Planning continues and the budget still needs to be shaved some more. . . . .
I've found some really stunning affordable campsites and they are all members of the Namibia Community Based Tourism Assistance Trust (NACOBTA). It is a not for gain, non governmental organization, established in 1995 by local Namibians who had started tourism businesses and who wanted to be represented in the Tourism industry. The role of the organization is to provide assistance to its members through access to funding, enterprise development, training, marketing and lobbying on issues relevant to the community based tourism sector.
Some of the campsites are located in the more remote areas of Namibia I want to visit and, by all reports, the campsites are neat and clean and the attendants friendly. I surfed the website and found all the rates advertised are still for 2008 so I sent off an email requesting 2010 rates.
No response.
A week or two later I tried again.
Still no response.
I tried again. Sending to all the email addresses on the website. Still no response. Okay, this is Africa Janet, phone them in Windhoek!
Back to the website to get the number, double checking the rates haven't been updated and I've missed it. No, still out of date.
Dial the number.
"Hello . . . something something something" (I presumed the gentleman said something along the lines of NACOBTA). Not to be deterred, I asked to speak to someone who could give me rates for the campsites. "You speak to me" was the reply. No problem. I told him what I wanted and there was silence. Okay - he's thinking, a good sign.
"No, I can't give them to you".
A bit perplexed, I asked why not. English is clearly not the man's home language and didn't sound like Afrikaans either (Afrikaans is the only other language I speak). Apparently there wasn't anyone else in the office and certainly no way I could get the rates from their office. What transpired was that I should tell him which camps I wanted to stay in, he would give me their telephone numbers and I should phone each camp and find out what their rates are and if there is availability, then I should phone him back so he could make the reservations for me (... go figure).
Amazed, I shot back, "Why would I do that?"
Silence . . . long silence
"Aaaayyyyyyy. Your question is too difficult for me!"
Tears rolling down my cheeks, I put the phone down
laughing loudly.
3 comments:
I love when you have to recognize, This is Africa. Those campsites sound great, i'm really hoping you'll get in touch with the right person. I am SO anxious to start planning for Namibia.
What i meant to say is that we've had to realize that in so many places we've been when things don't go as we'd like. I can hear myself saying it...
i told chuck wouldn't it be lovely to meet you in namibia and he kind of groaned and smiled at once. he does want to go so badly. we will eventually...
I'll get sorted, one way or another Lori.
It would be awesome if we did meet up somewhere in Namibia!!!!!
:o)))
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