I left off in the story with us finding a place to stay overnight. The winds were still swirling the next morning, carrying sand and debris into our faces. We searched for and visited several car rental agencies, finally finding one with inventory. The van/bus that runs between Swakopmund and Windhoek was a consideration, mostly due to price, but the convenience was not near what we enjoyed with getting our own car and just going! My wife was concerned about me driving, either for health reasons or psychological. However, I had no "residue" from the accident, at least none I was aware of, so we made the drive with no problems. We were in periodic touch with the owners of Aloe Car Rental, because they were very concerned about getting their money for the damaged vehicle.
We arrived into Windhoek with several hours to spare before our Namibia Airlines flight departed for Cape Town. They were great, treating us with courtesy, respect, and consideration after we explained our circumstances to them they welcomed us to take any flight that suited us after we had to cancel the one from the day before. Aloe Car Rental should learn from Namibia Airlines how to treat human beings as, well, human beings! We went straight to the Aloe Car Rental offices, where shouting ensued within minutes as my wife was especially angry with their treatment of us, and they got very defensive. Finally, cooler heads prevailed, with us saying we had no time for this as it was we had to catch our flight, joining my cousin waiting for us in Cape Town. We paid part of the amount we owed for the loss of the vehicle, due to the terrible insurance options that are offered. Your choices are pay a large amount if the vehicle gets damaged, or pay an even larger amount if the vehicle gets damaged. I make the strong suggestion of checking what insurance options a renter has with the agencies you contact. The owners also wanted us to go to the police station to fill out a report, and the wife would go with us as they said the police station was a collection of uniform clad, confused, rude, unmotivated people. After spending a few minutes there, that description was too kind. It was taking forever to fill out the forms, having to do them over again due to mistakes, and the police woman at the counter was much more accomplished at ignoring us and looks of annoyance than providing information. This took entirely too long, and we had to get to the airport. We rushed out, heading directly to the airport to turn in the rental car after I dropped my wife off so she could determine the situation for us once I got in there after dealing with the rental. Luckily, I sailed through the return and was in the airport in no time. We made our flight with a little time to spare.
A week after returning to Amsterdam I got my stitches removed. My hair eventually grew back, of course. I can feel a ridge on my scalp where the injury occurred. Along with this, I have the memory of what happened, the thought of how much worse it could've been, and the €5000 outlay to the rental company. We could've easily left the country, but we are people of our word. I learned so much about the dangers of driving in Namibia only after our trip. Aloe Car Rental was woefully negligent in alerting us to dangers and conditions, briefing on the vehicle, and tips on how to drive safely. The statistics of accidents, injuries, and fatalities are eye opening! Extreme care should be practiced, especially if you are driving a vehicle that is very different from the one you normally operate. It's worth taking the extra measures, allowing for a little more travel time, to keep the human cargo safe and able to return to your home with only happy memories.
DRIVE SAFELY!
