That is a skill I think only Namibian taxi drivers have. There is always music blasting from the speaker, and people chatting away. Although you don’t personally know anyone you are co-sharing a taxi with sometimes, it feels like you have known them for a very long time by the time you reach your destination. I like how people share their life stories with ease when you have the opportunity to!
When my colleagues and I visit schools, we use a big bakkie, which has a canopy and four-wheel drive. The bigger the truck, the better, because we travel with a lot of educational materials to provide students and teachers with. The canopy protects our materials from the sun, rain and wind, while the four-wheel drive makes muddy or sandy roads no problem. Sometimes, we visit schools in very remote villages that do not have tarred roads. Thus, reliable and safe four-wheel trucks are important for our journeys! Because CCF is on a remote farm, we also use bakkies a lot.
The type of car one uses in Namibia depends on what they intend to use it for and the type of roads the driver will be going through. Bakkies are commonly used by farmers to get around and transport supplies for farm animals. In Namibia, we're allowed to transport people at the back of a bakkie, so farmers use them to transport people, goods, and even small livestock (like sheep and goats)! Bakkies are very sturdy and can withstand various road conditions and weather conditions. Gravel roads are very common on farms, and they often become unsafe, muddy, and flooded. Bakkies help to solve some of these challenges.
