On the back of a Bakkie

It is about 12:45pm on a very hot and sunny Sunday afternoon in Namibia. I am lounging at the back of a moving vehicle on my way to Swakopmund for a week long work assignment. We left Grootfontein this morning just before 9 o’clock. It is about 400 km to the touristy town on the Atlantic Ocean. My colleagues agreed to do most of the driving on the way down; I am bracing myself to take the wheel for most of the trip back up north.

They are both sitting in the front cabin, enjoying the air conditioning, while I am sitting inside the covered flat bed of the bakkie (pick-up truck). It is not bad at all. I cracked open a few windows to get some of that soothing breeze. It is actually a lot of fun. I cannot remember the last time I rode at the back of a pick-up truck. While it is not a very common means of transportation (as far as loading people and not just goods and merchandise) in most urban dwellings of the Western world, it is quite an ordinary thing to do here.

I am fortunate to be sitting comfortably by myself because I have seen bakkies of the exact same size crammed with no less than 12 people with their luggage and merchandises. People would rather buy a bakkie first before thinking about getting a 4-door sedan just because they live in a predominantly farming, blue-collar society.
They can do a lot of work on their own with a bakkie (e.g. construction work, moving furniture, transportation of produce from farm to market, mobility for traditionally large number of family members and relatives).

We are heading to the Community Skills Development Centre to review and update the content of their training programmes and prepare the budget for next year, among other things. It is always a special treat for me to get on the road because I get to witness the beautiful natural landscape this country has to offer and the surprisingly well-integrated physical infrastructure. After a quick pit stop at the Shell service station in Otjiwarongo, we drove 70 km into Erongo region where we passed through a natural land conservancy. The views are simply breathtaking: the dry, flat terrain is embellished by rocky hills and mountains in the distance. At any given time you might spot a herd of cows, goats, kudoos (of the deer and antelope family) and even donkeys. It is quite unreal; being here and witnessing this geography is truly a blessing.