Days 27 and 28

(Rhia’s comments are italicized)

We traveled from mile high to the ocean sky through the desert (sigh!). The last 120 kilometers to the coast city of Swakupmund was really baron, and full of termite mounds and sand dunes.

Driving into the city was a little shocking, on the outskirts was a village of corrugated houses that looked very unorganized and chaotic, but a look at Google satellite map showed a planned layout of cross section streets, schools with a grass football field, stores and a few businesses.

We arrived at the Atlantic in the early afternoon, but the wind shifted and a marine layer pushed ashore to not only cool the coast off, but to blow in the wonderful, but damp scent of the salty ocean.

The city of Swakupmund by the ocean was very different. It was built while still occupied by Germany, so the  influence is obvious in the architecture and the culture. The antique shops had both German inspired antiques as well as African masks. When we first arrived, the place appeared deserted. Every parking spot was empty, and it was rare to see any pedestrians. Rhia didn’t get a chance to use her favorite photo editing tool😥.

After we settled down at a guest house a block from the sea, we walked along the coast just to get a feel of the city. The  place reminded me of Llandudno in North Wales, with the climate of San Diego when the fog has rolled in.

By Monday morning, life seemed to be returning to Swakupmund.

About 30 kilometers south of Swakupmund is the port city of Walvis Bay. The paved road south along the Atlantic coast ends there. Replacing the road are the sand dunes of the Namib which continues south for around 400 kilometers.

While at Walvis Bay, we stopped at a place the locals call The Lagoon. Not only did I get to see my first wild flamingos, we also unintentionally got our car washed by a man who took it upon himself to protect our vehicle from thieves. It’s still uncomfortable to deal with beggars (or pan handlers) as I’m not quite sure how to react. However, I appreciated the car washer/guard as that entrepreneurial spirit makes me smile; it’s a pleasure to help people who are doing their best to help themselves!

During the summer months around here, the campers move in along the coast and the population grows exponentially, similar to the way Yuma, Arizona grows in the winter months due to the snow birds migrating south. However, I’m absolutely fine with how empty this place is right now.

To me, the emptiness is delightful (especially as we’ve not booked anything in advance!) as there’s something quite appealing and beautiful about desolation. Take the following photo, for example; it’s just a road running through where desert and ocean meet but it’s beautiful in its own way. In the (African) summer months, this would be bumper to bumper with cars and any appeal would be lost…at least in my opinion.

Another blog post completed means we’re another couple of days closer to having to be back in Gaborone. We’re going to have to start being cognizant of the date soon. And speaking of dates, Happy Belated Father’s Day to all the dads.