Katutura Soap.

The Katutura Soap project provides handmade olive oil guest soaps to the likes of Wilderness Safaris and Gondwana collection. Still, not many people know this very special project, let alone where to find it. When we make our way to their small workshop in a welcoming red-brick complex in Assuit St, the ladies behind the project are immediately excited and pose for a picture with their unique wares. The small kitchen is brimming with activity, soap bubbling on the stove, soap bars being wrapped and labelled, the seamstress and the bead artist operating from the same premises come by for a chat. All is made by hand here with only the finest ingredients! The olive oil is provided by Ruhleben farm from Swakopmund and the sea salt has its origin at the Namibian coast, too. So far, there are not many outlets for the soaps, which come in different shapes and sizes from regular bars to flowers, but that might be changing with the Katutura Soap Project improving on the marketing front and trying out new recipes for their products. Wanna become a stockist or order custom-made soaps for your lodge or business? The ladies will surely be delighted to assist.

http://www.katuturaproject.blogspot.com/

Seawork.

Summer is the time for fish and a good bottle of chilled white, enjoyed with family and friends in a no-frills setting. Alas, Windhoek is far from the sea and the number of recommendable seafood eateries is minuscule. Enter the guys from Seawork who supply the capital with the ocean's frozen goodness for delicious home-cooked feasts. At their small shop in Southern Industrial you get everything from from green-lipped mussels to hake fillets and from tiger prawns to calamari tubes. Seawork also stocks a selection of ready-to-cook and expertly seasoned fish from the wonderful Fish Deli, bringing the flavours of our favourite Swakopmund seafood restaurant to your doorstep. They even have fresh fish straight from Walvis Bay every Friday, but make sure you order well in advance as supplies are limited and in high demand.

Mossi Nets.

Namibia might be a dry country, but come summer and rain we are eaten alive by millions and millions of mosquitoes, even here in Windhoek. Thank goodness a very clever entrepreneur from Otavi had the very simple yet splendid idea to provide Namibians with mosquito nets in all sorts of shapes. We were lucky enough to get the luxury version as a wedding gift and it has moved house with us ever since. It makes you feel like a king in a four-poster bed and keeps the little beasts at bay while still allowing you plenty of space. You can get your custom-made mossie protection directly from the company's Otavi headquarters or simply place an order via your local post office. Isn't it incredible how a rather boring, everyday product can have such a profound and positive impact on your quality of life? We are big fans!

Windhoek City Guide.

Based on the Secretly Namibian blog, the Namibia Business Innovation Centre NBIC has created an awesome City Guide for Windhoek. Other than your usual Windhoek guides, this small booklet is free of ads and only features selected businesses, innovative entrepreneurs and recommended eat-out options. The focus is on well-curated content rather than paid-for advertorials. For locals and tourists alike the Windhoek City Guide provides to complete lowdown on arts, crafts, culture and design, as well as the capitals burgeoning culinary scene. It's a celebration of one of Africa's most liveable cities, a hidden gem on a human scale that waits to be explored.

The booklet is available for N$20 from NBIC, but more outlets in Windhoek will follow soon. You can also check it out online at http://issuu.com/nbicnamibia/docs/windhoek

Pure & Simple.

In the Namibian retail landscape, dominated by big players from South Africa, it's hard to find shops that make an effort to stock beautiful things made in Namibia. Enter Pure & Simple. The airy shop-cum-café in Garten St just around the corner from Sardinia Restaurant awaits with a whole range of household and beauty products, most of them sourced locally. The space is divided into four colour sections to make it easy for customers to find things in their favourite shades. They also serve and stock Slowtown coffee beans and will treat you to a yummy muffin to go with it if you ask nicely. A changing exhibition by Namibian artists rounds off the Pure & Simple experience, so make sure you bring some time to exlore everything on offer.

www.pureandsimpleshop.net

Lemon & Mint Cooler.

 

It's that time of year again when you constantly crave a fizzy drink with plenty of ice cubes, a drink that is refreshing and full of flavours but not too sweet. To make sure they don't have to revert to alcoholic options all the time or brake the bank for ready-made beverages, Namibians have perfectioned the art of preparing wonderful Lemon & Mint Coolers. The most important ingredient is, of course, good quality lemon syrup made from Namibian lemons that grow in gardens and on farms around the country. Order a bottle from the Organic Box or buy one at your local farmers market. Pour a generous amount according to your liking into a glass, then add a few ice cubes, a slice of lemon and some leaves of fresh mint. Top up with soda water and enjoy. It's sunshine in a glass.

Gwaitalale Pottery.

Unfortunately, many gifted Namibian crafters are working away at their beautiful wares in small workshops far from the public and possible customers. One of our favourites is pottery expert Vistorina, who is operating her business Gwaitalale Pottery from a shack in Katutura. You'll probably never manage to find it, but be assured that Vistorina will find you. With her entrepreneurial spirit and bottomless energy she has managed to make her mark well beyond Goreangab Dam and now sends off her mugs, bowls and plates to businesses around Namibia. Que Tapas serve their delicious meals in Gwaitalale stoneware, as does traditional restaurant Xwama. Orders have recently even come in from as far as Ongwediva. And the best thing is, you can choose from her own signature range or simply order custom-designed pieces to match your particular style.

Free & Easy.

Namibia can be quite an expensive, bordering on ridiculously overpriced, destination. Fortunately, the smart guys at tour operator Sense of Africa some years back had the great idea to introduce a last-minute accommodation voucher system for Namibia. It's as simple as can be and opens up some of the most luxurious lodges around the country to less loaded travellers. For Namibian residents a voucher for a double room is N$480 (approx. EUR50), bed only. The rate for tourists is slightly higher but still very affordable. When buying your vouchers from Sense of Africa they will also give you a little brochure that contains all establishments that are part of the Free & Easy system. Whenever you are on the road and looking for accommodation, simply consult the booklet and call your lodge of choice. Reservations can be made earliest 72 hours in advance before arrival.

www.senseofafrica-namibia.com

Ibenstein Weavers.

Not many people make the effort to venture off the beaten track all the way to the sleepy hamlet of Dordabis. However, Ibenstein Weavers, Namibia's oldest weavery, is definitely enough reason to embark on the short drive out into the veld, where skilled crafters produce the most beautiful, high-quality carpets you'll find in Namibia. Manager Wolfgang will gladly give you a tour of their premises and explain the entire process from raw Karakul wool, sourced from Southern Namibia, to finished carpet. All is done by hand right here at Ibenstein in an almost archaic, low-tech kind of way, including the old wooden looms that populate the workshop. So, bring your own design, choose your preferred colours from their huge palette (wool dyed on-site as well), and wait for delivery to your home a few weeks later.

www.ibenstein-weavers.com.na

Ohandje Baskets.

Now, here's some traditional arts and crafts that we'd really and without reservations recommend. Hand-woven from local material in Namibia's Northern regions, baskets of all sizes have long been a staple household item for rural communities. But they are just as useful and pretty in today's increasingly urban settings. If only more people would ditch plastic and turn to the beautifully simple baskets made by artisans for Artist Cooperative Ohandje in Ondangwa. They come with ornaments, too, but we prefer the plain types with no frills whatsoever. We use them as jewellery case, as bread basket, for supplies from our weekly Organic Box delivery, and even as laundry basket. You get them at some outlets in Windhoek, such as the Craft Centre, and around the country, but make sure you head for their flagship store up North for the widest selection.

More at http://www.ohandje.com/

Leather Products.

If there is one thing available in abundance in Namibia it definitely is good-quality leather. It comes in a variety of textures and colours from ebony calf skin to bronze Kudu. Skilled crafters at workshops around the country transform this natural product into wonderful fashion accessories and luxurious cases for our beloved Mac Books and iPhones. Alas, well-designed items are a rare find in the capital's leather boutiques and for the most part kitsch still seems to prevail. But don't despair. Most shops are happy to assist with custom-made pieces tailored to your liking, a prohibitively expensive endeavour elsewhere in the world. Put your design ideas to paper and get yourself that leather weekender you've always wanted. And don't forget a set of simple folders for your creative projects. You'll see your colleagues green with envy. So be kind and bring some for them, too.

Flowered Earth.

Get yourself a hint of summer this winter with some fresh and beautifully arranged flowers from Amanda at Flowered Earth, Windhoek's most charming florist. We love to pay the guys a visit every now and then to check out the wonderful yet simple and natural arrangements from unpretentious tulips to majestic Proteas. It's always an inspiration, because their small space at the Maerua Lifestyle Centre doubles as a gift and decor shop with a well-curated selection of pottery, pots and other paraphernalia for the design enthusiast. There are few places in Namibia where so much effort goes into creating a feel-good shopping experience like here at Flowered Earth. Wouldn't it be nice to see more dull offices and homes around town brighten up with some floral freshness? Even if it's only a bunch of sunflowers.

Opuwo Bracelets.

Now, here's an affordable, uniquely Namibian gift for loved ones back home. And a quintessential local fashion accessory for design-savvy Windhoekites, too. Testament to creativity and crafting skills of Opuwo-based artists, beautiful, ornate bracelets made from mundane plastic piping come in a variety of colours and patterns. They might have found their way into arts and crafts outlets around the country by now, but still the more intricate examples can only be purchased in Namibia's northwestern Kunene outpost. Head for the OK parking lot in the centre of Opuwo and simply wait for the sales ladies to approach you with their wares. Queen Elizabeth and her colleagues are so convincing, you will leave with no less than an entire kitchen plumbing system's worth of very special jewellery.

Slowtown Coffee Roasters.

Swakopmund is Namibia's laid-back weekend getaway. For days on end you can while away the time, doing nothing in particular. Come Sunday lunchtime and you wonder what you have been doing for the past 48 hours. Bliss. Now, Swakop has its very own and aptly named coffee roaster, Slowtown. The moment you enter the small workshop-cum-cafe, you know you have arrived in barista heaven. The air is filled with the delicate smell of freshly ground Ethiopian Yirgachefe and the espresso machine is humming in the background. Grab a hot cup of Americano, find yourself a seat on one of their cosy benches outside under the palm trees and, well, while the morning away with a good newspaper. Did you see the black cat dozing behind you on the window sill? We can't wait for cafes and restaurants in the capital to switch to one of Slowtown's great roasts made in Namibia.

www.slowtowncoffee.com

Mopane.





Try something new this year for decorations. Thanks to the versatile Mopane tree, which provides us with its signature angel wing leaves, Easter and Christmas and any other special occasion can easily become uniquely Namibian. Try to dust them with gold spray to make intricate ornaments. Or maybe make them appear on eggs, which you have coloured with onion peel with only the distinct Mopane shape remaining uncoloured. Be on the lookout, there will soon be essential oils from Mopane pods to fragrance your body lotion and shampoo. So, what applications can you think of for Mopane?

Free Map Collection of Namibia.

If there is one thing you should do in Namibia, it is obviously traveling.  From Orange River to Kunene, from coast to Kalahari, Namibia's landscapes are as diverse as its people. And roads, though not necessarily perfect in all places, extend into the most remote corners of the country. Fortunately, there is no need to buy expensive maps for orientation and route planning (unless you want to go off-road and need GPS coordinates). Just head for the nearest tourist info and get yourself a free »Map Collection of Namibia«, featuring separate maps for Northern and Southern Namibia, plus city maps of Windhoek, Swakop and Walvis. Oh, and they obviously make their money via advertising, which isn't a bad thing either, as some of your destinations, i.e., lodges, are indicated already. Which is how we made it into every single copy of the map collection ever since the 2010/11 edition. Yes, the guy in the canary yellow jersey in the passenger seat of the game drive vehicle at Erindi, that's me.

100% Pure Beer.

While most countries in the world have to cope with beer that is flat and tasteless and comes with a whole list of nasty additives on top, Namibia is blessed with a number of great brews in accordance with the German Reinheitsgebot. Only water and barley and hops, period. So grab a chilled bottle of Windhoek or Tafel and welcome the weekend knowing that you have access to the best beer in Africa, produced right here at your doorstep.

Ruhleben Olive Oil.

We used to head for Tokara's Olive Shed in the Cape Winelands for yummy »local« olive oil. Until one fine day at the Fish Deli in Swakopmund where we discovered that we need not look that far at all for this mainstay of Mediterranean cuisine. Enter single-variety oil from Ruhleben Estate in the Swakop river. It comes in both bottles and metal containers for the heavy-duty olive oil addict. So, when you consider buying a bottle of imported stuff from the Med the next time, think twice and go for the local option instead. We love the fresh and mild Mission variety, which goes together well with salads and home-made pesto.

Cramer Organic Box.

Finally, the organic box scheme has arrived in Windhoek. We received our first delivery today and are amazed by the freshness (and the affordability). From now on, we'll be looking forward to Thursdays even more, as that is the day the guys from Cramer Organics come to town. Uh, the name reminds me of a cosy bookstore in Washington D.C., adding an even more homey touch to this feel-good affair. Receive your order form by Saturday, order by Monday and wait for your supplies. Simple as that. Talk to the people behind the business at order@organic-box.com to add you to the mailing list.