I didn’t come to Swakopmund to go quad biking in the desert, but after hearing a few travellers rave about the experience, I began to consider signing up for it. Unlike skydiving and paragliding, two other activities that are offered here in the Namib Desert, quad biking is exhilarating but not frightening.
It’s the tourist’s longing for experiences and the local’s recognition of this longing which is at the root of the tourism industry. Regardless of whether a tourist prefers to travel in a tour group or navigate the foreign lands independently, like myself, the reality is that a tourist always ends up paying for an experience.
During my conversations with non-Africans tourists, here in Namibia, I’ve noticed that by and large, they’ve come to this country, and Africa, desiring authentic encounters with its people, wildlife, cultures and landscapes.
As a result, many have rented cars to freely drive across the 824 268 square km of predominantly desert land, camped out in deserts and even volunteered in nature reserves. While others have done some of the activities and extreme sports listed above, visited townships as part of a guided tour (just like in South Africa, guided tours of townships here in Namibia are available for a price of 40 or 50 dollars) and of course gone to Etosha national park which is home to four of the “Big Five” (the lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino are part of the “Big Five”. Tourists speak of the “Big Five” with such admiration, I keep thinking maybe I should try to at least see one of them…or maybe not, what can I say I’m not particularly motivated to go on a safari).
Nevertheless, after all this effort and not to mention, money spent, rarely do I come across a non-African tourist that has been overwhelmingly satisfied with his or her time in Africa. It’s alarming to see the amount of long and exhausted faces hanging around hostels. On some occasions, I’ve met travellers who’ve felt completely cheated, claiming to have received very little, in terms of experience, for the fees they paid to visit countries like Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi.
I’m not a shrink and there are obviously many reasons why so many non-African tourists may be disappointed or even bored, but I can’t help but think that it might have something to do with expectations not being met. Imagine journeying all the way to Africa and looking forward to having an authentic African experience (the key word here being authentic, which surely means different things to different people) and not having it?
As I reflected on this issue of unmet expectations I’ve wondered if it’s still possible for the traveller to have an authentic experience, when practically everything has been commercialized by the local.
Last Thursday afternoon, I was at Pick N Pay, a South African grocery chain that’s present across Namibia, to buy some food when I suddenly felt the urge to invite myself to a local’s house for dinner. “You’re joking right?” asked the young woman, with a quizzical look on her face as her two friends appeared to be discussing my request. “No, I’m very serious,” I said, grinning widely, “I’ve been in Africa for almost a month but I don’t feel like I’ve eaten many African meals so I’d like to eat something Namibian.” After a fifteen minute discussion, they agreed to have me over for dinner so long as I brought non-alcoholic beverages.
That dinner, will remain one of my favourites for many reasons, but mainly because it was organically spontaneous (the food was great and the conversation was very engaging).
Sure, there are some hunter-gatherer tribes scattered that I would relish the opportunity to commune with, but in this day and age, I may have to pay hundreds of dollars to make it happen. And perhaps even more troubling (if I was looking for a non-Westernized experience), is the possibility that due to the previous travellers who paid them a visit, they may not only understand my English but respond to me in the language (heck, they may even wear Western clothes and have iPhones).
A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to meet and interview a group of artists.
To live is to experience, so maybe it’s a question of not over-thinking the sort of experience one wants to have but simply being present and making the most of the environment that one is currently in. I concede that has a traveler, it’s frustrating to watch how people attempt to commercialize any and everything, but there are ways around this phenomenon: take in every moment and appreciate it as an experience.
It was an intense run to the top of Dune 7 here in Swakopmund...I felt good!