Swakopmund

Monday April 9th – Easter Monday – 365 km in the bus

I got up early to watch the sunrise over Sesriem and the grasslands. There was absolutely no wind and, when the sunshine washed overhead, it revealed another cloudless sky. After packing our bags, we returned to the Sossusvlei Lodge for a buffet breakfast before setting off another long day in the bus. The roads in this region are wide, unsealed and corrugated – all making for a rattling time in the bus.

Our morning tea stop was at a wonderful outpost with the evocative name of Solitaire. It really was an amazing place, just like an oasis in the middle of a huge desert. The area surrounding the central building was decorated with the remains of numerous old cars and tractors. Outside the front door was a blackboard detailing the rainfall figures for the past three years. It was worth noting that this appears to be increasing and in 2011 it was a surprising 471mm. No wonder that the desert seemed to be bursting with new life.

The outpost had good, clean toilets and a rotund and jovial Afrikaner baker. When I told him he looked like we enjoyed the fruits of his labour, he quickly replied that he had actually lost 40 kg in weight. Apparently he had been a body builder on a regular diet of steroids but had now retired and he no longer ate sugar. I guess this would be hard to do when you had the reputation of producing the best apple cake in Namibia.

Our bumping in the bus continued for about another hour until we came across a family from France whose hired Range Rover had broken down in the desert. We were able to assist them contact the car supplier in Swakopmund who promised to send a repair crew to help them out.

As we travelled further and further north the nature of the landscape changed from rocks and sand to much greener flat fields – surprisingly green in fact. This is certainly a demonstration of the incredible life giving power of water.

Lunch was held in the shade of a solitary tree by the side of the road. The noon day sun in this region was hot and scorching and we were grateful of any shade we could find. I think we were all looking forward to reaching the Atlantic coast and the prospect of more temperate conditions.

After heading north for many kilometres the road swings to the west in the final 100 km to Walvis Bay on the Atlantic Coast. This township of 25,000 people is like an oasis in a vast desert and reminded me of Dubai. Although a kilometre out of town there is not a blade of grass to be seen, within the space of a few hundred metres you enter a verdant expanse of green manicured lawns and the relentless click-clack of dozens of garden sprinklers.

On the actual waterfront there is a row of huge new mansions that indicate that at least some of the population is prospering. The bus pulled in at the beach front and we stepped out onto the waterfront walking path to savour the cool and refreshing ocean breeze. Jan called out “Did you see that ?” and pointed out to the ocean. At first we had no idea what she was talking about, but then we noticed dozens of large dark fish leaping out of the water a metre or more into the air. It was the first time I had ever witnessed such a spectacle and it certainly became my most vivid memory of this place. In spite of the leaping fish there was not a single fisherman to be seen, in fact the entire town seemed deserted.
Perhaps this was because it was Easter Monday and everyone had stayed home in bed for the day.

Walvis Bay has the deepest port in Southern Africa and is a very strategic shipping centre. That is why South Africa refused to hand over ownership of this area until 1994 when Nelson Mandela became president and finally gave the port to the Namibian people. Further back in its history Walvis Bay was a British protectorate and you can see ample evidence of this in its architecture and street names. On the other hand Swakopmund, a bare 30 km further north, has an overriding German feel.

Swakopmund is a similar sized town to Walvis Bay and is regarded as the adventure capital of Namibia because of the wide variety of adventure activities you can arrange from here, anything from quad biking to parachuting. We quickly developed a fondness for Swakopmund because of its comfortable climate, waterfront location, broad clean streets and wonderful restaurants. The entire waterfront area is landscaped with beautiful gardens and palm trees.

Unfortunately our hotel room at the Dunedin Guesthouse was tiny and the hot water was not working for the entire time we were there. When we complained to the manager all we were told was some story about “a problem with the geyser”. This had us scratching our heads, but I assume it meant some sort of valve. Whatever the problem was, it was obviously too difficult for them to fix and so we suffered under freezing showers for two whole days. On the other hand, the very pleasant atmosphere of the town helped to make up for these hardships.

On the first night of our stay we all enjoyed a wonderful seafood dinner at the Ocean Basket restaurant. It was one of the best dinners of the entire trip.Baca lagi