Namib Desert to Walvis Bay to Swakopmund

11.2.17  Namib Desert to Walvis Bay to Swakopmund

Before leaving camp I try to photograph the wonderful Namibian friends I've made. They've made this an experience of a lifetime!

 Loide and Leena

 Loide and Leena

 Anna

 Richel and me (with horribly windblown hair)

Girl with a 'tude - Yvonne

Richel and Matteis drive us to the airstrip for another small plane flight to Walvis Bay on Namibia's Atlantic Coast. Needless to say, we are grateful for the cooler temperatures, especially since it was hotter than 100 degrees every day in the desert.

 One last look at the sand dunes from the sky...

Walvis Bay in a nutshell...

• Natural deep-sea harbor under Dutch control in 1793
• Annexed by the British in 1795
• Ceded to the South African Union in 1910-1994
• Important fishing port
• Home to the salt fields, producing 400,000 tons of salt annually
• Home to Southern Africa's most important wetland for coastal birds

 While walking along the freshwater lagoon to the restaurant, 

we see an incredible number of huge, gross and dangerous looking clear jellyfish 

and red jellyfish in the water and on the shore.

 Lots of pink flamingos.

 Beautiful million(s) dollar homes line the opposite side of the street.

 You can't miss the colorful Lagoon Lodge!

 Absolutely stunning gardens behind original Dutch homes.

Our lunch at the Raft - a very ramshackle dive with a very cool interior 

at the end of the pier. 

Overall voting gave the monkfish and kingklip (both which I've had before) an A+. 

But the kabeljou had way too many bones and a slightly fishy taste.

Onto Swakopmund (swock op mooned), our final destination for the day, and check-in at the Swakopmund Hotel. 

Our pile of 11 duffle bags.

Swakopmund in a nutshell...

• Namibia's popular seaside resort founded in 1892
• Main German harbor resembling a Bavarian village
• Diverse population of fishermen, miners and tribal Africans in traditional dress