Walvis Bay, Namibia (Day 1 of 2)

Arrived in Walvis Bay this morning. Brad and I spent two weeks in Namibia as part of our 25th anniversary celebration trip in 2018 so we didn’t feel the need to do a typical tour here. We chose an excursion that took us on a walking tour of a township in nearby Swakopmund. But before anyone could venture ashore, we had to go through an in person passport check with Namibian immigration officials. Oceania had organized it well and it wasn’t onerous at all.

Namibia’s history is complicated but key to understanding the country is its German colonization followed by it becoming part of South Africa and Apartheid. Namibia only gained independence in 1993. It’s an incredibly young country.

Our tour headed to Mondesa Township (slum), a remnant of Apartheid and in stark contrast to the German colonial buildings in downtown Swakopmund. We took a walk around the community, visited a family, visited a naturopath who explained traditional remedies, sampled Namibian food, walked on the Jetty and saw the dunes. The township population is about 25,000, about 70 per cent of Swakopmund’s population.Read more