We visited the Namibia Craft Centre on Tal Street in Windhoek in August. We purchased two baskets that the craft centre agreed to mail to Canada for us. Seven months later and the baskets have not arrived. Fortunately, we took pictures of the baskets before we left the craft centre and we kept our receipt, so there was no argument from the craft centre regarding the fact that we had made the purchase. We have emailed back and forth with the Namibia Craft Centre who have been emailing back and forth with Namibia Post. The latest word from the craft centre is that Namibia Post has admitted that they have had a "number of queries" from overseas visitors regarding parcels that have not arrived. So, if you are planning to send parcels home from Namibia, you might want to try a courier service rather than the post office. Robin

Probably good advice for any sending any parcels home from safari, not just in Namibia.

Mind you, I sent a parcel to Kenya in May last year and it has just arrived, so there is hope for your baskets yet.

To our astonishment, after 8 months, the two baskets arrived in the mail today! They had been sent airmail (Windhoek, Namibia to Calgary, Canada)! Goodness knows where they have been for the past 8 months. We had long since given up on them.

Unfortunately, the Namibia Craft Centre (Tal Street in Windhoek) had put the baskets in a cardboard box with absolutely no packing of any kind - either in or around them. They are a tad worse for wear, but we are going with the attitude that the dings and dents give the baskets even more character!

So, if you are going to mail anything that is even remotely fragile from the Namibia Craft Centre in Windhoek (well worth a visit, by the way!), you might want to confirm that they are going to at least stuff some newspaper in and around the item. Either that, or mail it yourself! Robin

It might be less expensive and easier on your nerves to just carry it back with you as luggage, even if you have to pay an extra fee for it. Pack your goods well in a box or an old suitcase and just check it in.

Quite true! Our problem was that we were heading into Botswana for two weeks of camping and didn't have a lot of room in the Land Rover. Also, we thought that the baskets wouldn't survive the rough roads in Moremi and Chobe. In retrospect, they would have been safer with us! Robin