About - Padkos

It all started in the south, the far south. South Africa and Namibia to be a little bit more precise.

We spent a pair of decades traveling the southern part of Africa, where we grew up. Visiting some of the least visited places in the area, with our families, whether that was by 4×4’ing through a dried-up river bed… or as we call them, a rivier… or simply spending 15 hours on the road to reach our next destination.

All of these adventures had one thing in common, a simple binding agent that turns a simple road trip into an awesome adventure, creating a hot and sweaty drive through the desert into a trip to remember, Padkos.

What is Padkos?

I hear you asking, what is this magical elixir to turn any trip into a great time? What’s the secret to turning the trip itself into an adventure, what is Padkos?

Now there are about 15 million people in the world that know exactly what Padkos is, there is, after all, about 15 million people that speak Afrikaans around the world.

Let’s break it down:

In Afrikaans, ‘pad’ means ‘road’.

And here comes the big not-so-secret, are you ready…

In Afrikaans, ‘kos’ means ‘food’.

And that is it. Food for the Road.

Why did we choose this as a name?

3 reasons… 2 are in the name itself 😉

We love traveling

As we both grew up in families that went camping or simply did a lot of things outside, we both fell in love with being on the road or in nature and exploring new places.

Whether it’s spending 4 weeks in a remote place we’ve never visited before or going on a 30min drive to hike up a mountain with the dogs.

Curiosity, movement, intrigue, knowledge, etc., etc., etc. We simply enjoy going places. The more remote the better, but there’s also a certain something about being in metropoles.

Food

Food is what keeps us going, gives us energy, and allows us to explore more places. That’s definitely one reason why it’s so good. Another is simply because the food is just so good.

Different foods provide different qualities and can affect pretty much anything. Mood, success or failure, enjoyment, etc. Skittles have taught us to taste the rainbow.

We prefer to taste the journey.

Southern Africa

Afrikaans is one of the official languages in both South Africa & Namibia, it’s something we’ve grown up with. Whilst we may have moved on to travel the world (or Europe for now), we needed something to bring along from our homes.

Now I’ve mentioned ‘we’ quite a few times already, and we haven’t actually introduced ourselves.

So, let me introduce the team:

We’re Maike & David. We met under the blazing sun of the Namibian desert, our paths crossing at a chance meeting one afternoon when public transport had failed us (not for the first or last time), seemingly alone at our halt point, we stumbled upon conversation, and a few years later, married, and as they say, the rest is amazing history.

Alright, it may not have been that dramatic, but it was equally awesome…

Having both gone to Highschool in Windhoek, Namibia, the same one even, we only managed to find each other at the end of the journey… One journey ends, and our best was to begin.

After a few years, we moved to Germany, where we are currently based, with our 2 dogs, Zuri & Mischa. Exploring and investigating all that Europe has to offer.

David

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, I spent most of my younger years exploring almost every inch of Namibia and South Africa.

There wasn’t any special preference for the hot and dry or the characteristically Capetonian beach lifestyle, but now I’d probably choose a chilled drink as opposed to sweating in the desert again.

I studied Sports Management and I have a successful Blog: Outofthe925.

Languages spoken: English, German & strangely, hardly any Afrikaans. Full comprehension though, whilst still being able to use the most important words, like Padkos & Biltong. (Biltong: Important Namibian and South African Padkos)
Hobbies: Football (the European kind), photography & traveling.
Favorite Padkos: Biltong, droëwors & brownies.

Maike

Born in Windhoek, Namibia, I also spent a lot of time traveling South Africa and Namibia. Most weekends involved going to a farm or to a dam and riding jet skis or quad bikes.

I am a Physiotherapist, Yoga Teacher, and Fitness & Nutrition Coach. Visit my yoga website here: storiesofayogamat.com

Languages spoken: English, German, Afrikaans & Namlish… the Namibian Slang.
Hobbies: Traveling, Fitness, Hiking, Yoga … Everything that involves moving. Can’t sit still for long. I believe that if God would have wanted us to stay in one place he would have given us roots instead of legs.
Favourite Padkos: Koeksisters, biltong & chocolate.

Zuri

Meaning: ‘Handsome’ in Swahili … and he knows it!

Zuri is an Australian Shepherd, a Blue Merle Aussie, which is why he has such a colorful coat.

Nicknames: Wigglebutt.
Languages Understood: Hardly any… Just kidding, but sometimes it seems that way, instead, he understands English & German.
Special Abilities: Giving the best cuddles, Tricks, and Searching for things. Also… Zuri has magical hearing abilities, like hearing crumbs hitting the floor. Then he can even be faster than any Greyhound you know.
Hobbies: Eating, Cuddling, and fetching sticks and Frisbees. Looking cute on Instagram.
Favorite Padkos: Zuri does not judge food, he eats it. Everything.

Mischa

Meaning: ‘Mischievous Fluffball’ … I might have made that up.

Mischa is a Siberian Husky. A stereotypical husky. And everything you have ever heard about huskies is true. They are stubborn, have infinite energy, and can be crazy as hell, luckily they are also cute as hell.

Nicknames: Beast (in an adorable way) & Misch
Languages Understood: Hardly any… I’d like to say just kidding here, but I can’t. She has selective hearing, see ‘Husky’. She occasionally listens to English & German, if she’s in the mood.
Special Abilities: Being a famous Instagram Star. Pulling, Running, Howling, Producing hair, being mischievous, and looking cute afterward.
Hobbies: Pulling, Hiking, “Singing & Talking”.
Favorite Padkos: Mischa is a real connoisseur. Unlike Zuri, you can’t ‘bribe’ or praise her with just any kind of treat or food. It has to be something special, like salmon.

Why a blog?

We started Padkos because we want to share what we know, have learned, and will learn in the future. To help others have more enjoyable experiences when they visit new places and if we can provide some useful information, tips or advice on how to do that, then we’ll be happy.

We also want to show people that traveling and adventures don’t just have to be booking a holiday for the 4 weeks’ leave you have per year. Trips do not have to be expeditions and you do not have to travel far or spend a lot of money to have an amazing adventure.

When we share information, we’ll be sharing our best. Our favorites and the cream of the crop.