TRAVERSE 149
TRAVEL - NAMIBIA
EMILIO SALVATORI & CHRISTINA ZOLI
THE WILD AND THE ELEGANT
Namibia is a dream land , perhaps the last of the countries where the word " adventure " still has a meaning at least for those who love large spaces and solitude in which to immerse themselves .
The name itself , Namibia , speaks of the charm of the infinite . A name that derives from Namib , one of the oldest deserts in the world which together with the Kalahari divides this boundless country where the dunes reach up to the sea , to fade away in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean . A coast which , due to the treacherous fury of the currents of its sea , takes the name , at least on the northern part , of Skeleton Coast , dotted as it is with wrecks of boats betrayed by storms and fog , affected by the clash of heat from the desert and the cold of the Benguela current .
On this coast there are only two ports where it is possible to dock ships ; Swakopmund to the north and Lüderitz , to the south , both tell of a history closely linked with that of Germany that was part of the European invasion that carved up colonial Africa . Together with the capital , Windhoek , which is located in the centre of this immense country , they are the most important cities in Namibia , connected to each other by the only asphalt ribbons existing in the country .
Other cities and townships are connected by a road network where there are only tracks distinguished from each other by importance and status by the initial letter followed by a number . The " B " s , the most important are perfectly asphalted and constitute the country ' s primary long-distance network . The hundreds of kilometres are no longer the fingers of a hand , the true essence of the road network that unites the large and small towns of Namibia is made up of the " Cs " and , descending by status and
TRAVERSE 149