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Starry skies. The brightness of the stars. You will not believe your eyes when you raise your eyes and you will see so many stars and constellations shining on you. The Milky Way is
very wide and there are a lot of falling stars that trace the real paths in the sky. Do not forget that you are observing a southern and non-bore sky that stands out for these characteristics. Just as beautiful and magical skies I only saw them in Australia in Kakadu National Park -
Campsites. What surprised me most is the typology of campsites you can take advantage of. There is for everyone, from campsites with ultra-rugged lodges of the Etosha, which have been constructed, minimizing the visual impact on bush-camping, however, almost always with showers and toilet services. Even in the remote areas the campsites are very well cared for and offer a great service of hospitality always respecting the surrounding landscapes. Of course, talking about reducing energy and water consumption is still a long way to go but I really did not expect the best campsites in many other European countries!
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Supermarkets. Even in the most remote village there was a market where to find the most important consumer goods, but the thing I found most absurd and disarmed me was to see supermarkets in everything and all over Western, this especially in the capital where there are even Shopping malls but also in German towns where supermarkets are shrouded as it does not even in Italy. All this, when compared with the world outside the capital and outside the major cities, strides a great deal, but it is true that this type of contrast is present in almost all developing countries, and yet we are in South Africa very much like In many respects in South Africa.
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Welfare. There is good welfare for all people, a pension system that guarantees everyone with obviously different subsistence wages, the government is striving hard to fight literacy and create a democratic education system with systems of Incentive for schooling, healthcare is a very important point surely to improve but it should be stressed that as well as a private healthcare system there is a very cheap public with what it involves as long files and waiting lists. In short things seem to work, and the fees paid by Namibians are used to improve the infrastructure and services. Obviously we are still in Africa and there are still so many people in difficult situations who can not find a job and who live in stent. If a person wants to try to find a job in a given area, he can enter a waiting list for the land allocation made available to the government at odd numbers and sometimes free of charge. The government makes available some homes, such as shacks, which however have good services and electricity.
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Rich and Poor/Namibians and “colonists”. Although there is poverty in the country and still images of women and children in the street and small villages are still in my mind, the impact and magnitude of this phenomenon is lower than other African countries. As in many developing countries, there are differences between those who are rich and who is not, but here this scissor is not very wide, at least not among the color or “Brown” people as they are defined, because Even those who have a job of full respect live in Kakatura, in the poorest part of Windhoek where during the German colonization phase they were forced to move away leaving the city center. I visited Kakatura and I did not find that people of colors, real Africans and no Germans. It is easy to think that the Europeans, the Westerners and if there were the Chinese who are investing in this land, still live in the richest part of the city where everything is easier. Think that many Katatura residents reach the center or the university can take an hour!
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Respect for different uses and customs and solidarity. Walking through the streets of the capital and shopping in the supermarkets is not uncommon to be surrounded by completely different people, and I am not referring only to the Germans living in the country or to the tourists/travelers as to the various Namibian cultures: it will happen to you To see well-dressed people who might work in the office, women with her dresses and colored hats close to her dressed women, or rather undressed. But everything is seen as natural and there is a maximum respect for these diversity at least among the Africans. As I was traveling with my African colleagues, we often stopped to give food and other consumer goods to people who ran small structures and needed help. The Namibians who have obtained a safe and perhaps well-paid job do not forget about those who live in distress or in any case with difficulty.
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The defense of animals. Namibia is one of the African countries with the highest number of animals outside the borders of national parks. In a fair world it should be possible to see elephants, giraffes, lions, etc. in total freedom but in fact these animals are now only present within the immense national parks, with the exception of Namibia. There are many organizations that are striving to raise awareness among animal breeders to the protection of animal species through environmental education and mutual collaboration. The first time I entered a supermarket, I noticed that the logo of a rhinoceros was on the bottles of water bottles. Soon I understand the reason, the government is working hard to cope with the rhinoceros emergency, as the elephant is killed for ivory so the rhino is killed for his horn that currently has a very high value, $ 500,000 For 1 kg! Apparently, Asians are the people most interested in this material to make decorative items and more, and there are real spy actions in the national parks, so many of them send women and children to make inspections, locate animals With the help of gps, drones, smartphones and send this data to those who will then kill them. The number of these animals is declining considerably, and the government has made parks a real tax force both to control the territory, and this is why the passport is required at the entrance of the park. The authorities have even come to cut the rhinoceros horns (which still re-grow) in order to avoid killing these criminals.
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The defense of the environment. The state collaborates with the local population to manage their lands through tourism. Namibia is the first African country (and one of the few in the world) to incorporate environmental protection into its own constitution and local communities make their contribution to environmental commitment in exchange for fair distribution of tourism income. In short, travelers here are a genuine resource.