While I was in Namibia, The Namibian newspaper ran an eye-catching headline: Windhoek is Boring.

The article went on to state that international tourists found the Namibian capital city dull.  It seemed rather a damning indictment.

Okay, Windhoek is no Rio.  But boring?  I often think ‘boredom’ says more about an individual than it does about a place.

Personally, I enjoyed my time in Windhoek, whether it was watching the antics of the Himba women at their market stalls in Independence Avenue or having lunch at the Sky Restaurant overlooking the Christuskirche.

But, the place where I spent most of my time in Windhoek was in the Botanic Gardens.  Covering twelve hectares, it is a large wilderness space in the city centre.

Signing the visitors’ book each day upon entry, I realised that I was one of only a very small number who had discovered this peaceful retreat.

Even in wintertime – July, when I visited – and the gardens not in bloom, it was an interesting natural enclave within the city.  I saw Welwitschia plants in the Desert House; bottle trees, quiver trees and large cacti; numerous birds; and, amongst the rocks, hyrax, strange, thick-set fluffy mammals, which looked like a cross between a guinea pig and a seal, but whose closest living relative is the elephant.

One thing to mention: the Windhoek Botanic Gardens is not for the less-than-mobile.  The paths are very up-and-down and unpaved in places, but I was a regular returnee and never once found myself bored.

© E. C. Glendenny

E. C. Glendenny keeps herself entertained wherever she is.