIA TEAM NAMIBIA Media Nova Namibia cc is a proud partner of Team Namibia

Disclaimer All material is strictly copyrighted. All rights are reserved.

Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without prior written permission from the publisher. Opinions expressed in Flamingo are not necessarily those of Air Namibia.

IN THIS MONTH’S FLAMINGO 6 Visitors’ Filo-facts Usefull and interesting information on Namibia 7 Air Namibia Information Travel information, Frequent Flyer Information, Cargo Service, Destination Map and Fleet Information 18 Events Calendar Your reasons to travel Namibia and the rest of the world 24 Swakopmund Jetty The landmark gets a new lease on life 32 Celebrating 20 Years Namdeb evolves from a signature to a global player 44 A Journey over the Dunes Armand Basson takes you on a 6 day trip 60 Mad and Loving It Gareth Edwards’ inspiring story about embracing madness 66 10 Best Adventure Sports in Cape Town Good choices for some serious adrenalin 72 How not to plan your African Adventure Planning ahead goes a long way 76 Good Wine Michael Olivier takes us to Marianne Wine Estate 82 High Humor Time for a smile while you are high above the clouds 86 Namibian Splendour Exploring the work of Corlette Wessels 94 Motoring Get into the seat of the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer and join us in exploring the upgrades on the iconic Suzuki Jimny 102 The Joys of the New Year Some handy tips on finding the holiday spirit 106 Ohungu Eco Lodge Investors have an opportunity to be part of something truly unique in Damaraland 114 Sci-Tech Gadgets, gizmos, concepts and utter innovation 120 Entertainment Try your hand at Sudoku - easy, medium and hard 122 Air Namibia’s Flight Schedule Plan your next trip on your favourite airline

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VISITORS’ FILO-FACTS General Surface area: 824,268 km² Capital: Windhoek Independence: 21 March 1990 Current president: Hifikepunye Pohamba Multiparty Parliament Democratic Constitution Division of power between executive, legislature and judiciary Secular state – freedom of religion (90% Christian) Freedom of the press/media Environment Nature reserves, 15% of surface area Highest mountain: Brandberg Other prominent mountains: Spitzkoppe, Moltkeblick, Gamsberg Perennial rivers: Orange, Kunene, Okavango, Zambezi and Kwando/Linyanti/ Chobe Ephemeral rivers: Numerous, including Fish, Kuiseb, Swakop and Ugab Flora 14 Vegetation zones 120 species of trees 200 endemic plant species 100 plus species of lichen Living fossil plant: Welwitschia mirabilis

Main Airports: Hosea Kutako International Airport, Eros Airport, 46 airstrips Rail network: 2,382 km narrow gauge 6.2 telephone lines per 100 inhabitants Direct-dialing facilities to 221 countries Mobile communication system: GSM Agreements with 117 countries/255 networks Postal Service affiliated to Universal Postal Union

contact Ministry of Information and Communication Technology – Tel +264 (0)61 282-9111

Social infrastructure One medical doctor per 3,650 people Two privately run hospitals in Windhoek with intensive-care units Medical practitioners (world standard) 24-hour medical emergency services

Climate in °C Feb 16-30°C Apr 13-29°C Jun 7-22°C Aug 9-24°C Oct 12-30°C Dec 16-30°C

Population 2.1 million Density: 2.2 per km² 240,000 in habitants in Windhoek (15% of total) Official language: English 13 regions, 13 ethnic cultures 16 languages and dialects Adult literacy rate: 85% Population growth rate: 2.6% Schools: 1,450

Economy Main sectors: Mining, Fishing, Tourism and Agriculture Biggest employer: Agriculture (46%) Fastest-growing sector: Tourism Mining: Diamonds, uranium, copper, lead, zinc, magnesium, cadmium, arsenic, pyrites, silver and gold, lithium minerals, dimension stones granite, marble, blue sodalite) and many semi-precious stones

Fauna Big game: Elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo, cheetah, leopard, giraffe, 20 antelope species 240 mammal species 250 reptile species 50 frog species 676 bird species Endemic birds include: Herero Chat, Ruckrunner, Damara Tern, Monteiro’s Hornbill

Physical infrastructure 5,450 km tarred roads, 37,000 km gravel roads Harbours: Walvis Bay, Lüderitz

Foreign representation More than 50 countries have Namibian consular or embassy representation in Windhoek. For information,

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Tax and customs All goods and services are priced to include value-added tax of 15%. Visitors may reclaim VAT. Enquiries: Ministry of Finance – Tel +264 (0)61 23-0773 in Windhoek 60-86°F 65-84°F 45-72°F 48-75°F 54-86°F 61-86°F

Money matters The Namibian dollar (N$) is fixed to and equals the SA rand. The South African rand is also legal tender. Traveler’s cheques, foreign currency, international Visa, Master Card, American Express and Diners Club credit cards are accepted Drinking water Most tap water is purified and safe to drink.

Visitors should exercise caution in rural areas Transport Public transport is NOT available to all destinations in Namibia. There are bus services from Windhoek to Cape Town/ Johannesburg/Vic Falls/Swakopmund.

Namibia’s main railway line runs from the South African border, connecting Windhoek to Swakopmund in the west and Tsumeb in the north. There is an extensive network of international and regional flights from Windhoek. Domestic charters to all destinations. www.namibiatourism.com.na

I would like to close by wishing you all a very prosperous 2015 and look forward to welcoming you on board Air Namibia frequently during this year.

Rene Gsponer Chief Operating Officer & Acting MD

Dear Guest,

Sehr geehrter Gast,

Estimados Convidados,

2014 has been a year of records for Air Namibia, more passengers carried than ever before, we achieved record load factors, exceeded $2 billion in revenue, had for the first time 4 consecutive months of profit, achieved a new on-time arrival record of 96% and were awarded the “Feather Award” for the best regional airline out of both Cape Town and Johannesburg (another first).

2014 war für Air Namibia ein Jahr der Rekorde: es wurden mehr Passagiere befördert als je zuvor, im Frachtbereich erreichten wir Rekordumsatzzahlen (über 2 Billionen NAD), das erste Mal wurden in 4 Folgemonaten Gewinne erwirtschaftet, wir haben einen neuen Pünktlichkeitsrekord von 96% für die Ankunftszeit aufgestellt und sind mit dem „Feather Award“ als Beste Regionale Fluggesellschaft in Kapstadt und in Johannesburg ausgezeichnet worden.

2014 foi um ano cheio de recordes para a Air Namibia, com passageiros transportados como nunca antes, nós atingimos factores de carga recorde, excedemos 2 biliões de dólares em receitas, obtivemos pela primeira vez 4 meses consecutivos de lucro, atingimos um novo recorde de assiduidade nas chegadas de 96% e fomos premiados com o “Feather Award” como a melhor companhia aérea que voa para fora de ambas Cape Town e Johannesburg (também pela primeira vez).

Diese Leistungen entsprechen unserer Absicht in der Luft und am Boden einen erschwinglichen 5-Sterne-Service anzubieten. Wir freuen uns darauf in 2015 dieses Wachstum weiter auszubauen. Im Inland und im gesamten südlichen Afrika werden neue Routen und häufigere Flüge auf bereits bestehenden Strecken eingeführt.

Diese Erweiterung unseres Netzwerkes soll dazu beitragen Namibia global zu verbinden und damit die Ziele unserer Fluggäste und der Namibischen Regierung zu realisieren.

Estes feitos são indicativos do nosso compromisso em oferecer um serviço 5-estrelas acessível, tanto em terra como no ar. É, assim, com entusiasmo que pretendemos construir, a partir deste crescimento, um 2015 com novas rotas e mais frequências em rotas actualmente introduzidas em voos domésticos e regionais. Esta expansão da nossa rede tem como objectivo conectar a Namíbia a uma escala global, concretizando assim a visão do Governo da Namíbia.

Wir von Air Namibia betrachten uns nicht einfach als noch eine Fluggesellschaft.

Unsere Leidenschaft ist es, unseren Kunden ein neues Reiseerlebnis zu bieten.

Hervorragend ausgebildete Mitarbeiter und eine moderne Flotte, die zu den Besten ihrer Klasse gehört, laden unsere Passagiere zu einer sicheren, bequemen und angenehmen Flugerfahrung ein.

Na Air Namibia consideramo-nos ser muito mais do que apenas uma outra companhia aérea. Nós somos apaixonados em oferecer aos nossos Clientes um nova experiência de voo, com o nosso staff altamente treinado e a nossa frota moderna equiparada às melhores desta mesma classe, que oferecem aos nossos passageiros uma experiência de voo agradável, confortável e segura.

Ich möchte mit meinen besten Wünschen für ein sehr erfolgreiches 2015 schließen und freue mich darauf, Sie in diesem Jahr immer wieder an Bord von Air Namibia willkommen zu heißen.

Gostaria de acabar desejando-os a todos um próspero 2015 e espero, com bastante entusiasmo, ter o prazer de recebê-los frequentemente a bordo da Air Namibia durante este ano.

These achievements are indicative of our commitment to offer affordable 5-star service both in the air and on the ground. We look forward to building on this growth in 2015 with new routes and more frequencies on current routes being introduced both domestically and regionally. This expansion of our network is intended to connect Namibia globally and to realise the vision of the Government of Namibia.

At Air Namibia we consider ourselves to be more than just another airline. We are passionate about offering our Customers a new travel experience, our highly trained staff, and our modern fleet which is comparable to the best in class, offers our passengers a safe, comfortable and enjoyable travel experience.

I would like to close by wishing you all a very prosperous 2015 and look forward to welcoming you on board Air Namibia frequently during this year.

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WELCOME ABOARD BEM-VINDO A BORDO WILLKOMMEN AN BORD

ENGLISH

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PORTUGUESE

GERMAN

Thank you for choosing Air Namibia. We will do everything to ensure you have a pleasant flight. If you need assistance, please ask any of our cabin attendants.

Obrigado por ter escolhido voar com a Air Namibia.

Nós prometemos fazer tudo o que podermos para garantir que você tenha um vôo agradável. Se você tiver alguma dúvida ou precisar de ajuda, não hesite em pedir a qualquer um dos nossos assistentes de cabine por favor.

Danke, dass Sie sich dafür entschieden haben mit Air Namibia zu fliegen.

Wir werden alles tun um Ihnen den Flug so angenehm wie möglich zu gestalten. Wenn Sie Fragen haben oder Hilfe benötigen, wenden Sie sich bitte an einen unserer Flugbegleiter oder Flugbegleiterinnen.

Our highly trained cabin attendants are at your service on all our flights, for your safety and comfort.

Todos os nossos voos são servidos por assistentes de cabine altamente profissionais. Eles estão à sua disposição em todos os momentos para fazer o seu voo mais confortável.

Unser versiertes Flugpersonal steht Ihnen während des Fluges jederzeit zur Verfügung. Für Ihre Sicherheit und Bequemlichkeit sind Sie bei unserer Crew in besten Händen.

We carry first-aid kits on all our flights, should a passenger need assistance for minor conditions.

Existe um kit de primeiros socorros a bordo de nossos voos, e se os passageiros precisarem de gotas para os olhos ou medicamentos para dores de cabeça, náuseas, azia ou qualquer outra condição relativamente menor.

Faça mais perguntas sobre os nossos serviços especiais ao fazer reserva

Eine medizinische Erstversorgung ist auf allen unseren Flügen sicher gestellt.

Eine Erste-Hilfe-Ausrüstung befindet sich immer an Bord.

As a safety precaution, it is important to read the safety card stored in the seat pocket in front of you

Por favor, leia o folheto de segurança no bolso do assento à sua frente e observe a sua saída de emergência mais próxima.

Nos voos superiores a três horas (voos de longo curso), recomendamos que você revise o conteúdo do panfleto de segurança novamente.

Zu Ihrer eigenen Sicherheit bitten wir Sie, sich die in der Zeitschriftentasche vor Ihnen befindliche Sicherheits-Instruktionen aufmerksam durchzulesen.

Life vests are stored under your seat. Only use them as demonstrate, and only when instructed by the cabin attendants.

Por favor, tome nota que o colete salva-vidas está localizado embaixo do seu assento. O assistente de cabine vai demonstrar quando e como usar o colete salva-vidas em caso de emergência

Ihre Schwimmweste befindet sich unter Ihrem Sitz. Bitte benutzen Sie diese nur auf Anweisung der Flugbegleiter/-innen.

Smoking is prohibited on all Air Namibia flights.

De acordo com a lei da aviação é proibido fumar em todos os voos da Air Namibia, isso inclui fumar quaisquer dispositivos artificiais ou cigarro, como e/ou cigarros eletrônicos.

Só é permitido fumar em áreas designadas no edifício do terminal dos aeroportos.

Auf allen Air Namibia Flügen gilt ein absolutes Rauchverbot.

Seats must be in the upright position during take-off and landing. For your own safety, you are required to fasten your seat belt whenever the seat belt sign is illuminated and we recommend that you keep your belt fastened throughout the flight.

Para a descolagem e aterragem, todos os assentos devem estar na posição vertical.

Por favor, tome nota que os assentos nas linhas de saída de emergência não reclinam.

Por favor, apertem o cinto de segurança sempre que o sinal do cinto de segurança se acende.

Para sua segurança, recomendamos que você o mantenha apertado durante todo o vôo.

Während Start und Landung müssen sich die Sitzlehnen in aufrechter Position befinden. Bitte schnallen Sie sich an, sobald das Anschnallzeichen aufleuchtet.

Zu Ihrer eigenen Sicherheit empfehlen wir während des gesamten Fluges angeschnallt zu bleiben.

We offer complimentary meals and beverages on all our flights.

Special-diet or vegetarian meals are available upon request when making reservations.

Uma refeição quente ou um lanche é servido em todos os nossos vôos.

Alimentação-Special ou refeições vegetarianas estão disponíveis mediante solicitação no momento da reserva.

Nós oferecemos uma grande variedade de bebidas.

Auf unseren Flügen werden Mahlzeiten und Getränke serviert.

Diätische oder vegetarische Mahlzeiten können bei der Flugbuchung angefragt werden

We carry an extensive range of duty free products at competitive prices on selected flights. Please refer to our catalogue for details.

Nós carregamos uma grande variedade de produtos com isenção de direitos a preços competitivos.

Por favor, consulte o catálogo no bolso em frente do seu assento.

An Bord ist ein umfangreiches Sortiment an Duty-Free-Produkten zu attraktiven Preisen erhältlich. Informationen hierzu entnehmen Sie bitte unserem Duty-FreeKatalog.

Audio and visual entertainment programmes are available on flights operated using our A330 and A319 aircraft.

Programas de entretenimento de áudio e vídeo estão disponíveis nos nossos voos de longo curso e de médio curso

Audio- und Videoprogramme sind an Bord unserer Airbus A330 und A319 Maschinen verfügbar.

Our A319 and ERJ 135 aircraft have individual air vents which can be adjusted to provide a refreshing stream of air.

Alguns dos nossos aviões têm saídas de ar individuais, que podem ser ajustados para fornecer um fluxo de ar.

Unsere Fluggeräte des Typs Airbus A319 und Embraer ERJ135 verfügen über individuelle Frischluftdüsen.

Health regulations in some countries require that the aircraft cabin must be sprayed.

The spray is harmless, but if you think it might affect you, cover your nose and mouth with a handkerchief.

Regulamentos de saúde em determinados aeroportos exigem que a cabine da aeronave deve ser pulverizada.

O spray é inofensivo, mas se você acha que pode afetá-lo, por favor, cobrir o nariz e a boca com um lenço.

Um den Gesundheitsvorschriften einiger Länder zu entsprechen, muss die Flugzeugkabine mit einem für den Menschen unbedenklichen Spray behandelt werden.

Wir empfehlen dennoch, die Atemwege durch Vorhalten eines Taschentuchs zu schützen.

Should you travel with a baby we recommend you request a bassinet especially on the longhaul flights.

Se você viajar com um bebê, recomendamos que você reserve o seu voo mais cedo e não se esqueça de pedir um berço especialmente nos voos de longo curso

Sollten Sie mit einem Baby reisen, empfehlen wir Ihnen besonders auf Langstreckenflügen ein Babybett zu beantragen.

Please do not place any luggage under seats at the emergency exit seat.

Por favor note que no assento da saída de emergência é proibido colocar bagagem de mão debaixo dos assentos.

Excesso de bagagem de mão será colocada no porão Para garantir uma gestão eficiente e minimizar os danos, certifique-se que os artigos não pesam mais de 32 kg.

Certifique-se de etiquetar sua bagagem e garantir que devidamente bloqueado.

“Bitte beachten Sie, dass das Verstauen von Handgepäck unter Ihrem Sitz an den Notausgängen nicht gestattet ist.“

Exercício durante a espera para o banheiro. Esta é uma boa oportunidade para se esticar e se mover enquanto em pé na fila.

Beba muita água durante todo o vôo Use roupas folgadas, confortáveis para que você se possa descolar facilmente Use sapatos confortáveis, macios para que você possa deslizar ou descalçar facilmente Leve apenas um pequeno saco como bagagem de mão, assim você não precisa de sobre-carregar seus pés e restringir o seu espaço para as pernas

Versuchen Sie, sich während des Fluges möglichst oft zu strecken und zu bewegen.

So wird Ihr Kreislauf angeregt.

Carry-on luggage should be stored in the overhead stowage.

We suggest that passengers do stretching exercises, and move during the flight to improve blood circulation.

Handgepäck ist in den Gepäckfächern über Ihrem Sitz zu verstauen.

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Our Frequent Flyer Programme Air Namibia’s Frequent Flyer Programme is called “Reward$”. Becoming a member enables you to earn valuable miles from all your travels with Air Namibia. These miles can be used to buy tickets, pay for upgrades to business class and pay for excess baggage.

Miles are transferable between members and can also be used to purchase tickets for persons other than the member. Joining is absolutely free, PLUS you get up to 500 complimentary miles upon successful subscription. For more specifics on the programme, please refer to the appropriate topic below.

Registration

Electronic Bonus

You can register online by visiting our website: www.airnamibia.com.na, or at any Air Namibia ticket office. You will receive a membership pack, including your permanent card, 2-3 weeks after your first flight after registration.

An Electronic Bonus of 300 miles will be allocated to the member on first activity if the member has registered online and selected his communication preference to be e-mail.

Miles Expiry

Miles are valid for five (5) years after the year in which they were earned. Miles due to expire will always be reflected on your Mileage Summary.

Activation Rules

A membership account will automatically be activated after the first flight and successful completion of registration.

Missing Miles

Enrolment Bonus

If your Miles are not credited for any reason, they can be promptly credited provided the relevant documentation is submitted. It is essential to keep all the relevant documentation including original boarding passes and copies of airline tickets.

Members can also claim missing miles online by entering the e-ticket number without the airline code “186”, or contact our Call Center for assistance.

Enrolment Bonus is 500 miles. Enrolment bonuses are allocated to the member’s account on the first activity after registration.

Spending Miles

Corporate Clients

For more information visit:

Air Namibia has also introduced the

www.airnamibia.com.na. If you do not

Corporate Client component to the

have enough miles for a free ticket, you

Reward$

can purchase miles in batches of 1000

For more information on the Corporate

Programme.

Corporate

Management

enables

companies

miles at N$220 – this is only applicable

to

miles

if you have 50% or more of the value of

employees. Members can accumulate

the Award ticket available. Award tickets

miles in both corporate as well as personal

are valid for 12 months from the date of

accounts, depending on directives from

issue and are processed and issued after

their corporate head.

payment of Airport taxes is received.

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accumulate

through

their

Client enrollment, please contact our Call Centre at Tel: +264 61 2996111/6333/6444 or Call.Center@airnamibia.aero

Very Important Note:

Members need to fly once after registration in order to activate their accounts and before miles can be used to redeem tickets, request upgrades or to transfer miles from his/her account to another member’s account.

Cargo

With over 700 scheduled flights per month, our network and reliable service makes us the best solution for your freight needs. No matter how big or small your parcel is, from the size of an envelope to the size of an elephant, we will get it there for you in GOOD TIME. We provide security for valuable and dangerous goods. We also handle highly perishable goods, and even live animals.

For bookings contact us on telephone number +26461299 6610/11 or via email on cargo.@airnamibia.aero.

For more details, please visit our website on www.airnamibia.com.na, select the cargo icon and navigate easily to get all information you need.

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.

We get you there to Frankfurt and beyond

Luanda

Lusaka Katima Ondangwa Rundu Mulilo Victoria Falls Harare Maun

Windhoek

Walvis Bay Luderitz Oranjemund

Johannesburg

Cape Town

Call Centre: +264 61 299 6111 or contact your local Travel Agent 12 |

Book Online: www.airnamibia.com.na

Our Fleet Average Fleet Age: 6 years

Airbus A330-200 Business Class

Economy Class

Number of Aircraft

2

Length(m)

59

Height (m)

17,4

Cruising Speed

860 km/h

Maximum Passengers

244

Wing Span (m)

60.3

Maximum Fuel Capacity

138 000l

Maximum Take-off Weight

233 000 kg

Airbus A319 -100 Business Class

Economy Class

Number of Aircraft

4

Length(m)

33.84

Height (m)

11.76

Cruising Speed

820 km/h

Maximum Passengers

112

Wing Span (m)

34.09

Maximum Fuel Capacity

23 860l

Maximum Take-off Weight

70 000 kg

Number of Aircraft

4

Length(m)

26.33

Height (m)

6.76

Cruising Speed

820 km/h

Maximum Passengers

37

Wing Span (m)

20.04

Maximum Fuel Capacity

4 198l

Maximum Take-off Weight

19 000 kg

Embraer ERJ135 All Economy Class

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Baggage Guidelines

At Air Namibia we are committed to ensuring that our passengers are re-united with their luggage at end of their journey. Given the complexity of the environment in which we operate, passengers’ luggage often gets out of our control and care, (for brief moments when they are subjected to control and handling by various agencies.)

It is for this reason we request passengers to check their luggage on point of arrival (immediately after collecting their bag) to ensure that bag was not tampered with; and to report any suspected losses immediately. We request passengers not to check-in valuable items, especially those that are susceptible to theft, such as cash, jewellery, electronic devices like mobile phones, watches, sunglasses, to mention a few.

In line with International Industry Conventions on passenger baggage liability, Air Namibia cannot be held liable if these valuable items are pilfered from checked-in baggage.

We encourage our passengers to lock or wrap their bags where possible.

Our rules pertaining to baggage include the following We offer our passengers a generous free hand baggage allowance, with maximum weight of 10kg each, and maximum size 55 x 38 x 20 cm; plus an overcoat, an umbrella, a walking stick, a ladies hand bag, a reasonable amount of reading material, and a laptop.

We also allow a fully collapsible wheelchair and/or a pair of crutches as hand baggage.

Excess baggage fees on extra pieces of baggage carried, per bag up to 10 bags per passenger are Domestic routes Routes within Southern Africa Frankfurt route

US$ 100.00 per extra bag US$ 110.00 per extra bag US$ 200.00 per extra bag

Free allowance for checked in baggage

Airbus A330-200 Airbus A319-100 Embraer ERJ 135 operated flights operated flights Business: 2 pieces each weighing not more than 32 kg’s

Business: 2 pieces each weighing not more than 32 kg’s

Economy:1 piece weighing not more than 23 kg’s

Economy: 2 pieces each weighing not more than 23 kg’s

Applicable excess baggage fees on excess weight over the free baggage allowance per bag.

Domestic routes Routes within Southern Africa

1 piece not exceeding 23 kg’s

Frankfurt route

US$ 100.00 per bag US$ 110.00 per bag US$ 200.00 per bag

• No item of checked in baggage may exceed 32 kilograms.

• For further information on sports, highly fragile items, and security guidelines, we recommend that you visit our website on www.airnamibia.com.na

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Double win for Air Namibia We are proud to accept an Airports Company South Africa Feather Award for the Best Regional Airline 2014 at both O.R. Tambo International and Cape Town International Airports.

The awards are based on passengers’ feedback and provides the Airports Company South Africa with an opportunity to recognise top performing airlines for outstanding customer service rendered during the year with the aim of entrenching a culture of great customer service. The Feather Awards is about recognising those entities that go the extra mile to ensure that the passenger experience is pleasurable and memorable. The awards are researched using three independent local organisations and verified by two international organisations namely the Airports Council International (ACI) and the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) in the UK. Levels of service in each category are thoroughly assessed and a comprehensive report is compiled.

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Kodiak.de 2014

Pioneers of PASSION

Welcome to Sney Rivier Lodge, your exclusive destination in the heart of the Namibian wilderness. Breath-taking sceneries and exquisite luxury invite you to indulge in pure passion.

As pioneers of intelligent rifle technology and experts in worldwide hunting, Blaser makes sure that your safari becomes a success in every possible respect.

www.blaser.de

www.blaser-safaris.com

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EVENTS CALENDAR

EVENTS CALENDAR IMPI Challenge

Namibia, Botswana &

Heja Game Lodge,

Zambia Tour

Windhoek, Namibia

Botswana - Namibia

24 - 25 January 2015 IMPI Namibia is an adventure style obstacle trail run.

Challenge your fears and challenge your friends and punch fear in the face! We pride ourselves in safely taking our participants to places they have never been, challenging them on a multitude of levels, ultimately providing them with experiences they will never forget.

For more information please visit: www.impichallenge.co.za

11 January - 01 February 2015 This tour will take you to highlights of this region.

Visiting Botswana, the country with the largest population of the African Elephant, the great Okavango Delta, and Chobe National Park. Then to Zambia, the Victoria Falls and finally Namibia, the land of many contrasts and an opportunity to see the Big 5 and much, much, more.

For more information, please contact: libratotr@yahoo.com

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EVENTS CALENDAR Nacht Des Deutschen Schlagers SKW Grounds, WIndhoek, Namibia 31 January 2015 Let`s party on the German Schlager event in Windhoek.

Experience the best German Schlager singers live: Jurgen Drews, Roberto Blanco, Mary Roos, Michael Holm, Bata Illic, Graham Bonney, The Windows, Peter Petrel and Claudia Jung. It will be an unforgettable evening with a 4 hours programme!

For tickets visit: www.computicket.com

My Life My Future Expo Windhoek Country Club, Windhoek, Namibia 14 February 2015 In order to expand the offering of the Expo, leaders in the investment, lifestyle & technology industries have joined the expo as equity partners. Technology continues to grow as an essential element in life, be it in a business environment or a personal capacity. This platform is aimed at visitors seeking advice on issues relating to financial and lifestyle planning, but also for those seeking advice to ensure a stress-free and comfortable retirement. The organisers identified this industry as an essential addition to the current offering of the ‘My Life My Future Expo’ and are excited to announce that Business Connexions – a leader in this industry – have come on board in this capacity. Old Mutual will be joining the organisers under the investment element of the Expo. Exciting additions to the event is a corporate fun golf day on the Friday, with all proceeds from the tournament donated to the AMOS Schools Project.

For more information visit: www.whatsonwindhoek.com

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EVENTS CALENDAR Namibia Summer Bike Tour 2015 Namibia 2 - 13 February 2015 This 11 night/12 day exclusive lodge bike safari takes us from Windhoek south to Sossusvlei over the Spreetshoogte Pass.

Thereafter we travel through the Namib Desert via Rostock Ritz and the Blutkoppeto Swakopmund on the Skeleton Coast.

From Swakopmund we will enter the moon landscape of the Swakop River canyon and travel to the bizarre granites and cycle paradise of Spitzkoppe. From here we travel via Uis to Twyfelfontein via the Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain.

We bike through the ancient petrified dune and granite inselberg landscapes, to the famous bushman engravings at Twyfelfontein. This area includes the much visited organ pipes and burnt mountain, which stand as visible evidence of a chaotic geological past of the ancient karoo times. We proceed to the famous Etosha National Park, where we spend 2 days on game drives viewing a variety of interesting wild animals and birds, including elephant, rhino, lion and many different antelope species.

On our way back to Windhoek we spend the last night at the Otjiwa Game Ranch. This fascinating private wildlife reserve is home to many unique animal species including the rare white rhino. We bike the area in “rhino tracking” these rare giants and searching for other animals including giraffe, oryx antelope and plains zebra.

Included in price: • All accommodation and all meals • All transport and transfers in tour vehicles • Bike trailer for bike transport • 11 Lodge/Hotel Nights • All entrance fees and permits to parks • Professional Tour guide/Bike guide • 1 assistant/driver when 8 or more guests • All activities as described in Itinerary • Mineral water when driving/biking

For more information, visit: www.mountainbikenamibia.com

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EVENTS CALENDAR The Parlotones Paul Cluver Amphitheatre, De Rust Estate, Cape Town, South Africa 10 January 2015 Gather your friends, pack a picnic and join us in our woodland amphitheatre for an unforgettable evening with South Africa`s No.1 rock band. Get up close and personal to The Parlotones at this intimate and unique venue in the forest.

Food and drink is available on sale in the venue including Paul Cluver wine, beer and cider – No own alcohol is permitted.

Bring cushions, blankets and warm clothes as the theatre is outdoors and can get chilly in the evenings. The event goes ahead regardless of the weather; you will be informed otherwise. Seating is not designated, so it`s on a first come, first served basis: Arrive early if you are a big group and please be considerate of not taking up too much space to allow room for your fellow concert goers.

For more information visit: www.computicket.com

Up the Creek Music Festival 2015 Breede River Valley Camping Site, Swellendam, South Africa 29 January - 1 February 2015 A beautiful river. Three epic stages. Thirty awesome live bands and our country’s coolest comedy acts.

So don’t make plans between the 29th January and the 1st February 2015 because you’ll be setting up camp just outside of Swellendam for three days and three nights of happy, happening madness. You will rock, you will laugh, you will sing and yes, you will get wet. And a little crazy. Okay, a lot crazy.

Think of it as Woodstock. Just wetter. It’s one stage at a time too so you don’t have to miss out on anything. See you there!

For more information visit: www.upthecreek.co.za

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EVENTS CALENDAR Robertson Wine Valley’s Hands on Harvest Robertson Area, South Africa 7 February - 29 March 2015

The Robertson Wine Valley holds a two-month long festival where visitors can enjoy grape stomping, tractor or horseback rides around the estate, and picnic lunches.

When the sun is high in the heavens, it is time to bring in the harvest, a time when, in days of old, the whole community came together. Family, neighbours and friends gathered to work from sunrise to sundown to bring in the crop.

Our sense of community may have changed, but it is still a time for people, who are passionate about the potential within a humble bunch of grapes, to come together.

Children still play in the vineyards while brothers or best friends compete to collect a better share and catch the eye of a pretty girl.

There are refreshments aplenty and food for the soul as well. Sore muscles will be as pleasant a reminder of a day’s work well done as the heft of the grape is of the summer.

Yet nothing is as special as the emptying of overflowing baskets into barrels and the rolling up of pants – there are grapes to be stomped on and fun to be had – this is our “Hands-on-Harvest” festival.

Feast your eyes on the intricate art of wine making, stomp grapes to your hearts’ content or take a leisurely trip through the vineyards by tractor or on horseback, followed by a scrumptious picnic. As some of our wineries are not traditionally open to the public, our focus is on hosting a series of intimate events, ensuring that visitors are treated to a unique “handson” experience. Come for the day, come for the weekend, come for the week or stay the entire two months of harvest and experience all that this beautiful valley has to offer during its Hands-on-Harvest Festival. An Experience you will never forget!

For more Information, visit: www.handsonharvest.com

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EVENTS CALENDAR Yoga Expo Munich, Germany 23-25 January 2015

Yoga Expo is the most comprehensive trade event where yoga and the massive power of Ayurveda will be displayed and more than 8000 visitors from different corners of the globe will come to share their thoughts, opinions and personal hindrances as well as massive success they have gained by utilizing yoga and Ayurveda. Yoga Expo is truly an international event where experienced professionals and yoga gurus will come to teach the massive potentialities of yoga and yogic activities which will further strengthen their declaration about the enormous potentialities of yoga and Ayurveda. Networking opportunity is a must to mention feature which attendees of this summit are going to enjoy to a large extent.

For more information, visit: www.yogaexpo.org

Antique & Art Munich, Germany 23 - 25 January 2015 Antique & Art Munich is a dedicated show that caters to the needs of the entire antique and art lovers. The show brings together art and craft collectors, as well as professional and amateur antique collectors, to showcase their latest acquisitions and discoveries. Antique & Art Munich gives global exposure to participating exhibitors and ensure that the trade and business in the art and antiques industry is further boosted. Government regulatory bodies also come to this show to understand the issues that the trade merchants face in their day to day transactions and try to work out effective policy changes.

Exhibitors to the Antique & Art Munich will be collectors of antiques and rare art works, artists, professional antique houses, government bodies and all related to the trade.

For more information visit: www.tradefairdates.com

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NEW LEASE ON LIFE FOR

SWAKOPMUND JETTY by: Andreas Vogt

T

he bridges of Swakopmund are an interesting topic, because they link the rather isolated coastal town with the inland (railroad traffic) and with Walvis Bay (motor traffic). The concrete pylons of the rail bridge in the mouth of the Swakop river, that was washed away in 1931 when the Swakop came down, tell their own story. Equally dramatic is the story of Swakopmund’s landing piers, of which remind the remnants of the steel pier, called ”Jetty“. The German colonial government decided in 1911 to build the jetty in order to be able to offload goods bound for the inland as the only deep-sea harbour at the time, Walvis Bay, was occupied by the British. This new steel jetty replaced an older wooden jetty that had become instable through the incessant activities of the bore worm.

The new jetty was intended to be 640 metres long and equipped with two five-ton and two three-ton cranes, as well as a railway line. The construction work was executed by the engineering company of Grün & Bilfinger from Mannheim in Germany, who had also built similar harbour structures in all the other German colonies - another harbour jetty in Lomé/Togo

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(1911), a harbour in Douala/Cameroon (1913/14) and a river edge wall in Tanga/Tanzania (1911-1913).

In Swakopmund, only a third of the pier was eventually built as construction was halted in 1914 due to the outbreak of the First World War. In 1919, the northern side was provided with a timber walkway for pedestrians and anglers – a concept, which gradually grew to create a very popular promenade where visitors could, for many years either engage in catching fish by hand-line or angling rod, or simply take a stroll and view the town from afar.

Renovation Due to being exposed to the aggressive sea water, moisture and coastal mist, resulting in aggressive rusting, the state of the jetty deteriorated to such an extent, that urgent repair work had to be done in the early 1980’s at a cost of N$ 300 000.

It was eventually reopened for pedestrians and anglers again in 1986.

In the late 1990’s, the Swakopmund Town Council had no

choice but to again close the jetty to the public after investigations found that the structure had become extremely unsafe for human traffic.

In September 1997 the “Save-the-Jetty Fund” was launched to raise funds from the public and by 2004 not less than N$ 360 000 had been raised.

Due to the expensive nature of the repairs, the rapid escalation of costs and the slow collection of funds, the renovation of the jetty was constantly delayed. The Council finally resolved to finance the bulk of the cost of renovation.

As it is one of the most important landmarks of Swakopmund, the Swakopmund Town Council once again embarked on an ambitious renovation project of the Swakopmund Jetty.

For this reason the Swakopmund Municipal Council invited tenders for the restoration of this much-loved landmark at the beginning of 2005. The tenders for the renovation of the jetty closed on Friday, February 18, 2005. Interest in this ambitious project seemed to be high and a total of 17 tender documents were collected.

At the time of closure on February 18, 2005 only three tenders were received. In the 3 tenders received, a total of 12 different options were submitted, which was viewed as very positive. Tender prices varied from N$ 1,9 million to more than N$ 9,0 million.

The Swakopmund Town Council made available N$ 2 million for the financial year ending June 30, 2005. This amount includes the N$ 360 000 that was raised through the “Save-TheJetty Fund” since it was launched in 1997.

section of the jetty, and would also include repair to the pillars.

The second - seaward - section of the jetty was to be isolated from the rest of the jetty and closed for human traffic.

The Town Council expressed itself optimistic of having the renovation works finished for the holiday season by December 2005. It was, however, stressed that the quality of the renovation works would not be sacrificed for time – also that the renovation period could extend well into the next year.

It requested the public not to take advantage of the renovation and to enter the jetty, as most of the handrails and a number of the wooden floor planks were gone, rendering the structure extremely unsafe for pedestrians.

Where is the engagement from the side of the government?

Considering that where the capacities of an individual or

The renovations covered the first seventeen pairs of concrete pillars, whose columns were cleaned, repaired and sealed again. The old rusted steel superstructure was to be removed and replaced with concrete beams with approximately the same measurements as the old structure. The concrete beam structure was fitted again with a timber deck and handrails over the first | 25

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a minor public body such as a Municipal Town Council are at the end of its tether, it is the government’s function to engage directly or via its affiliated bodies, such as - in this case - the National Monuments Council, one asks why this body did not engage itself visibly in the renovation of the Swakopmund Jetty. The jetty is probably Namibia’s most prominent piece of industrial heritage. It reminds of the period when Swakopmund was still a harbour town, a period which ended abruptly at the outbreak of the First World War. The Jetty has remained uncompleted ever since.

Generations of Swakopmunders and inlanders have used it during holiday times and it remains an immense tourist attraction. The National Monuments Council could have engaged itself visibly and could have, for instance, raised the funds for the restoration of the remaining section.

It has yet again lost an important opportunity to become visibly active in the preservation of Namibia’s national heritage.

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CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF INNOVATION AND VALUE CREATION 1994 - 2014

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O

n the 24th of November 2014 Namdeb marked the twentieth anniversary of the partnership between the Government of the Republic of Namibia and De Beers.

Namdeb’s story began in 1994 when Founding Father, His Excellency President Dr Sam Nujoma and the then chairman of De Beers, Mr. Julian Ogilvy Thompson signed an accord which led to the formation of Namdeb Diamond Corporation.

Today Namdeb is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namdeb Holdings PTY Limited which is owned in equal shares by the Government of the Republic of Namibia and De Beers.

The expectations on that historic day were: • That Namdeb would grow to become an important global player in the diamond industry • That Namdeb would continue to be the leading national provider of government revenue, foreign earner, employer, and setting benchmarks in respect of alluvial diamond exploration

and mining.

This successful partnership model has contributed immensely to Namibia and has clearly demonstrated that Government and a private enterprise can do business which is mutually beneficial.

As a result of this partnership, Namibia has gained access to important research and development (R&D), technical skills and mining and marketing experience.

Namdeb is a classic example of what can be done when private enterprise and Government join forces to develop the resources for the benefit of all stakeholders and shareholders.

The Namibian government and De Beers partnership’s significant contribution over the last twenty years is immeasurable; however it is important to know the following: •

Namdeb land operations produced more than 15 million carats worth N$41 billion;

•

Distributions to shareholders was N$12 billion of which nearly 80% went to the Government;

•

More than 70% of Namdeb’s procurement spend was from Namibian producers and service providers;

•

Over 9 billion Namibian dollars has been paid to Government through royalties, taxes and dividends over the last two decades

by: Namdeb Corporate Communications

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As Namibia proudly celebrates the past two decades with Namdeb, it is imperative that tribute be paid to past, as well as present, men and women who form part of Namdeb’s diverse team of employees.

These milestones are testimony to Namdeb’s mission statement which is: to produce diamonds profitably, sustainably and responsibly, for the benefit of our shareholders and other stakeholders, whilst making a lasting contribution to Namibia.

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Contact: Namdeb Centre, 10th Floor Telephone: +264 61 2043327 Facsimile: +264 61 204 3367 E-mail: pauline.thomas@namdeb.com

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Tourism may be an adventure.

Your tourism business finance doesn’t have to be.

At DBN, we have experience in financing everything from larger hotels and remote lodges, to B&Bs, campsites and overland trucks.

We understand tourism and we know how to make finance work for local operators, accommodation establishments and conservancies, even in the low season.

Whether you are developing a remote lodge, adding beds or planning new routes to service markets, put DBN on your itinerary.

We’ll listen to you and help you over the rough patches and unexplored ground.

Call us on 061 290 8000 to explore the opportunities.

We’re waiting to hear from you.

Good business is good for development.

www.dbn.com.na

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Didier continues his career at Chelsea, 6 Today, the club that propelled him to superstardom.

Drogba became an international 3 football legend playing for Chelsea.

Drogba’s World-Class 2 footballDidier career kicked off in France.

is where Didier Drogba’s 1 This journey to greatness started.

The northernmost Windhoek Lager in Africa can be enjoyed in Cameroon.

We’ve been sharing Windhoek Lager with our neighbour to the north for quite some time now.

Windhoek, 1920. Hermann Ohlthaver and Carl List begin what would become Namibia Breweries.

South Africa is one of our beloved neighbours and our biggest fellow lover of Windhoek Lager.

CELEBRATE THE JOURNEY TO WORLD-CLASS

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Not for Sale to Persons Under

TJDR (CT) 43071E

In a country that loves pubs, it’s tough to imagine they don’t serve Windhoek Lager. So we’re making sure they do.

Enjoyed in Germany and brewed in accordance with their purity law of 1516, we’ve won 8 of their DLG Gold Medals.

We’ve come far. Far East that is.

Windhoek Lager is even available in China.

The next leg of Didier Drogba’s World-Class journey took him to Turkey. 5

A brief detour saw Didier Drogba make a move to Shanghai in 2012. 4

Coffee may be one of Kenya’s greatest exports, but its greatest import? Windhoek Lager.

Hot and humid with the equator running through it, good thing Uganda is another home of Windhoek Lager.

Once you’ve conquered Africa’s highest mountain, reward yourself with Africa’s World-Class beer.

In Zambia, our mighty Windhoek Lager is best enjoyed while marvelling at the sight of the mighty Victoria Falls.

We find that great beer makes for great neighbours, especially if it’s Windhoek Lager.

For the ultimate tropical paradise beer pairing, order a chilled Windhoek Lager when chilling on a Mozambican beach.

We’re not scared of heights. We export Windhoek Lager to the Kingdom in the Sky – Lesotho.

With such a large desert, it’s no wonder Windhoek Lager is craved down under.

Whether you’re on the North Island or South Island, you’ll find your ‘precious’ Windhoek Lager.

Here’s to those who celebrate their achievements by honouring their past. Here’s to those who live by example and never forget where they come from. Here’s to those, like Didier Drogba, who followed their passion to become World-Class Africans.

Celebrate their WorId-Class journey, triumphs, and successes. Raise a Windhoek Lager, winner of 8 consecutive international gold medals and proud export to 19 countries around the world.

the Age of 18. Drink Responsibly.

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A JOURNEY OVER THE SAND DUNES 44 |

If you dream of a journey through Namibia, days spent traversing this extraordinary landscape with a world-class guide, your imagination, a camera, and binoculars, in the company of likeminded people‌you should be with Armand Basson of I Dream Africa, for a 5-6 day trip covering 600 km from Aus to Walvisbay

by: I Dream Africa

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O

ur journey is going to take us to places you’ve never been, never seen, possibly haven’t even imagined. It’s an adventure. Namibia is an extraordinary land, and it needs to be experienced alongside all who can reveal everything it has to offer.

The evening before our tour begins, we meet our tour guide, Armand Basson. He’ll explain all the dos, don’ts, maybes and musts of the forthcoming adventure. Apart from being led by a highly experienced guide, a trip with I Dream Africa has the added advantage that all vehicles are fitted with radios – in this way, everybody is in constant contact with the group leader.

The dune belt through, over and round which you’ll travel, stretches from Luderitz all the way to Walvisbay – some idea of how vast and isolated this breathtaking landscape can be.

Day 1 We leave early in the morning, and after just a few kilometers on tar, we enter the park. You’ll be captivated almost instantly by the beauty of the wilderness. Stretching way into the distance are plains of grey grass, Boesman gras (Stipagrostis ciliata), burned and bleached by the sun; here and there, you’ll find a mountain. You’ll see the wild horses, some in a playful mood, rolling on the grass and kicking up clouds of dust in this parched sector of the country. We also pass the famous fairy circles, the unsolved mystery of the Namib. In the

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far distance, the dunes wait for us, and you’ll feel that rising sense of anticipation and excitement as we draw nearer to them.

For photographers we stop on request, hence the radios. Our pace is deliberately slow so as to enable us to breathe in the extreme beauty. The single car sand track begins as yellow, but soon changes to a beautiful red – the contrast between the sand and grey grass is magnificent. Glancing back from your vehicle, the convoy resembles a snake winding its way slowly through the sandy landscape.

We pause for lunch and by then, the dunes are that much nearer. We leave behind the last hard sand tracks and now we are right up alongside the dunes.

After lunch, we head for our overnight stop. Here and there somebody might get stuck in the sand, but Armand is excellent at helping them out of tricky situations - it is all part of the fun and experience.

It isn’t late when we arrive at our camping spot - a stunning setting between the dunes.

Tents up...shower and toilet up… and the fire is lit. Those who want to can walk around, climb a dune, or just sit, relax and take in the beauty and extreme quiet. If you long to see a sensational sunset, climb a little higher, away from others, and feel the solitude.

Nessie is a fine chef, and serves up a wonderful meal. One night, it will be chicken, the next, a braai, the following a curry. Every night, something different; every night,

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something good.

back at you.

It’s wonderful to relax around the fire – fondly known as Bushmen’s TV - stories are told, jokes are cracked, and the atmosphere is perfect. Walk a little away from the group, and view the stars above you. Armand believes the sky here is nearer to you because there’s no pollution. It seems as if you can touch them.

We could also see a chameleon, almost the colour of the sand; so well camouflaged to protect himself! So slow, he has all the time in the world.

He likes to make another suggestion as well. Sit somewhere on the sand away from others. Let the sand run through your fingers, and think of the uniqueness of that experience - nobody before you has ever sat on or touched that sand; nobody will ever again. Quite special.

You will be glad of your warm jacket. It’s beautifully warm in the daytime, but the nights get very cold. You’re in the desert after all.

Day 2 Breakfast is early, coffee and tea with rusks are waiting; also a continental breakfast. We each make our own lunch packed with cold meat, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, plenty to keep you sustained for the day. One morning, we’ll make sure you taste ‘mieliepap’; maize porridge, a traditional African dish.

From here we travel over the dunes, higher and more beautiful, the fascinating patterns made by wind. Here and there, we see an oryx, sometimes a group of them, running away when they notice us, just to stand still a bit further on, and looking

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And if the convoy stops suddenly, it’ll be for a reason.

The markings of a sidewinder snake, and because Armand has sharp eyes, he usually finds the snake too.

The dunes have slippery faces, some small, some high.

At first it looks and feels exciting, but as the day continues, you becomes accustomed to them, and wants them higher and steeper. It’s such a terrific experience - some dunes are roaring so it’s like music in your ears.

The night draws nearer, and we stop earlier because of the magnificent spot we’ve chosen to camp - Boesmans Paradys (Bushmens’ Paradise), one of the most beautiful spots in the Namib Desert. We’re privileged. This is a concession area, so not open to the general public – few get to experience this.

Late afternoon, Armand takes us up the mountain to see the sunset; something spectacular. Below, we can see our camp and the fire Nessie has made. Far away, lies the Namib and even further, we can see the distant mist at the coast. Make sure your camera is with you, batteries are loaded, because here you are not only in Boesman’s Paradys, but also in a photographers’ paradise.

Day 3

come right to the dunes’ edge, leaving no place to drive!

Today, we are going to visit Suzie - an old lady left behind in the dunes, but she’s not lonely. She gets visitors from all over the world. Suzie is an old truck with a story to tell. She was stuck here many years ago - trying to get her going again was unsuccessful and they had to leave her there.

Her job had been to transport materials to the mines in the area. We’ll learn more about her on our visit.

We are going to visit the old deserted mine villages of Chrillenberger, Charlottental and Holsasia - also the lonely Oxwagon. The surroundings are harsh, and it’s difficult to imagine that people once worked in these lonely places where the wind can be fierce and the eastern weather hot and burning; but they did, just to find and dig out diamonds.

Onwards we go over the endless dunes, now without any grass or growth on them. The wind-ruffled patterns are both fascinating and beautiful. We’re on our way to Meob Bay, a camp near the sea where we are going to spend two nights.

Day 4 and 5 Fishing is on the program for one of the two days.

Everybody will try their luck, and if something is caught, that’s very good news, because Nessie will make fish nuggets for dinner. Absolutely delicious.

Also on the programme is our visit to the petrified floor, something extraordinary and very colourful. We can

also play on the dunes, or try out our 4x4 driving skills up and down the slopes. You might prefer to just sit and enjoy the freshness of the sea, or stroll through the surrounds. Up to you.

Day 6 From here, we plan to drive on the beach, high or low tide permitting. At low tide, we can travel easily, but at high, we have to go over the dunes - the waves

We see the shipwreck of the Eduard Bohlen. She was beached on the 5th of Sept 1909, and is now lying about 600 meters from the sea. Jackals use her as a hotel!

We set up camp near the beach, a little further on than previously, and spend our last night together. It’s always a sad moment, but we make the very most of it! What stories we can share, what memories we’ve created.

Next morning, we’re up and away. We pass the wreck of the Shawnee fishing trawler beached in 1976 – sometimes it’s open, other times covered in sand.

On our way to Walvisbay, we pass a few large, fascinating colonies of seals. We pass the beautiful Sandwich Harbour area, before reaching Walvisbay.

Here we say ‘totsiens’ – goodbye - and I’m sure that after this experience, life for you will never be the same again.

You won’t forget the vast, unspoilt desert of the Namib, and the time we spent together, exploring, enjoying and sharing this breathtaking landscape and the adventure.

Contact: Armand Basson – I Dream Africa. armand@waxhom.com; 00264 812060507

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world-class according to the General Manager of FaanBergh Winckler Projects, Mr Pieter Krugel: “The services are designed to ensure peace of mind.

Those living in the retirement village can be assured of good security; the best possible services and even the gardens and laundry are taken care of. Peace of mind isn’t only for those living there but also for their loved ones. The knowledge “We did our homework of what works that your loved ones are taken care of well in Namibia and beyond. This concept when you are not around is peace of came up and will benefit the entire mind at its best.” community. It’s a place where I am willing to retire. It’s not only a development Swakopmund Retirement Village Estate project, but a legacy that generations will offers a choice of various freestanding simplex house plans, all designed for enjoy for years to come,” he said. luxury and comfort, while the Haven frail Along with the location and uniqueness care unit is an apartment block with of SRV, those who buy into the develop24-hour care. ment also own their property, unlike with some other retirement developTo invest in your silver lining and to ments, making it an exceptional investsecure your stand with a building ment. Said Mr Bergh: “Property in package – build later, rent it out or use it Namibia always proved to be a very good as a holiday home in the meantime to investment and SRV is no exception. It is assure your retirement in this exclusive a two-fold quality investment: a lifestyle development – feel free to contact any and an inheritance for our children to enjoy, either to live in or to have as an of our approved agents or simply visit investment. It’s the right investment at the www.faanberghwinckler.com.

the coast to the heat of the interior. Add to this all that the coast offers and people retiring at SRV can look forward to a retirement filled with what was normally expected of a holiday at the coast.”

But each time we have to say goodbye Mr Faan Bergh, Managing Director of to start the long journey home, we all the company also added that he believes SRV is unique and a concept wish we could stay forever. not offered anywhere else in Namibia.

For as long as Namibians can remember, Swakopmund and its surrounding area have been known as the ideal weekend and holiday destination.

FaanBergh Winckler Projects used this insight as the foundation for establishing the new Swakopmund Retirement Village (SRV), an exclusive retirement development situated in Swakopmund Extension 16, Mile 4 region, on the road to Henties Bay. Within walking distance to the ocean and situated close to shopping centres, the retirement development offers 24-hour security in peaceful surroundings with an enhanced lifestyle to escape to and retire in the absolute freedom of Swakopmund.

Regarding the location of SRV, Mr Rudo Winckler, Director of FaanBergh Winckler Projects elaborated: “Swakopmund offers all the amenities that a city would, without the negatives normally associat- right location at the right time.” ed with a city. It’s also a known fact that most people prefer the cooler weather of Services offered by SRV will also be

SAFARI HOTELS, Windhoek.

This name and brand with its well-known logo has been around for almost half a century having been established in Windhoek in 1966 and the company has been trading as HOTEL SAFARI*** AND SAFARI COURT HOTEL **** & CONFERENCE CENTRE.

In 2013 Owners and Management decided that it was time to have a new look at the logo and slogan; the brand as a whole. We recognised that ours was a well-established, valuable brand with positive connotations but that, while anchored in its tradition, it needed to be refreshed, updated and enhanced to make it representative of the expanded offering in our ever-changing environment.

In a joint team effort between Management, Staff and Turipamwe Design Studio involving invaluable feedback from in-house focus groups made up of all levels of staff, the new logo with the arrow pointing upwards signalling a motivated, professional team reaching for new heights and with a modern and fresh type face and colour will be introduced over the next weeks and months.

Windhoek

Country Club Resort Your Namibian Gem The Windhoek Country Club Resort offers businessmen, conference delegates and families a unique combination of exceptional service, and luxurious accommodation.

• 152 rooms & suites • 3km from Eros Airport • 2 restaurants & bars • 24 hour room service • Desert Jewel casino • 18-hole golf course

• Conferencing for up to 800 delegates • Outdoor swimming pool • Lazy river • Fully equipped fitness centre

Contact Details

Tel: +264 (0) 61 205 5109/5911 Fax: +264 (0) 61 205 2797 windhoek@legacyhotels.com Safari Hotels

Tel: +264-61-2968000

Corner of Auas and Aviation Road

Fax: +264-61-223017

Windhoek

or +264-61-249300

E-Mail: safari@safarihotelsnamibia.com Website: www.safarihotelsnamibia.com

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MAD

& LOVING IT

Gareth Edwards is a musician and social psychologist.

He’s also somebody who’s seen the dark side of mental illness, chose to make friends with it, and now tells a very good, very motivating story about being mad and loving it by: Gareth Edwards 60 |

I’ve started writing this story many times, but it’s never been completed.

Sometimes the story feels too big, like I’d need a huge book in which to tell it. Sometimes it feels like the story was too long ago to start telling it now, like perhaps it never really happened. Most of the time, the story just feels too hard to tell.

There’s no convenient beginning, middle and end, just a big mishmash of memories and emotions.

So I’ll write a different story.

This one is still about me, but it’s not so much about the things that happened to me. I could tell you about the sorrows of ‘depression’ and the bleak despair that leads to contemplating ending it all. But if you’re a human being, you’ll probably already know something of this. I could tell you about the soaring heights of ‘mania’ and the enthralling sense of wonder and connection to all things. But if you’re reading this, you probably already know that stuff...and if you don’t, you’d never believe me. I could also tell you about how people get treated when these experiences become overwhelming, ‘nuthouse’ tales of psychiatric wards, forced treatment and seclusion. But if you don’t already know about this, you probably don’t want to.

No, the story I want to tell you is about how to be mad and love it. Because I am and I do.

I guess the first thing to say is that I am mad. The doctors call it Bipolar Affective Disorder, Type 1 if we’re being specific.

My parents’ generation are still more comfortable with Manic Depression, though most people these days would simply call it Bipolar.

I prefer mad.

For a start it’s more accurate. Bipolar and the like are basically variations on ‘illness’ and ‘disorder’ and I don’t see my experiences that way. It makes me think I’m supposed to have ‘athlete’s foot of the mind’ or some such nonsense. I also claim a little more ownership and pride in my experiences than a sickness would allow. It’s rare, but perhaps not completely unheard of, to hear a person proudly assert that ‘toe fungus made me the person I am today!’ Besides which, I don’t just celebrate my madness because it’s given me chances to ‘overcome adversity’ or more nauseatingly ‘grow as a person’ – I

celebrate the essence of it, the stuff of it, the it-ness of it. Again, I’ve yet to meet someone that connected with a parasitic fungal infection.

So I’m mad.

And I love it.

It’s still a strange thing to say. I live in the same world as you, the one that tells us over and over that madness is a ‘bad thing’. We learn it in the schoolyard, chanting those familiar names – nutter, schizo, and psycho. The names become more meaningful as we get older, used to describe adolescent differences and then with an edge of fear – fear for those we should avoid and fear for what we might become. What’s there to love in all of this? I’ll tell you . . .

The love comes from acceptance, inclusion and celebration.

These are the things I want to share in my story. It’s not a recipe, as you’ll have other ingredients and ways of cooking them. But it is what has kept me well fed these past few years.

ACCEPTANCE Acceptance – you’re probably thinking ‘ah yes, if only other people would accept me for who I am’. That would be nice, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

And I’m not talking about acceptance in a feel-good Oprah kind of way, though again it can’t hurt. I’m talking about accepting what’s going on in your life, in a Clint Eastwood kind of way.

The good, the bad and the ugly.

Like many people the hardest thing I had to accept was the diagnosis. I still like to challenge the language of labels, but the experiences they describe are relatively similar, and I still

| 61

remember how difficult the idea of ‘depression’ was for me.

whatever-it-was not-Prozac pill.

My mum had made an appointment with the GP and I’d barely got the words ‘I don’t feel like I can cope anymore’ out of my mouth before he’d written the script and told me to take one a day. On the walk home I clenched the paper bag in my hand and made a pact with myself.

As I pulled out the foil blister pack my heart sank – the clouds reappeared, and my feet resumed trudging along. It was Prozac. I’d seen the ‘generic’ chemical name of ‘fluoxetine’ on the chemists’ box, but the brand name was ‘Prozac’.

If it’s Prozac, I’ll kill myself.

Prozac meant depression, and depression meant failure and I couldn’t bear the idea that I’d failed. As I walked I tore the bag and cautiously pulled the box out revealing the sticky label. I tentatively looked down and saw the letters – F . . . l . . .u...o...

I hadn’t known such joy for weeks! It was as if bright rays of sunshine suddenly poured from the sky.

I didn’t actually start skipping but I could have - it wasn’t Prozac!

I felt like stopping strangers in the street and telling them – ‘it’s not Prozac, I’m going to be ok, it’s not Prozac!’ With great relief I began opening the box to take my first fluo-thingy 62 |

That day I hit rock bottom but rather than give up completely I decided I’d delay my final plans until I’d finished those pills. Not because I thought they would work, but because I decided I would try anything, even failed-persons-happy-pills, if it meant there was a chance things would get better for me.

I accepted the way my life was right at that moment, no longer literally and metaphorically hiding my head under the duvet pretending it wasn’t going on.

For most mad people we’re talking about a lifetime

experience, or if you prefer your language dressed in a white lab coat with a stethoscope round the collar, a chronic condition.

What has been before is likely to be again and if or when it happens, accept it. You don’t have to like it, but don’t ignore it. It is a part of who you are, like the colour of your eyes or your happiest memory.

INCLUSION And so to inclusion.

Again, you’re probably thinking ‘surely now he’s going to start talking about other people and getting them to change their discriminatory ways and let me be part of the world just as I am’. Yep, that’d be nice, and if you can wait another 50 years or so it might just happen. Until then I’m looking at inclusion from a conformity perspective, at what it takes from us to be included.

One of the greatest struggles I faced was coming to terms with the psychiatric system and receiving forced treatment, known as being ‘sectioned’.

It wasn’t the first psychiatric ward I’d been on. I’d originally been ‘sectioned’ in another city where I’d ‘come to the attention of the authorities’, which is a polite way of saying I’d been arrested for being mad.

After a few days and a brief period when I absconded to the holiday town of Blackpool, I was moved to the city I lived in and took up residency on the ward.

I knew I was in for a long haul because I got a private room rather than a bunk in the dormitory.

I was on a 28 day section, which gave the hospital 28 days to ‘assess and treat’ me. Following the success of my trip to Blackpool, I scheduled a series of ‘psychiatric holidays’ to fill the four weeks, after which I believed I would be released. Scotland was nice, as was Wales. What wasn’t nice was finding out on the 27th day that I could be sectioned again, but this time it would have to be 90 days. I lost it. My frustration and distress was rewarded with an injection of god-knows-what as I lay pinned to the floor.

I came round about 2 days later, and shared a cigarette with a man named John who’d been in psychiatric institutions since he was 19. He was 67 when I met him.

He took a drag from his roll-up and almost whispered in his smoky exhalation his advice to me – ‘play the game son, play the game’.

It took me another 50 or so of those 90 days, and plenty more ‘psychiatric travels’, to really heed that advice. When I did, it was with all the cynicism that it deserved. If I wanted to get off that ward I had to give the doctors and nurses what they wanted. I had to conform, or at least appear to conform.

So I did – I behaved myself, took my medicine and acted

as normally as I could, until they had no reason to keep me. They and I both knew that I had not substantially changed who I was; I had simply modified my behaviour to meet their expectations.

Some would say this alone shows I was less mad than I had been, and that may well be true.

But the lesson I took from it was that to get what you want, you have to fit in with the system and those who control it. Or at least appear to fit in.

I’ve found this to be true across all systems – the closer you can get fitting in (or looking like you do) the more likely you are to get the benefits that system has to offer. You want benefits? Play the social welfare game. You want a job or a career? Play the employment game. You want a home? Play the housing game. You want personal development or spiritual growth? Play the life game.

None of these games are fair, and they can be even less fair for mad people to either accept or play. But these are the games we’ve got.

While we are busy trying to change the rules and create a more even playing field, we must also play them as best we can if we want to be in it to win it.

CELEBRATION The final part of loving madness is its celebration.

I guess this is the hardest part of selling the ‘mad and | 63

64 |

loving it’ message.

Most people can learn to accept their situation for what it is and take action when they feel it is needed. It may be pills, therapy, reaching out to a friend or reaching deep inside to some inner strength. I’ve used them all and more, and no doubt will do again.

And most people can take a look at the world, give a hefty shrug and say ‘yep, it’s not right, but what you gonna do?’ and find a way to exist, to find a place. As mad people, we know the alternative that denial and resistance brings. I know people who make that choice now, and I can’t say I envy them. They may claim to be ‘truer’ to who they are, more ‘authentically’ mad, and that may be so.

But I’m happy with my diluted madness, avoiding the sharp extremities of my ups and downs and a life on the fringes of society.

But only if I can celebrate my madness.

If you are mad, you’ll know what I mean.

I’ve given a couple of snippets of my mad experiences in this story, neither of them pleasant. These were chosen to illustrate that at its most trying times, madness has a way forward. Hope in the darkest hour, clarity amidst the chaos. But beyond the stereotypical tale of a plucky psychiatric patient overcoming adversity, there is much to celebrate for being mad.

I’ve found the journey itself remarkable, I’ve done and been more than I could ever have imagined and met the most beautiful and bizarre people The ways in which I’ve been able to think and feel have revealed to me a breadth and depth to my character and humanity that I may not have otherwise encountered.

Often people think I’m only talking about the heightened states of ‘mania’ when I start waxing lyrical on the upside of madness. It’s hard to deny, as human experiences go, mania has its fair share of positives.

For me though, madness is a total experience.

The low times that are called ‘depression’ taught me much about myself, showing me what was truly important, literally life-saving and giving me a sense of how far I could go within my own resiliency. I also learnt a lot about human relationships, about the giving and receiving of compassion and the unfathomable reasons for the intertwining of people’s lives.

The high times also taught me about myself, showing me again what was important, those things that I find life-affirming and how far I could go within my own creative imaginings. I also learnt equally about human relationships, about the things that inspire and excite people, what draws them towards me and what pushes them further away.

Over the years these experiences have come to be bedded down within me – I no longer see them as remarkable or unusual, because for me they no longer are.

I don’t see them as separate from who I am, because they saturate the whole of me.

person it has helped forge and the people it’s brought into my life.

And I encourage others to celebrate it too.

Write a song or a story, express it in paint or dance, find the funny in it all, share with others the richness of madness.

Or simply find a moment now and again to feel some joy at being mad.

It’s not always pleasant; it’s not always easy. I’ve yet to meet a person whose life is.

But it is who you are, and if you love yourself, then love your madness and celebrate them both.

So this was the story I could find in myself right now.

It’s not the huge book that tells the story that starts ‘once upon a time’, and in many ways I’m glad. It tells you about a couple of things that happened and hopefully more about being mad and loving it.

And the key message?

Be true to yourself, play the game, and celebrate that your madness. Or if you must, your ‘athlete’s foot of the mind’.

CONTACT: Gareth runs Positive Thinking which helps people and organisations work out what they want and how to get it. Find out more at www.positivethinking.co.nz. Gareth’s music can be found at www.garethedwards.co.nz.

I choose to embrace this saturation, to celebrate the | 65

10 BEST ADVENTURE SPORTS IN CAPE TOWN

Some of us like to holiday lying prone and turning pink on the beach‌others prefer to get their adrenaline pumping.

Here are some great ideas for the action junkies or bucket listers‌ 66 |

by: Anne Schauffer

| 67

1. Dune Surfing with Sandboarding Cape Town

2. Shark Cage Diving with White Shark Diving Co.

The good news is you don’t have to be a particularly experienced board rider or even super-fit to try dune surfing with Sandboarding Cape Town. The adventure tour operator offers the young, old, sturdy- and clumsy-footed exhilarating sandboarding excursions to the Atlantis Dunes (40km from Cape Town) or, if you’re more experienced, to the towering sand hills in Betty’s Bay (85km away). Experienced guides will help you with all the basics and safety you need to know, and

Swim with the Atlantic’s most ferocious fish just off the coast of Gansbaai, the shark cage diving capital of the world. With White Shark Diving Co., a popular and responsible tour operator, as your guide, you get the chance to tread just inches from these notorious predators. Whether you count it as the ultimate adrenaline rush or the most daredevil-ish thing you’ve ever done, diving with these ancient animals is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. White Shark Diving Co. also offers breaching

before long, you’ll be cruising down the peaks like a serious pro. The best part is that Sandboarding Cape Town also makes it extremely affordable, so there’s actually no excuse to give it a miss.

cruises, an activity that affords visitors a rare opportunity to see these creatures jump out of the water.

Contact: dylan@sandboardingcapetown.com

68 |

Contact: +27 (0)28 312 3287

followed by two days in which you’ll do four dives in the ocean.

All equipment rental is included, all dives - boat and shore are done on the Atlantic side (in Hout Bay), as well as on the semi-Indian side of the ocean, on Windmill Beach near Simon’s Town. This is a good way to start exploring the wonders of the ocean. The Scuba Shack offers a wide variety of other diving courses from beginners to advanced. The Scuba Shack is open all week from 9am to 5pm so give them a call to arrange your underwater adventure.

Contact: +27 (0)72 603 8630

4. Go caving with the CPSS There are over a hundred caves recorded in the Cape Peninsula which range from small overhangs to deep cracks in the mountain. The Cape Peninsula Speleological Society (CPSS) have monthly cave explorations on the first Sunday of every month, open to the public (you need to contact them beforehand

3. Learn to scuba dive with the Scuba Shack If the open seas appeal to you more than the safety of a cage then the Scuba Shack is for you. An allin open-water scuba diving course entails two days of theory lessons and practice in the pool, | 69

so they can arrange extra gear for you). Join them in exploring existing caves, searching for more and learning new techniques.

This is an amazing way to explore all the nooks and crannies of the mountain in a safe way that conserves these amazing caves. You can attend the first meeting for free to see if you are interested - if you are, then the annual fee is R250 per person per year with special rates for students and families.

Contact: contact@cpss.caving.org.za

5. Satisfy your need for speed with Fantastic Racing Are you finding yourself revving your engine at robots and giving the guy in the car next to you ‘that’ look? Well then track racing is for you. Fantastic Racing will teach you how to drive a single seater race car and then let you loose on the 3.2km classic circuit at Killarney. Take some friends and find out who has the competitive edge on the road. There is also a 700m outdoor gokart circuit for those who aren’t quite up to the car racing.

Contact: +27 (0)21 461 1414 70 |

6. Throw yourself off Table Mountain with Abseil Africa Picture this: you’re on top of the mountain, 1000m above sea level, looking out over the stunning view. Now step off the side of the cliff. That’s pretty much what this adventure entails, a 112m controlled descent overlooking one of the best views in Cape Town. You don’t need to have any prior abseiling experience; the knowledgeable staff will help you with your harness and talk you through the process. They operate daily (weather permitting) so book beforehand to arrange a time or make your way up the cable car and meet them at the top (on

the right hand side after you walk out of the cable car station).

Contact: +27 (0)21 424 4760

7. Paddle through open waters with Kayak Tours Choose between penguins and Cape Point, then set out in the two-man kayaks. You don’t need prior experience so this is an amazing way to start exploring the sea around Cape Town.

You’ll see an abundance of bird life, fish swimming beneath you and sometimes seals playing nearby. The Boulder’s trip is the ideal way to see this penguin colony while the Cape Point route will let you see Cape Town as the sailors did thousands of years ago. Go during whale season for a chance to see these aweinspiring creatures.

Contact: +27 (0)82 501 8930 8. Go kloofing Xtreme tours

with

Kloofing is about as Bear Grylls as it gets. The aim is to get yourself down a river gorge, this includes hiking, boulder hopping, wading, swimming, climbing, sliding down natural slides and jumping off cliffs up to 21m high. You can choose between the easier Crystal Pools or for the more adventurous there’s the ominously named Suicide Gorge. The latter is an all day adventure so you will need to be fit to handle the hours of hiking and swimming.

Contact: +27 (0) 21 422 4198

9. Explore the skies with Cape Town Tandem Paragliding

10. Harness the wind with High Five Kitesurfing

Take a running jump and launch yourself off Lion’s Head and into the air. Tandem paragliding allows novices to take to the air secure in the knowledge that the person they’re strapped to will help them land safely. Take in the panoramic views of Cape Town, Camps Bay and Table Mountain as you soar through the sky. This is not only an incredibly exciting, adrenaline filled trip but it will give you a view of the area that you’ve never seen before.

Learn to loop, boost, shred and roll under the careful watch of Cape Town’s only International Kiteboarding Organisation-certified instructors. High Five Kite, S.U.P & Surf school offers lessons for all levels of experience, from first-time learners to advanced addicts.

Combining basic kite-flying techniques with the thrill of wakeboarding, this sport allows athletes to travel up to an exhilarating 60 knots per hour and to achieve gravity-defying acrobatics.

Contact: +27(0)76 892 2283

Contact: +27 (0)72 902 7899 | 71

HOW NOT TO PLAN AN AFRICAN ADVENTURE

by: Jeff and Kerryn-lee Tyser

Discovering the true value of spontaneity on a 5 month road trip 72 |

D

ay one. It had been dark for nearly an hour by the time we arrived at the campsite near Kuruman in the Northern Cape, and one of our rules was to never drive at night. It wasn’t a very good start.

camera. We found a wonderful little campsite at the base of a colossal boulder, and spent a few memorable days exploring this incredible mountain. All thanks to a little change of plan.

Being the Easter weekend, the place was packed. The last vacant site was a patch of red Kalahari sand beside a half-built ablution block.

It would have to do. Ensconced in their laagers, seated around expertly made fires, the bush-hardened 4×4 set stared as we pitched our little tent for the very first time. They would have heard our whinging too: ‘Where did you pack the headlamps?’ ‘What are we going to eat?’

‘How did all this sand get into my sleeping bag?’ ‘Why did we leave Jo’burg so late?’

It was the first night of the greatest adventure of our lives, and we were supposed to be bursting with anticipation and excitement. But we couldn’t help but feel completely out of place.

Day sixty-two. We’d been driving around the deserted streets of Binga, Zimbabwe, for over an hour. Any accommodation had either shut down or was in the process of falling down. Clearly Victoria Falls, a few hours up the road,

The years leading up to our departure had been filled with much planning, preparing, scheming and strategising – the sort of thing you do a lot of in a city like Johannesburg. A fivemonth journey around Southern Africa lay ahead of us. It was the realisation of a long-held dream, and we were damned if we weren’t going to be prepared. But the plans started unravelling on that very first night and, as the trip progressed, we became more and more averse to making plans at all.

Day twenty-five. The auto electrician in Swakopmund, Namibia, shook his head apologetically. It would be days before he could see to our broken aircon. That was not ideal. We wanted to continue north up the Skeleton Coast the next day, and there aren’t too many auto electricians up there. Being relatively early on in the trip, this minor setback irritated us much more than it should have. Sensing our frustration, the owner of the backpackers where we were staying suggested we spend a few days at the Spitzkoppe. We’d heard of the place, but we hadn’t planned on going as it was a little off our intended route. And so followed an important lesson: screw the route! When a local tells you a place is worth visiting, make a detour and visit it.

was hogging all the tourists. To add to our frustration, the Springboks were about to play Australia. We didn’t just need a place to stay, we needed satellite TV! Fortunately, the travel gods smiled on us in the form of a man loading up his boat. He was the manager of a lodge ten kilometres down the road.

Masumu River Lodge is perched atop a beautiful peninsula at the Western end of Lake Kariba. Within five minutes

Rising like a sphinx from the surrounding plains, the ancient granite domes of the Spitzkoppe are a sight to behold.

At sunrise and sunset, they light up in a thousand shades of orange, and it’s impossible to decide where to point your | 73

of arriving, we were sitting in an air-conditioned bar, sipping ice-cold Zambezi Lagers, watching the national anthems on a huge TV. We didn’t think things could get better, but when we heard how reasonable their rates were, we ditched the campsite and checked into a cute little stone cottage. After going almost fifty days straight in our tiny hiking tent, it felt like a palace.

Day seventy-two. A hundred metres away, a huge elephant bull was splashing about in the languid waters of Zambia’s Luangwa River. Beyond him, South Luangwa National Park sprawled into the fading light. For a change, it wasn’t our own fire that we were sitting around that evening – our kind neighbours had invited us over for a potjie. They had just come from Lake Malawi – our next port of call – and as is

74 |

customary amongst the brotherhood of independent travellers, we swapped stories, travel tips and beer late into the night. One place they spoke of captured our imagination: a quaint campsite in a secluded bay, set right on the edge of a bleached-white beach.

experiences by erring on the side of caution. There were also some amazing places that we would never have got to without booking well in advance. The popular Botswana bush camps of Third Bridge, Xakanaxa, Khwai, Savute and Linyanti come to mind.

Makuzi Beach barely got a mention in our guidebooks.

Had it not been for that potjie on the banks of the Luangwa River, we might never have heard of it, let alone spent so much time there. Yet magical Makuzi, along with the neighbouring fishing village of Bandawe, became one of the real highlights of the trip.

We often get asked about our favourite part of the trip.

It’s a tough question to answer. But, when we look back on all the incredible memories, one stands out more than any other.

It’s not a lion kill on the side of the highway near Chirundu, or a wild dog running through our camp in the Okavango. It’s not a sunrise over the Namib Desert, or a blinding mirage on a sunbaked Etosha Pan. It’s not snorkelling in the aquarium that is Lake Malawi, or counting breaching humpbacks from a dune in southern Mozambique. It’s not the infectiously happy kids of Bandawe Village, or the kindred spirits we met in bars, backpacker lodges and campsites along the way. It’s simply a feeling. It’s that sense of ultimate freedom that comes with waking up each morning and deciding whether to stay put, or hit the road.

Naturally, this kind of blissful spontaneity doesn’t always work out. One night at Makuzi, the managers told us about a speck of paradise way out on the Mozambican side of the lake: Likoma Island. So, the next day, we made a beeline for Nkhata Bay, where the Ilala Ferry stops en route to the island.

After four days of waiting we heard that the elusive ferry hadn’t even left the dock in Monkey Bay, 400kms down the coast, due to engine troubles. (At least we now had a very good excuse to go back to Malawi.)

But those four days turned out to be wonderful, staying as we did at the enchanted Mayoka village and meeting many colourful characters in the town’s buzzing taverns. The great thing about traveling without much of a plan is that it becomes second nature to go with the flow and accept things as they are.

Truly living in the moment is so hard to do in “normal” life with its constant stream of deadlines and weekend obligations. As the trip went on, we began to understand the real value of living spontaneously.

We’d be lying if we said we didn’t do any planning. A huge amount of thought needs to go into a trip like this – in terms of personal safety if nothing else. Our own wellbeing always came first, and we probably missed out on some great

Day one-hundred-and-thirty. Despite our rapidly dwindling funds, we were sitting on the deck of a luxurious fivestar lodge in Mozambique. We’d bumped into the owners on the beach, and they had invited us round for a drink. Wherever we went in Southern Africa, we’d seen wealthy tourists living it up in five-star luxury. Sipping as slowly as we could on our ice-cold mojitos, we wondered what other treasures we had missed out on along the way. But then it slowly dawned on us that perhaps the five-star travellers were also missing out on something. When it comes to travel, perhaps not knowing where you’re going to be tomorrow is the greatest luxury of all. www.passthemap.com www.africageographic.com

| 75

GOOD WINE

M

by: Michael Olivier arianne Wine Estate represents a 21st Century enterprise to produce French-style wines that honour both the South African terroir, and the 2000-year-old heritage of Bordeaux winemaking.

Marianne is a young, vital woman, a fictional character who personifies the French Republic and its ideals: Liberty, Brotherhood, and Equality. She is the face on European Union Euro coins, French postage stamps, and New York City’s Statue of Liberty.

Marie-Anne was a very popular female first name in France in the late 18th century and the first recorded use of the name “Marianne” to describe the French Republic dates back to 1792. The French government has latterly enlisted a succession of celebrities to lend their faces to this personification of the French Republic, Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, and Laetitia Casta have each appeared, cast in stone, in Town Halls throughout France.

But back to South Africa where it is no secret in the Stellenbosch Wine Appellation that the western facing slopes of the mountains that form the north and western borders from the Helderberg Mountains northwards towards the massive and iconic Simonsberg are home to some of the finest wines in the Cape. Marianne Estate is a 36-hectare boutique winery located on the foothills of the Simonsberg Mountain up at the end of the mountain under Klapmuts Kop, thus name because it looked little a tight fitting bonnet worn by the women in the early stage of Dutch settlement in the Cape. Since 2004, thus the Estate is celebrating its tenth birthday this year, Marianne has produced small batches of premium wines made in the state-of-the-art cellar. The annual production now varies between 80,000 and 100,000 bottles.

Christian Dauriac, the owner of Marianne Estate, has a long history of winemaking in Bordeaux where he owns three properties, Destieux (Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Emilion), Montlisse (Grand Cru) and La Clemence (Pomerol). France is the source of specialist winemakers brought to Marianne by Mr Dauriac. The iconic French ‘flying winemaker’ Michel Roland consults for the Estate. M Roland consults for wineries such as the iconic Screaming Eagle Winery, Araujo Wine Estate, and more than 60% of the esteemed group of Saint-Emillon Grand Cru Classe Estate’s, of which Dauriac’s own Chateau Destieux is a member.

Viticulturist Andries Hanekom, who has worked at Delhiem and Cathedral Peak Winery in KwaZulu Natal, has much in his favour when it comes to the moderate microclimate on Marianne, where summers are predominantly hot and dry and the winters not too cold though very wet. Cooling breezes off the nearby oceans allow for longer hang time to ripening, 76 |

thus capturing as much of the essence of the grape and its colour as possible. Altitude and aspect play and important role as do the medium textured soils. The annual rainfall in the region of 800mm is usually sufficient so that the vineyards may require only minimal irrigation to keep soil water levels up at the height of summer. Once planted, vineyards are allowed three years before grapes are harvested. All of the grapes on the estate are harvested by hand, usually a month later than the neighbouring estates. Half of the land on the Marianne Estate is planted to grape vines. They are mainly trellised, though the 4 hectares of Pinotage is bush vine. 4 hectares each is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Merlot.

Andries practices what is known as La lutte raisonnée – the reasoned struggle. This is a self-policed set of practices that embrace responsible, sustainable farming techniques, and avoid the application of chemical treatments whenever possible.

Furthermore, many passes of each vine, aggressive pruning to control crop size and training, and removal by hand of the excess leaf canopy since grape vines are only able to process 10% of the light that reaches them through photosynthesis. Removal of extra foliage means that the vine can pack more punch into the grapes.

Winemaker Francois Haasbroek, who has a degree in Viticulture and Oenology from Stellenbosch University and was winemaker at Waterford Estate from 2004 for 8 years, has worked in wineries as far apart as Neil Ellis in the Western Cape, Dry Creek Vineyard in Sonoma, California, and on Jackson Estate in Marlborough, New Zealand. At blending time he works with Michel Rolland to ensure that Marianne’s red wines are modern, making bold statements, fruit forward with French oak and soft tannins well integrated into the wine. A style of wine, so typical of Michel Rolland’s hand, for which the wine drinking public are currently looking, younger, fresher, fruitier with more appealing tannins and well applied oak.

The grapes are hand harvested at perfect phenolic ripeness. Once in the cellar Francois and his team sort by hand in two passes, first bunch-by-bunch, and then grape-by-grape.

This extra level of selection ensures that only the best fruit finds its way into the bottle. This level of care is labour-intensive, and time consuming. Francois is convinced that the extra effort is rewarded, and that the consumer will taste the difference.

The berries are cold-stored for 24 hours before they are crushed in one of eighteen 7500L tanks. Following crushing, the juice is subjected to pour-overs three times a day, maximum contact with the skins resulting in optimal extraction of tannins and flavour. The grapes from each block are vinified and aged separately which adds a broad range to Francois’s palette of flavours when he blends his wines.

Owner Christian Dauriac is actively involved in the winemaking processes on Marianne and flies in from France

during the to engage with Marianne’s winemaking team. Dauriac imports French Oak barrels to Marianne that are especially made for him by the finest coopers in France. Marianne’s reds wines are barrel-aged in new French oak for anything up to two years. Christian Dauriac and Michel Rolland are personal friends and as a result Rolland has consulted for Marianne Wine Estate since its first vintage. Rolland’s name and influence in contemporary winemaking is well known.

Marianne is proud to be one of the very few, if not the only, tasting rooms in the Winelands that is open every day for wine tasting and sales from 11h00 to 18h00. A fun thing to do is to have their unique Biltong & Wine Pairing experience. Carefully sourced biltong is paired with award-winning Marianne wines to make for a truly exceptional and unforgettable experience.

Marianne also offers laid back, country living accommodation with quality, attentive service in eight unique en suite bedrooms on the estate. Four of the rooms are in the Manor House and the others, known as Lofts are in another building on the estate. The Lofts have recently been renovated and feature new luxury bathrooms and all new interiors.

Guests’ consistently well-pleased feedback has contributed to Marianne Guesthouse receiving Tripadvisor’s Certificate of Excellence 2013. The Manor House comprises of three en suite bedrooms and a poolside cottage. The luxurious Master Suite occupies the house’s first floor. This Suite has an outdoor, balcony shower, with a fantastic mountain view. The ground floor rooms are spacious and inviting, decorated with the warm earthy tones and traditional African artwork that gives the Owner’s Villa its unique character. Each room has access to an outdoor patio, and the Owner’s Villa has its own swimming pool.

Marianne Wine Estate is on the mountain side of the R44 between Stellenbosch and Klapmuts.

Contact Telephone: +27 (0) 21 8755040 Email: info@mariannewinefarm.co.za http:www.mariannewines.com

Marianne Cuvée L’escapade Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Marianne Floreal 2006

The grapes were handpicked and the berries hand sorted before pressing. The best juice was selected and immediately moved to 5 new Chinonaise French Oak barrels where the wine was fermented.

The grapes for this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, 46%, Merlot 42%, and Shiraz 12% were hand harvested. During the processing, fermentation and barrel maturation each variety was separately vinified, skins being left in contact with the juice in French Oak before fermentation. 3 weeks post vintage maceration took place before pressing and the wine beingtaken to 100% new French oak barrels for 16-22 months. This flagship red, is subject to much care and attention and only the finest barrels go into the final blend.

The remaining component was fermented over three weeks in stainless steel tanks.

Following the alcoholic fermentation, the wine fermented in oak was matured for a further 9 months in oak, with regular batonage to provide structure breadth and creaminess to the palate.

It looks like: Elegant packaging, pale golden straw in colour.

It smells like: Fruit jumping out of the glass, granadilla, windfall citrus and white flowers.

It tastes like: Beautifully constructed. A golden thread from entry to long aftertaste which wanes gently.

Broad citrus and tropical fruits supported by an undertow of perfectly applied oak.

It’s good with: Serious food wine. Will happily tackle pork and veal as well as chicken fish and seafoods.

It looks like: The wine over delivers on its appearance.

Deeply ruby plum at the core which pales to garnet at the rim of the glass.

It smells like: A generosity of red and black berries, plums and oak spice.

It tastes like: Blackberries, plums scrunched roadside fennel seeds. Complex layers, broad palate. Perfect tannin, acid, fruit, aftertaste balance with the wine ending fruited and dry.

It’s good with: Needs roasted red meat with caramelly edges, lamb or beef. Duck and game bird would also love this wine.

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Tel: +264 61 232 360 • Fax: +264 61 232 882 • Post Street Mall

www.thegourmet-restaurant.com

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A hidden gem and oasis in a concrete jungle (CBD) The meeting place for your business lunch Cosy dinners at a romantic fireplace complemented with a glowing glass of Glühwein Ideal Venue for special function for up to 80 persons with great catering options Most delectable Venison dishes Great Vegetarian options plus Pizzas

The staff and management of Paratus Telecom gratefully turn our thoughts to those who have made our progress possible...

Thank you and Best Wishes for the Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.

...and in this spirit we say.

Call us or visit

+264 83 300 1000 www.paratustelco.com

Paratus_Flamingo_A4_Xmas_Dec 2014_ad_v2.indd 1

10/11/2014 18:21

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@

Your

African journey D A A N V I L J O E N N A M I B I A

Sun Karros Daan Viljoen is a stylish yet relaxed lodge a mere 20km from Windhoek. Located inside the Daan Viljoen Game Park a perfect start or end destination for your safari.

We offer overnight options to all nature enthusiasts be it on a comfortable camp site for the outdoor adventurer or in a modern stylish chalet for the nature lover enjoying the fine comforts in life.

A visit to the Daan Viljoen Game Park is a must when passing through Windhoek. Day visitors welcome to visit our Boma Restaurant.

Call: +264 61 232393 Email: reservations@sunkarros.com Follow us: Facebook

“sunkarros� |

www.sunkarros.com 80 |

• 5 Different room types • Bar & A la Carte restaurant • Walking distance to town • Fitness room • Massage service

• Roof terrace with pool • Amaizing panoramic view GETTING YOUR MESSAGE TO MARKET

• Lounge on the 4th floor with balcony & sundowner bar

• All Comfort Rooms with sea view • All rooms have: Balcony, aircon & heating, TV, telephone & free wifi coffee station & mini bar

Tel: +264 64 417700 Email: info@beach.na w w w.beac h.na

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HIGH HUMOR Mail your submission to humor@media-namibia.com and you might become our latest high altitude joker.

BEAUTY PARLOUR

TOOTHACHE

A place where women curl up and dye.

The pain that drives you to extraction.

CHICKENS

TOMORROW

The only animals you eat before they are born and

One of the greatest Labour saving devices of today.

after they are dead.

COMMITTEE A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.

DUST Mud with the juice squeezed out.

YAWN An honest opinion openly expressed.

WRINKLES Something other people have, Similar to my character lines.

EGOTIST Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.

HANDKERCHIEF Cold Storage.

INFLATION Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.

MOSQUITO An insect that makes you like flies better.

RAISIN A grape with a sunburn.

SECRET Something you tell to one person at a time.

SKELETON A bunch of bones with the person scraped off.

Funny slogans: The easiest way to get a healthy body is to marry one!

Dear Math, I’m not a therapist. Solve your own problems!

Dear Math, please stop from finding your “x” cause he’s not coming back… and I don’t know “y” either!

I’m not lazy, I’m energy efficient.

People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.

My mind works like lightning. One brilliant flash, and it’s gone.

My imaginary friend thinks you have some serious problems!

I don’t have a license to kill. I do

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however have a learner’s permit.

Snowmen Against Global Warming.

I don’t need your attitude, I have my own.

Solar Panels: Put it where the Sun ‘does’ shine!

Birthdays are good for your health. People who have more birthdays, seem to live longer.

Life funnies.

Always remember you’re unique, like everyone else.

Life is like a hot bath. It feels good while you’re in it,

Keep staring….I may do a trick!

but the longer you stay in, the more wrinkled you get.

If you are what you eat, then I’m fast, cheap and

I take life with a grain of salt…plus a slice of lemon,

easy!

and a shot of tequila.

Practice safe lunch - use condiments!

Push can get you almost anywhere, except through a door marked ‘pull’.

My favourite exercise is smiling.

The more people I meet, the more I like my Chihuahua.

If we are a country associated with free speech, why do we have phone bills?

“Let’s eat Grandma!” or “Let’s eat, Grandma!”

Punctuation saves lives, folks!

These fit so well they should be in a dictionary.

My reality check just bounced.

I’m not a snob. I’m just better than you are.

Love and Relationships

Dangerously under-medicated.

Gravitation held

cannot

responsible

be for

people falling in love. -

Environment funnies:

Albert Einstein

Wind energy blows me away!

There’s nothing like a compact car for bringing a

I recently read that love

family together.

In an underdeveloped country, don’t drink the water; in a developed country, don’t breathe the air.

is entirely a matter of

chemistry.

That

must be why my wife treats me like

Save Earth, this is the only planet with girls!

toxic waste. - David

How would you like it if someone turned you on

Bissonette

and left? Switch it off! Save Electricity!

SIZE MATTERS: My carbon footprint is smaller than yours!

Turbines:

You can’t put a price tag on

A

Wind-

love, but you

W i n d

can on all its

Solution!

accessories.

- Melanie

Stop destroying our planet,

Clark

it’s where I keep all my stuff!

At least the war on the environment is going well.

Keep the Earth clean, it’s not Uranus.

Many a man owes his success to his first wife, and his second wife to his success. - Jim Backus | 83

AIRPORT TAX - A TAX WORTH PAYING? Great flights begin at well-maintained airports; in terms of service delivery, superior facilities, and memorable experiences. In Namibia, Airports are run and maintained by the Namibia Airports Company (NAC), a State-Owned Entity (SOE) formed in 1998 by Act of Government (Act 25 of 1998).

The NAC provides airport infrastructure, amenities, and facilitates airport services for domestic and international airlines and passengers. In fulfilling its mandate, the NAC ensures that airport infrastructure and safety and security equipment are well maintained and meet world-class standards.

Airports under the NAC are: Hosea Kutako Airport, Eros Airport, Walvis Bay Airport, Luderitz Airport, Keetmanshoop Airport, Ondangwa Airport, Rundu Airport and Katima Mulilo Airport.

HOW DOES THE NAC GENERATE MONEY TO MAINTAIN THEIR AIRPORTS? The NAC generates revenue via airport tax fees charged to the different publics – such as airport tax payable by departing and arriving passengers who use their services.

WHAT IS AIRPORT/PASSENGER TAX? Airport tax, as it appears on return or one way flight tickets, refers to the fee charged to departing passengers. When you buy your flight ticket (whether directly from the airline, or as part of a holiday package), a portion of the total cost for the ticket is for airport taxes. This service fee is in line with Section 5 (1) of the Airports Company Act 25 of 1998.

WHAT PORTION OF AN AIR TICKET’S PRICE IS PAYABLE TO NAC? In line with NAC Tariff Publication 2013/2014 the following VAT inclusive tariffs currently will apply at the airports/aerodromes under the NAC’s management:

WHO REGULATES / CONTROLS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AIRPORT TAXES IN NAMIBIA? The charging of these fees is regulated in compliance with ICAO Doc 9562. In Namibia, the NAC, in compliance with Doc 9562 and its mandate per the Airports Company Act. Both these statutory documents regulate and control the continued implementation, review and collection of these fees.

Description International passengers

NAC tariff excluding VAT 2013/2014

Value Added Taxation (VAT)

NAC tariff including VAT 2013/2014

N$ 376.78

-

N$ 376.78

N$ 218.03

-

N$ 218.03

Regional passengers (Passengers departing on an aircraft whose final destination is an airport within Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa or Swaziland)

Domestic passengers

N$ 98.58

N$ 14.79

N$ 113.37

All passenger service charges for foreign-bound flights are zero-rated for VAT administration purposes.

HOW REGULARLY IS AIRPORT TAXES REVIEWED AND BY WHOM? The NAC reviews the charges in consultation with the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR), who represents the airlines, and aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), who represents general aviation operators.

“How airport tax is shown on a ticket”

This review is conducted annually or as decided by the relevant parties in order for the fees to remain commensurate with ever escalating operational and other costs.

WHAT ARE AIRPORT TAXES USED FOR? Airport tax is one of the key revenue streams of any airport and is levied on passengers to recover the cost of running and for the up keep of passenger terminal facilities that are dedicated to passenger services, including the costs of security services attributable thereto (unless security services are charged for separately), and the cost of ground handling facilities and services attributable to passenger arrivals and departures.

Since inception NAC has over the years invested billions of dollars into its key capital projects to improve amongst others; runways and terminal facilities at its various airports.

In line with its mission and vision , the NAC ensures that every experience at landing and departure is of world - class standard and airport taxes play an integral part in making it all possible.

We hope we have answered your questions. If you have any more questions or comments about our airports feel free to contact us: Namibia Airports Company 154 Independence Avenue, Sanlam Centre, 5th Floor PO Box 23061 Windhoek, Namibia Tel: +264 (0) 61 295 5127 Fax: +264 (0) 61 295 5053 E-mail: pr@airports.com.na Namibia Airports Company Limited

www.airports.com.na

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NAMIBIA

SPLENDOUR Corlette Wessels has a deep love and respect for animals and nature, and it’s visible, almost tangible, through her stories which unfold in her photographs “Photography isn’t just a hobby, it’s that thing that allows us to capture a fleeting moment in time. That image that takes us back time and time again to taste the feeling, the texture, the emotion of that special moment. It’s not a piece of equipment or a skill.

It’s the cataloguing of our lives, of a changing world, and our connection to it.

“As a child, my father used to take photos of almost everything, he also enjoyed nature...a trait he passed on to me. Those were the days of film cameras. I think that is where my passion started, so when my husband bought me my first camera, a Minolta, it changed my life. As technology changed, I gradually upgraded to my Nikon, and we began going to more and more remote areas.

I have had no professional training, and I’ve realised that this ‘painting with light’ is an art that takes decades to perfect. I trust my instinct when shooting, based on the emotion which comes from my soul.

“I’m not much of a people photographer, preferring to sit for hours at a waterhole to wait for the jackal to catch that dove. My favourite place in the world is the Kgalagadi. To me, this place has magic in its bones, and many of my photos, as well as much of my blog content, is born there, my own special place. This deep connection to animals and bush is quite simply the love of my life, a deep abiding love shared by my husband and children.”

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MOTORING

THE NEW BMW 2 SERIES ACTIVE TOURER

T

he new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer sees BMW for the first time expand its portfolio to introduce front-wheel-drive and three cylinder engines in the model line- up.

Following on from the Coupé as the second member of the new BMW 2 Series range, the Active Tourer combines dynamism, style, elegance and practicality in one cleverly packaged car.

New lightweight turbocharged engines with three and four cylinders, a comprehensive package of BMW EfficientDynamics measures and the extensive connectivity provided by BMW ConnectedDrive are all elements in a driving experience that allows sporty performance and incredible efficiency.

Measuring just 4,342mm long (only marginally longer than a BMW 1 Series), 1,800mm wide and 1,555mm in height, the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer combines compact dimensions

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on the outside with a spacious feel on the inside, making it perfectly suited to the increasing challenges of urban mobility.

Stylish design, premium cabin and innovative packaging Practical shouldn’t mean prosaic: while the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer is uniquely versatile it is also distinctively styled.

From the low-rise double kidney grille, which is positioned lower than the headlights, a feature normally only found on BMW coupés, to the steeply raked windscreen and clearly defined and sculpted bonnet, the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer has a low-slung, sporty appearance.

Balance, as always in a BMW, is key and the short overhangs are classic BMW styling cues while the long wheelbase, wedge profile, L-shaped rear lights, crisp contours and eye-catching swage lines give the car great impact and athletic appearance.

The tailgate, with its low sill and wide aperture, gives easy access to the load compartment, while vertical air-deflecting

MOTORING aeroblades on either side of the rear window along with a rear spoiler add style while contributing to impressive aerodynamic efficiency. The dynamic look is even carried over to the rear windscreen wiper, which at rest remains hidden inside the rear spoiler. The result is that the new BMW 218i Active Tourer has a drag coefficient of just 0.26.

Despite the compact exterior dimensions, the interior is light and surprisingly spacious, with comfortable seating for five people. A large glass area ensures the cabin is light and airy throughout – an effect further enhanced by the optional panoramic roof and by the A-pillar triangle window, both of which also improve all- round visibility.

The horizontally structured, layered styling of the instrument panel and door panels gives the interior an elegant, light-touch feel and emphasises the sense of spaciousness. At the same time the typical BMW driver-centric design of the cockpit underlines the sporty character of the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer.

In comparison Approx. 2 cm longer than the BMW 1 Series; Approx 1 cm higher than the BMW X1; Seating position is approx 2 cm higher than that of the BMW X1; Seating position approx 11 cm higher than that of the BMW 1 Series; Same seat height as the Mercedes Benz B class Everyday practicality Despite the compact exterior length, the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer offers luxury-class legroom, particularly in the rear, and a wealth of features for those with active lifestyles, or needing to transport families.

The versatile luggage compartment’s capacity can be enlarged from 468 to 1,510 litres, with a flat loading floor, and

Driver and front passenger also enjoy a far higher seating position than in a saloon giving commanding all-round view as well as making it easier to get in and out.

Facts and figures: Length: 4,342 mm Width: 1,800 mm Height: 1,555 mm Wheelbase: 2,670 mm

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MOTORING the 40:20:40 split-folding rear backrest fitted as standard exemplify this model’s excellent everyday practicality. Flexibility is further enhanced by a sliding rear seat, allowing either knee room or luggage space to be increased as required, and its backrest can be adjusted to recline for the three rear seats or sat more upright for extra luggage space.

Access to the luggage compartment is easy thanks to the large, broad, wide- opening tailgate, which also features push button automatic opening and closing, or the SmartOpener function where a quick flick of the foot sets it in motion.

One particularly clever touch is the foldable boot floor that conceals a storage compartment with a handy multifunction tray.

Lashing points and bag hooks, one on either side of the rear compartment, are further features which add to the practicality of the boot space.

Contact DANRIC Auto Windhoek today to arrange for a test drive and prepare to be absolutely gobsmacked!

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MOTORING

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MOTORING

AUTOMATIC CHOICE FOR ICONIC SUZUKI JIMNY New colours and updated interior

S

Upgraded equipment levels introduced

uzuki Auto South Africa has updated the iconic Jimny off-roader with a raft of changes and upgrades to both the exterior and interior, while an equipment upgrade has also been introduced. An automatic transmission is being offered as an alternative to the manual gearbox for the first time.

Arguably the most obvious change is the fitment of new 15-inch alloy wheels, boasting a dark silver finish. The Jimny’s colour palette has also been revised, and now includes two new colours: Bison Brown, and Khaki Pearl Metallic.

The cabin has also been spruced up, with an allnew instrument cluster the primary feature. The cluster

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MOTORING features main dials for speed and rev count, with a third, intersecting instrument hosting a digital display.

The display includes fuel tank level and engine temperature readouts, as well as a digital clock, transfer case indicator and a trip meter.

The Jimny’s interior features upgraded seat upholstery aimed at boosting both comfort and durability, while a new steering wheel design has also been introduced.

The introduction of a four-speed automatic transmission option for the Jimny will please owners seeking the convenience of clutchless operation, especially in urban traffic conditions, while also making access to the Jimny’s legendary off-road capability even easier.

As with the manual gearbox version, the automatic transmission is still partnered by a transfer case offering low-range operation for almost unstoppable traversability over the roughest and most challenging terrain.

The updated Jimny is still powered by a lively and economical 1 328 cc four-cylinder engine, with a maximum power output of 63 kW at 6 000 r/min, linked to a torque peak of 110 Nm at 4 100 r/min.

The comprehensively equipped interior includes remote central locking, a CD receiver sound system, electric windows and airconditioning. Safety features include dual front airbags, head restraints, inertia reel seatbelts, and ABS anti-lock brakes.

Both the manual and automatic transmission-equipped versions of the Jimny are covered by a three-year/100 000 km warranty, as well as a four-year/60 000 km service plan.

Suzuki Windhoek W +264 61 401866 www.suzukiauto.com.na

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Add on Etosha

River Crossing Lodge Add on Swakopmund Sossusvlei Kalahari Anib Klein Aus Lodge Vista Canõn Lodge

NAMIBIA

9 Day fully inclusive guided tour as from N$18,0000 per person sharing VALID TILL 31 OCTOBER 2015.

Day 1 River Crossing Lodge – BB, city tour, Day 4 Klein Aus Vista – LDBB and dinner at Joe’s Beerhouse

Day 7 Sossusvlei Lodge – LDBB, visit dunes, Deadvlei and Sesriem canyon.

Day 2 Kalahari Anib Lodge – LDBB, sundowner drive

Day 8 Windhoek Country Club – DBB, lunch pack on route

Day 5 Klein Aus Vista – DBB, seafood platter lunch at Lüderitz Waterfront, Ghost town visit

Wishing you a safe trip home

Day 3 Canon Lodge – LDBB, Fishriver excursion.

Day 6 Sossusvlei Lodge – LDBB, stargazing.

Day 9 Drop off at airport

Includes 3*-5* accommodations, all meals incl 1 glass red/white wine or 250ml water, permits, tips, professional experienced guide and daily excursions.

ADD ONS: 221 - 224 Independence Avenue Windhoek Tel: +264 61 285 5700 www.trip.com.na flamingo@trip.com.na 100 |

5 Day Shuttle add on to Etosha on DBB basis including full day game viewing as from N$10,000 per person.

5 Day add on to Swakopmund on BB basis including TWO activities as from N$8,900.00 per person.

BEACHCOMBER - MAURITIUS Beachcomber Tours - Mauritius Specials

Early Bird Rates : 01 Feb - 20 March 2015 (5 nights accommodation)

4 star Le Mauricia N$ 11 410

4 star Le Canonnier N$ 11 55 4

4 star superior Le Victoria N$ 12 760

5 star Shandrani N$ 15 260

5 star superior Trou aux Biches 5 star superior Paradis N$ 18 725 N$ 20 210

5 star deluxe Dinarobin N$ 21 730

5 star exclusive Royal Palm N$38 570

Rates are per person sharing in the above mentioned room categories, inclusive of: • Airfare - Economy class – from Johannesburg • Return transfers (private transfers for five star plus hotels) • Breakfast & dinner daily • Free land & motorized water sports as per brochure Add taxes of N$ 3490 to above rates

Rates subject to rate of exchange changes prior to full payment being received.

Rates subject to availability at time of booking.

Rates are to serve as an indication only and rates should be checked prior to use in advertising or marketing mediums.

Rates subject to 30 day advance purchase as they include the Early Bird Special.

221 - 224 Independence Avenue Windhoek Tel: +264 61 285 5700 Fax: +264 61 225 430 www.trip.com.na flamingo@trip.com.na | 101

FULL OF THE JOYS OF THE NEW YEAR...? ...or not. Christmas, the holiday season, New Year’s Eve parties and lists of resolutions for 2015...all carry their own particular stresses, not least of all in terms of expectations and norms.

What if you’ve no interest in that party, or really aren’t keen to spend another week with Aunty May...what does that make you?

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T

his time of year is stressful in one way or another for almost everybody. Perhaps it’s the cost of holidays and festivities, being cornered by relatives you don’t see from one year to the next, the endless cooking and entertaining...

At the end of the year, we’re all looking forward to a break from the norm and a fresh start to the next year. But as they say, be careful what you wish for.

For many, the festive season, the holidays, hold little joy. The obligations and expectations family places on one can be overwhelming, and often, the biggest source is the family.

Hollywood stories create unrealistic expectations of the ideal family which can make people resentful or heighten tension or conflicts between family members if their families don’t quite match up. “There’s this vision and movie ideal that holiday gatherings with family are supposed to be fun and stress-free,” says Johannesburg-based psychologist Christo van der Westhuizen. “The reality is that family relationships are complicated. But that’s not a reason to ignore the holidays completely.”

So, what is it about this time of year that really gets you down? For many, there’s a general sense of unease and anxiety, but once you are able to cut through that vague sense of dread and identify specific problems, you are able to deal with them directly. Holiday stress can be triggered by a variety of things including unhappy memories, toxic relatives, or selfreflection and a disappointment at what has changed, or stayed the same.

If you associate the holidays with a bad time in your life - the loss of a loved one, a previous depression - this time

of year will naturally bring those memories back. “For people who have recently lost a loved one or faced the prospect of their first Christmas alone, family gatherings could be incredibly stressful”, says van der Westhuizen.

The holiday season is a break from your normal routine and, as such, gives you time to think and reflect – sometimes to your detriment. “The holiday season often highlights what has changed in your life. If these changes are good ones – a great new job, a marriage, a new baby – they had a certain stress, but a happy one. If, however, you’ve experienced traumatic change through the year, these changes can unsettle you and your holiday gathering.”

It can be hard to deal with these emotions and memories. “Keeping things bottled up is a bad idea and can make matters so much worse”, says van der Westhuizen. You need to talk it out.

For some people, however, it is the fact that it seems nothing has changed that causes them stress. The monotonous sameness of family holiday gatherings can be depressing the same faces, the same jokes, the same food, looking at the same skew tree can be a reminder of a stuck life. “My cousins and I always laugh and mouth the words of the jokes that my uncle tells. They’ve been the same jokes since I was 5”, says 28-year old Brian. “We laugh about it but inside I feel angry, numb. I wonder why I’m stuck in the same old rut and can’t seem to escape it.”

Let’s face it, many of us simply don’t connect with certain members of our family. The uncle who makes lewd jokes, the tactless aunt who blithely asks annually when you’re going to have children...The festive season can put you in the same room with relatives you avoid the rest of the year.

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And people struggling with depression may face stigma, too. “Some relatives just don’t get it”, says 42-year-old depression sufferer Mpumi. “My family seriously still don’t believe I’m depressed. They don’t understand that this is a horrible time of year for me, I have too much time to think, reflect and wallow. They think I’m lazy. It can really hurt.”

Balancing the demands of shopping, family obligations, visitors and financial expenses may leave you feeling overwhelmed and stressed.

You may develop stress responses like headaches, drink excessively or over-eat, or you may develop insomnia.

Signs of depression or serious stress should not be written off as mere holiday blues that’ll disappear in January, say the experts. “It can be dangerous to ignore depression symptoms for weeks or months,” says South African Depression and Anxiety Counselling Manager Cassey Amoore. “If you’re worried or not sure how to handle holiday depression, rather call us.”

Experts say the festive season can make people feel out of control. We may feel at the mercy of our relatives, steamrolled by family tradition. But you do have a say and the key to surviving the holidays is to take some control instead of letting them control you.

“For as long as I remember we have had my grandmother’s Christmas pudding.

It’s a family tradition – and it’s inedible. We drown it in so much brandy and custard, just to try swallow a bite!” says Jackie. “For years I have dreaded the moment of having to attempt to eat this stuff.

Last year my husband asked me why I don’t just say no or we don’t bring our own… Something dropped…

I realised I don’t have to be a slave to the Christmas pudding. And it’s amazing, gran was grateful that someone took some of the work off her shoulders – and so was the rest of the family!”

The holiday season can offer plenty of reasons to be stressed, and our tendency to compare our families with their idealised versions is a recipe for disaster. Most of us have less than perfect holiday gatherings.

We have family tension, a tedious uncle, and dry

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turkey too. So if you are feeling a tad less than festive, don’t try deny your feelings. There’s nothing wrong or odd about feeling a bit down during the holidays. So don’t unthinkingly do things the same way just because that’s how you always do them.

Make a choice, take a stand, and do something different - even volunteer and allow a hospice worker, an old age home assistant or hospital clerk time off with their family. It’s astonishing how that fresh perspective on things, can change your own.

Finding the Holiday Spirit: 1. Lean on your support system. If you’ve been depressed, you need a network of close friends and family to turn to when things get tough.

Take time to get together with your support team.

2. Ask for help and be specific.

Ask your sister to help you cook, invite a friend along on shopping trips. People are usually happy to help if you tell them what you need.

3. Don’t stay longer than you want. Going to a party doesn’t obligate you to stay until the bitter end. Instead, just drop by for a few minutes, say hello, and explain you have other engagements. Knowing you have a plan to leave can really ease your anxiety.

4. Stick to a budget. The cost of holiday shopping mounts quickly and can make people feel out of control and anxious. Draw up a budget before you start shopping and stick to it.

5. Stay on schedule. As much as you possibly can, try to stick with your normal routine during the holidays. Don’t stay too late at parties. Don’t pull an all-nighter wrapping presents. Disrupting your schedule and losing out on sleep can make your mood deteriorate.

6. Don’t rely on substances. Remember that alcohol is a depressant and abusing it will leave you feeling worse. Be particularly careful if you are taking medication.

SWAKOPMUND HOTEL

C

& ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

M

Y

CM

Where The Skeleton Coast Comes To Life

MY

CY

CMY

K

The Swakopmund Hotel & Entertainment Centre offers the perfect balance between charming, old world tradition with the thrill and excitement of modern day entertainment, be it the Casino & Entertainment Centre, dune boarding, quad biking, golf at the nearby desert course, the dolphins and the flamingos of Walvis or a romantic banquet in the desert.

• • • • • •

90 Rooms 47km from Walvis Bay Airport 2 Restaurants 24 Hour Room Service Mermaid Casino Sightseeing Tours & Excursions

• Conferencing for up to 480 delegates • Outdoor Swimming Pool • Fully Equipped Gym • Hair Salon & Spa • 2 Cinemas

Contact Details

Tel: +264 (0) 64 410 5200 Fax: +264 (0) 64 410 5360 swakopmund@legacyhotels.com

7. If you take medication, don’t miss doses. In the hustle of the holidays, it’s easy to slack off and miss medication. Don’t let that happen.

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AN OPPORTUNITY

OHUNGU ECO LODGE

by: Anne Schauffer

The proposed Ohungu Eco Lodge, sited in over 123 hectares in the Ohungu Conservancy and close to the Ugab River Valley, offers prospective investors, sensitive to conservation, to become part of a unique hospitality concept in an extraordinary landscape - the world renowned Damaraland.

Sustainability coupled with exclusivity will be the key drivers 106 |

F

rom your stone cottage, nestled into the landscape, the world stretches out as far as the eye can see. In the morning, sunrises over this glorious landscape, birdsong, stillness, tranquillity; in the evening, the golden glow of sunset, flickering fires, the promise of a starlit sky unlike any other, the murmur of likeminded travellers enjoying sundowners. And between sun up and sun down, a hike or game drive, a refreshing swim, time to just be.

This will be life at Ohungu Eco Lodge. The international tourism trend of redefining ‘luxury’ not as golden taps, but as unspoilt nature, will discover its home here.

Tourism – and the tourist - in Africa is increasingly favouring establishments which embrace honest principles of sustainability, as much from a human perspective as an environmental one: genuine community involvement, ecosensitive selection of construction materials and visionary operational methods. But importantly, from day one, when it comes to a hospitality project treading lightly on the land, the sustainability ethos has to be underpinned by sound business principles and led by an entrepreneur with an abiding passion for the project and local people.

Dr Vetja Haakuria is the sole member of the proposed Ohungu Wilderness Lodge CC (to be more appropriately

named Ohungu Eco Lodge). He currently serves as the Deputy Associate Dean at the School of Pharmacy (UNAM), tasked with Strategic Management and Brand Creation, among other duties. His combination of training in Leadership and Management (ILM, UK), value-based decision making and financial discounting, has equipped him with the professional skill set demanded by a business venture of this magnitude and nature.

Raised in the Daures Constituency, in the settlement of Omao in the Ohungu Conservancy, Dr Haakuria has spent much of his life a few kilometres from the site of the planned lodge. He knows and understands the land, the people, and the challenges, and although the environmental clearance certificate was only awarded in February 2014, for him, this has long been a vision, now on the cusp of realisation.

Ohungu Eco Lodge will be the first fully environmentally sustainable lodge operation in Namibia.

Set in an isolated valley between the two wings of the Okonjainja Mountain, the Ohungu Conservancy covers an area of around 6500 hectares, has a population of about 1000, and incorporates the Ugab River Valley, the river gorge and ancient rock art. The proposed project will be located within the core conservation area of the Conservancy, while the lodge itself will | 107

be set on the north western side of the Okonjainja Mountain.

This unique wilderness setting is certainly off the beaten track, and offers up on a daily basis, all the extreme beauty for which Namibia is renowned. In addition, the site of the proposed Lodge is on the elephant migratory route, in close proximity to local communities for cultural engagement, and has potential for a wildlife breeding programme.

Ohungu Eco Lodge will consist of eight to 12 units, and construction will be a mix of partially submerged units made of stones found on site, some wood elements, as well as clay or sandbag units. A bare minimum of cement and concrete is envisaged.

Guest vehicles will be parked in a designated area a distance from the lodge so as not to obstruct any views or intrude visually or otherwise, on the lodge ambience and ethos. Integrated features will include a rock plunge pool, and rock lapa-cum-bar. The architecture is designed so as to merge and meld into the landscape, so the impact - from visual to operational - will be minimal.

Ohungu Eco Lodge will be one of the first hospitality operations in Namibia which follows strict environmental and sustainability guidelines from construction to the final product and its operational processes. These principles, in 108 |

themselves, are highly likely to draw special interest guests who place sustainability very high on their list of desirable attributes for hospitality.

The Lodge will follow a full solar powered policy, with limited generator back up for all areas of the operation - solar power, solar water heating and solar cooking is envisaged.

There will be a waste water treatment plant, resulting in reuse of reticulated water for toilets through a dual water supply pipe system.

Involvement with the local community is paramount to core issues of sustainability. Supply of fresh produce to the Lodge by the community, will have the further consequence of organic waste composting. It is envisaged that the waste separation and recycling practiced by the Lodge would provide a blueprint for the local community, and that it could offer income-generating opportunities for small to medium enterprises.

Regeneration of biodiversity of privately owned land has been achieved successfully in parts of Namibia, but in the case of Ohungu Eco Lodge, success in a communal conservancy could well signal a first for the country – Dr Haakuria belongs to the region, and it is envisaged that this level of involvement and management by, essentially, a member of the community, would be well received.

Dr Haakuria is a high-level educator at a Namibian tertiary institution, so skills transfer and training is not only | 109

important to him as an individual, but is highly familiar ground. Lodge staff – full-time and part-time - will undergo extensive inhouse training to international standards. Staff and skills will be constantly re-evaluated, so as to ensure that five-star standards are consistently adhered to. Here, the customer will be king.

The vision for the programme of potential activities at the Ohungu Eco Lodge is to design it so as to facilitate the transition from a consuming visitor experience to a participating guest adventure. The Lodge activities will have an eco bias, with activities from star gazing to special interest group hikes and excursions to wildlife.

Gradual rehabilitation of the land will see the return of the endemic bird-, insect and plant life, while the wildlife resources include elephant, leopard, cheetah, kudu, gemsbok, ostrich, springbok, steenbok, duiker and mountain zebra.

Top level management decisions at Ohungu Eco Lodge will rest with the owner. His unique academic qualifications, depth of experience, as well as his intimate knowledge and understanding of biodiversity through his pharmaceutical studies, equips Dr Haakuria with the diverse management skills to guide and guard this enterprise to global acclaim on the hospitality stage.

And you can be part of it. Ohungu Eco Lodge presents the sensitive investor with a golden opportunity to shape sustainable conservation in a conservancy setting, while creating real value as an investment. Various investment options are available with endless possibilities. Here’s your chance to become part of something truly magnificent in Damaraland.

For further information, contact: Dr Vetja Haakuria PO Box 87282, Eros, Windhoek mobile: +264 81 150 1199 email: info@ohunguecolodge.com

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CHARGER

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SCI TECH www.tuvie.com

TRIzoterm Isothermal Bottle

Miito Electric Kettle

TRIzoterm is a conceptual isothermal bottle with 3 independent and isolated from each other vials. It can hold a total capacity of 1.2 litres while each container can hold around 400cl. You can fill it with 3 different beverages; hot or cold, at the same time with an individual selection of temperature, for each beverage choice. Individual heating, sector or removable rechargeable battery socket. Each bottle is made of fully recyclable materials and powered by battery or AC or USB cigarette lighter socket (with an extra rechargeable battery backup).

Not wanting to have a standard, similar kettle, Nils Chudy has re-designed this functional appliance to an energy efficient, appealing product. Miito Electric Kettle tries to eliminate people’s habits of overfilling electric kettles. As you know, the majority of kettles can be filled up to 500ml while a cup of tea only requires 250ml. This means, most of the time, people waste 50% of hot water as well as energy.

Ailish Manned Rocket Concept NASA has developed a $10 billion manned rocket to explore the universe which will embark on a test flight by 2017.

Ailish is a futuristic, manned spacecraft design proposal that has been designed to explore the Moon and Mars.

The inspiration of Ailish design came from the image of a dynamic, gentle body movement in rhythmic gymnastics.

Unfortunately, there are no more details of this concept at this moment; we just have to be satisfied with these images.

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Shield Extinguisher The Shield Extinguisher is a combination of a fire extinguisher and shield protection to provide fire fighters with better protection in the event of a fire. Our conventional fire extinguishers have many design problems where they can also expose the user to the fire itself. This additional shield in the design would protect the user from the danger of explosion, heat or flame. Smart design isn’t it?

Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo Kitchen Holan The Kitchen Holan, designed by Luka Križek of IOStudio requires an open space since it serves both as a family dining room and a living room. In the area of 90m2, this kitchen consists of a large, rectangular part lined with natural stone, freestanding cooking station, organically shaped island, made of Corian. The island measures about 4300mm with back rectangular part tied to the front wall, making the total length 7600mm.

Qi Self Heating Disposable Baby Bottle Qi (pronounced as “Chi”) provides you with a self-heating disposable baby bottle. It’s a smart and innovative product that offers you a practical way to feed your baby while on-the-go; clever. Designed by HJC Design, this bottle combines ready-made formula with an integrated heating system, thus, helping parents to independently maintain their feeding pattern with minimum hassle. The design makes sure the ready-made formula stays hygienic, a simple twist of the base delivers heat to warm the content and satisfy the hungry baby in an emergency situation.

Chevrolet is happy to announce that they have designed the Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Tursimo (VGT) concept car, joining others such as Aston Martin and Nissan to provide Gran Turismo fans with the ultimate race car. This concept race car has been designed and developed exclusively for PlayStation fans as part of Gran Turismo project; it celebrates the future of automotive design and innovation.

The Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Tursimo (VGT) car is inspired by innovative race cars Chaparral Racing which partnered with Chevrolet more than 45 years ago. Gamers can download an online upgrade and start racing.

LG Gizmopal LG Gizmopal Kid-Friendly Wearable Device makes it possible for parents to track their children. This device features 2-way calling to keep you in touch, the single button can be programmed to call 2 pre-selected caregivers and it can only receive calls from 4 pre-registered numbers.

Parents or caregivers can receive alerts of the child’s location at pre-set times. The companion app has real-time location tracking and remote device management. You can use your Smartphone to check on battery life, receive low battery notification, select contacts, or set the volume levels.

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Alpackalypse Raft

Goal Zero Switch 10 USB Multi-tool kit

Alpackalypse Raft, one of most advanced, white-water rafts on the market. Especially designed for white-water fun, this raft has been designed to move quicker with better manoeuvrability when facing white-water compared to the previous model. It has the ability to be rolled just like a kayak, but let us remind you again, it’s not a kayak, it’s a packraft. Alpackalypse features smaller tubes than standard packrafts that allow for more room for the paddler. This entire configuration allows for quicker acceleration and is easier to manoeuvre with less lateral stability. For better control, it has an added foot brace, heavy duty seat, backband, knee cups, and inflatable hip pads.

This is one powerful kit you need to carry on your outdoor adventure; Goal Zero Switch 10 USB Multi-Tool Kit is more than just a flashlight. It’s the all-in-one power for your companion, to quick-charge phones, POV cameras, flashlight’s and a fan to cool you off. The solar-powered, rechargeable lithium battery is able to power up from any USB. The battery is replaceable; it’s powerful enough to charge phones and boosting tablets. The LED light that functions as a battery level indicator. During the day, use the plug-and-play 7-watt solar panel to collect the sun’s energy to be used at a later stage.

Formabilio Tusciao Valet Stand

Honda CARpet

Designed for Formabilio, the Tusciao valet stand is a modern piece of furniture for your every day needs. It features minimalist design with a function for neat and practical hanging of your accessories or even clothes. There are 3 elements used to construct this furniture piece: solid beech wood, steel rod, and leather junctions with snap buttons; together they make functional furniture for your delicate apparel such as jackets, pants, scarves, etc. Inspired by a classic bedroom coat rack, Tusciao’s simple lines remind you of traditional Italian architectural landscapes, the use of fine leather joints that connects this solid structure is really a nice touch.

Honda CARpet features a futuristic interior with morph ability to suit the passenger’s needs. This innovative morphing interior is so dynamic that you might feel this concept vehicle is alive; it will be implemented when vehicles have become fully autonomous and accidents are a thing of the past. The system focuses on the human, it doesn’t strict itself from traditional interfaces. The interior consist of 2 elements: a carpet and a ball. The carpet is a flexible platform which can create any shape that you like, it’s a space where you have the freedom to do whatever you like, whether you are alone or with friends.

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Near and Dear

Curve

The Near&Dear is wearable technology in a form of a ring that connects caregivers with their patients. This technology offers emotional relief and peace of mind when patients are suffering from a illness, this ring helps to inform the patient’s status in a readily understood format as in-direct communication. Using the Near&Dear ring also allows you to monitor your loved ones when you are apart, you stay connected wherever you are. The special app has been designed to highlight important information at the highest level. You will even know if the other person is asleep or awake. By monitoring the patient, this device reduces some responsibility from the caregiver.

Curve, designed by Taurus, is the world’s first and only curved firearm. It’s been designed and engineered to fit your body’s contours since you’re going to wear it. This pistol is designed to match your body curves; it’s a challenge for the engineering team to bring you this compact, wearable firearm like you’ve never seen before. At first sight, it looks actually like a phone; it’s definitely an extreme departure from your usual compact .380. It’s patented, snag free design makes it easy to grab during an emergency; this firearm features a lightweight body and built-in laser that helps see your precise spot of where your shot will be.

Crock-Pot

PowerAll Rosso

Crock-Pot Hook Up Connectable Entertaining System has been designed to be fully customizable where you can chain up to 6 modular units with one power cord. You can create your own spread at parties and gatherings, where your family or guests can connect their own individual unit. The cord is designed to pull out for use with standard outlets; you can store it inside the base when you want to connect multiple units to save room. This cooking device features high/low cook settings as well as convenient warm setting.

The attractive appearance is a bonus for design conscious people who love to cook.

Here’s an alternative to JunoJumpr, just in case you’re still looking for multi-function power bank, you might want to know about PowerAll PBJS12000R Rosso. It’s a high function device that combines ultra bright LED flash light, power bank, and a car jump starter in one. Thanks to a wide variety of charging adapters, you can use this device to charge almost all your electronic devices (you’ll get 8 different charging adapter plugs when purchasing this unit), also when you have trouble in starting your vehicle, you can use PowerAll PBJS12000R Rosso to jump start it. Its modern, compact design allows you to easily fit it inside your pocket. | 117

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SUDOKU Easy

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Medium

Hard

Have you realised the value?

The demand for internal auditors to provide additional value to the organisations they serve, is growing continuously. This situation is further complicated by the range of stakeholders that Internal Audit needs to deal with, and those stakeholders’ potentially different expectations.

The Global State of the Profession survey, which is published annually and had Namibia participating for the last 2 years, revealed in 2014 that alignment of the expectations of the different stakeholders and matching skills and capabilities to these expectations are key to help IA to enhance the value delivered to the organisation.

The annual survey for 2015 is scheduled to be launched towards April 2015.

The survey can be obtained from : www.pwc.com/na/en/state-of-the-profession-launch/index.jhtml

Talita Horn (CIA) Partner talita.horn@na.pwc.com.na

Birgit de Lange (CIA) Senior Manager birgit.de.lange@na.pwc.com

Proudly celebrating 40 years of service to Namibia.

Š 2014 PricewaterhouseCoopers. All rights reserved. In this document, PwC refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers Namibia, which is a member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each member firm of which is a separate legal entity.

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Schedule 26 October to 28 March 2015 (All time local) Note: check-in time should be two hours before departure.

* NOTE: SW285/6 not to operate on Tuesdays from the 2nd December 2014 to 28 March 2015.

Flight No SW 702 SW 704 SW 704 SW 101 SW 103 SW 107 SW 107 SW 125 SW 125 SW 127 SW 127 SW 286 SW 286/ 703 SW 286/ 723 SW 373 SW 413 SW 413 SW 722 SW 724 SW 728 SW 724 SW 728 SW 125 SW 127 SW 127 SW 304 SW 143 SW 143 SW 373 SW 373 SW 413 SW 403 SW 403 SW 405 SW 125 SW 125 SW 127 SW 143 SW 102 SW 104 SW 108

From Cape Town Cape Town Cape Town Eros Eros Eros Eros Eros Eros Eros Eros Frankfurt Frankfurt Frankfurt Harare Harare Harare Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg Katima Mulilo Katima Mulilo Katima Mulilo Luanda Luderitz Luderitz Lusaka Lusaka Lusaka Maun Maun Maun Rundu Rundu Rundu Oranjemund Ondangwa Ondangwa Ondangwa

To Windhoek Windhoek Frankfurt (via Windhoek) Ondangwa Ondangwa Ondangwa Ondangwa Rundu Katima Mulilo (via Rundu) Katima Mulilo Rundu (via Katima Mulilo) Windhoek Cape Town (via Windhoek) Johannesburg (via Windhoek) Windhoek Lusaka Windhoek ( via Lusaka) Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Frankfurt (via Windhoek) Frankfurt (via Windhoek) Eros Rundu Eros (via Rundu) Windhoek Oranjemund Windhoek ( via Oranjemund) Harare Windhoek (via Harare) Windhoek Victoria Falls Windhoek (via Victoria falls) Windhoek Katima Mulilo Eros (via Katima Mulilo) Eros Windhoek Eros Eros Eros

Days Daily Daily Daily Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Tue, Thu, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat Mon, Fri Mon, Fri, Wed, Sun Wed, Sun Daily Daily Daily Mon, Fri Wed, Sun Wed, Sun Daily Daily Mon, Wed, Fri Daily Mon, Wed, Fri Mon, Fri Wed, Sun Wed, Sun Daily Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun Mon, Fri Mon, Fri Wed, Sun Mon, Wed Mon, Wed Fri, Sun Mon, Fri Mon, Fri Wed, Sun Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Tue, Thu Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu,

SW 108 SW 403 SW 405 SW 405 SW 143 SW 143 SW 165 SW 167 SW 285 SW 303 SW 373 SW 373 SW 403 SW 403 SW 405 SW 405 SW 413 SW 413 SW 703 SW 709 SW 709 SW 723 SW 727 SW 729 SW 166 SW 166 SW 168

Ondangwa Victoria Falls Victoria Falls Victoria Falls Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek Walvis Bay Walvis Bay Walvis Bay

Eros Windhoek Maun Windhoek (via Maun) Luderitz Oranjemund (via Luderitz) Walvis Bay Walvis Bay Frankfurt Luanda Lusaka Harare (via Lusaka) Maun Victoria Falls (via Maun) Victoria Falls Maun (via Victoria Falls) Harare Lusaka (via Harare) Cape Town Cape Town Cape Town Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg Windhoek Windhoek Windhoek

Sat Mon, Wed Fri, Sun Fri, Sun Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun Mon, Wed Daily Daily Mon, Fri Mon, Fri Mon, Wed Mon, Wed Fri, Sun Fri, Sun Wed, Sun Wed, Sun Daily Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat Tue, Thu, Sun Daily Mon, Wed, Fri Daily Fri, Sun Tue, Thu, Sat Mon, Wed

Fri, Sun Fri, Sun

Fri, Sun Fri, Sun

Departure 06:35 17:00 17:00 07:00 11:00 17:00 15:55 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 20:10 20:10 20:10 13:30 11:50 11:50 06:40 12:30 18:20 12:30 18:20 13:35 12:40 12:40 12:15 11:20 11:20 12:00 12:00 13:30 11:05 11:05 18:25 11:50 11:50 14:00 12:40 08:35 13:30 18:35

Arrival 08:45 19:10 07:55+1 08:05 12:05 18:05 17:00 11:30 12:50 11:55 13:40 07:30+1 10:35+1 10:15+1 16:10 12:55 15:55 08:45 14:35 20:20 06:55+1 06:55+1 15:15 13:40 15:15 15:45 12:10 13:55 12:55 16:10 15:55 11:50 14:10 19:40 12:50 15:15 15:15 13:55 09:40 14:35 19:40

17:35 12:30 16:55 16:55 10:00 10:00 11:10 14:55 21:30 09:35 09:15 09:15 09:15 09:15 14:50 14:50 09:15 09:15 08:35 17:35 16:35 08:30 14:55 17:35 13:20 14:20 16:05

18:40 14:10 17:40 19:40 11:00 12:10 11:50 15:35 06:55+1 11:15 11:30 12:55 10:30 11:50 16:25 17:40 11:20 12:55 10:35 19:35 18:35 10:15 16:40 19:20 14:00 15:00 16:45

Winner of the 2013 Feather Award - Best Regional Airline operating into and from O. R. Tambo International airport for the 8th time since 2004 At Air Namibia we are on this quest to continue serving our purpose of providing the best air transport services in the safest manner, with consistency and reliability.

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Bank Windhoek Branches / Agencies and ATMs Bureau de Change / Foreign Exchange Services and American Express / Bank Windhoek Joint Venture

Access to Foreign Exchange Services wherever you are

When visiting our beautiful country, we want to be sure that you have access to Foreign Exchange Services, no matter where you go. Bank Windhoek caters for all your foreign exchange and banking needs offering you American Express agencies, a large distribution network of 54 branches and agencies as well as 342 ATM’s and Cash Express Machines across Namibia.

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www.bankwindhoek.com.na