Journey from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay
Good day, February 19th. So we are in Swakopmund and really wanted to stay there 2 nights. So today we are going to go to Walvis Bay. Since I already had done a lot of those things, we kind of knew better where to go. That does help, and was all new for Gert-Jan anyway.
Exploring Walvis Bay’s Industrial Coast
We made our way all the way to Walvis Bay. There were some things out at sea, a lot of ships, and a place where you drill for oil with an offshore island in Walvis Bay. We ended up driving to the place where they collect the salt, and actually right there, not in the normal place, there were the little flamingos. There weren’t too many of them, but at least we did get to see some and take pictures. Very impressive, those little birds.
Meeting Dan at the Waterfront Restaurant
We made our way to a place that is on stilts in the water, which is of course a restaurant. There we had some snails – pretty good stuff. There was a person there sitting by himself and ended up getting to talk to him. His name was Dan, and turned out he is Canadian from Saskatchewan, used to be a dairy farmer. He basically is riding his motorbike through South Africa, the southern part of Africa. He started out in Cape Town, had been to Victoria Falls, and still has till March 16th to make his way back to Cape Town. It was fun to get to talk to him.
Coffee Stop and Local Insights
Then we went to another place for a coffee. I know it’s hard work, all those visits, but we’re able to do it somehow. We also drove through the little town next to the big town where most of the service people live. We found out where the best gas station is. The diesel is cheaper at the coast than it is inland, about 60-70 cents difference. On the coast it was 19.63 Namibian dollar, and 18 Namibian dollars is about a euro per liter.
Kitesurfing and Getting Stuck
On the way back, we stopped at a place where they were doing kitesurfing on the beach, on the sand. Only thing was I took a bit of a shortcut which resulted in getting stuck. Gert-Jan was in a walking mode, so he ended up walking, getting closer to the people who were doing the kitesurfing. I got to float the car back again. That took a little bit of work, but by the time he got back, it was up and running out of the sand. Practice makes perfect.
Garden Center and Adventure Activities
Before we get to Swakopmund, right over the bridge, there’s an amazing landscaping place where they sell lots of plants, indoor and outdoor. They have a coffee shop with it. That’s a good place to make a stop as well, right next to the place where they have the camels where you could take a ride through the dunes, or the dune buggies. They do that with about 25 people at a time in a row, all on their dune buggies when the busload comes in. It’s a good place. Thanks for coming along.
