"Copper: Our Past, Our Future"

Saturday, November 5, 2011

We’re heading south, back to Windhoek, and civilization gradually returns as we watch the scenery from our windows. Before we board, we catch a group of mongooses (mongees?) fighting over a snake one of them has killed. They're an energetic bunch, but after the struggle, one poses for us before we leave. 

We're traveling through what Bianca has told us is Namibia’s “Maize Triangle,” where both farming and mining are staples of the local economy. Namibian maize is not harvested for human or even animal consumption as we think of corn; instead, it is ground into maize meal, an alternative to wheat flour. It’s harvested in this area because of what locals call “strong water,” a term describing a steady (usually underground) supply of this precious resource. 

Our stop in Tsumeb centers on different kinds of underground resources – those supporting the country’s mining industry. The Tsumeb Mine has most recently been a copper mine, but it has the distinction of having produced the most diverse collection of metals and minerals than any other in the world. Current low prices for copper have shut it down, but there is talk of reopening it in the next few years. 

The city has a museum that interprets its mining and railroad heritage, and also the battles fought here between the German Army and South Africa in the early 20^th Century, culminating in a South African victory in 1915. The Germans threw their weapons into Lake Otjikuto, “the bottomless lake of Namibia,” only to find that most of them settled on a ledge fifty feet deep. Much of what has been recovered is now on display.

We continue on our way, stopping for lunch in Otjiwarongo, where a local wedding party shows up for a while, complete with bride, groom, happy children, and a group of women having the time of their lives as we enjoy a few minutes of relaxation before heading south once again.

Our final stop for the day is in Omaruru, where we visit the Kristall Kellerei Winery, one of Namibia’s only vineyards. Michael and Katrin Weder have been at it for over twenty years, and have produced excellent white and red wine, along with prickly pear schnapps. We try them all, with cheese and olives, as hors d’oeuvres before our farewell dinner on the Desert Express. Two weeks have definitely flown by.