November 24, 2008 – Walvis Bay, Namibia

As we approached the coast of Namibia in overcast weather we saw large groupings of seals leaping out of the water. There apparently is a large concentration of brine shrimp in the waters here which also give the flamingos their pink color at certain times of the year. The temperature was in the low 60’s so we had to don jackets to go on deck. We were delayed leaving Cape Town and faced head winds so we were 2 hours late in arriving. Namibia has been controlled by Dutch, British, Germany (some portion), Union of South Africa (later Republic of South Africa) and finally became independent Namibia in 1990.

Six of us privately arranged a van to tour the area. We drove 30 km along the seacoast to the German town Swakopmund. The Atlantic was on the west side of the road and the sand dune desert on the east. The desert is massive and full of sand dunes similar to Dubai and the housing along the way was new, clean and modern architecture, some with thatched roofs. There are several uranium mines in the country managed by American, British and Australian companies. We only had a driver who wasn’t a guide but we knew where we wanted to go. We first stopped at an outdoor craft market where the driver thought we’d spend 2 or 3 hours and eat at the hotel behind the market. We told him to give us about 30 minutes at the market and we’d tell him where we wanted lunch. On the way into city center we had seen a sign for the Hansa Hotel with 4 stars by the name. After driving around a bit (the driver wasn’t familiar with anywhere than the market area) and asking directions we finally found the hotel which truly was 4 star and had a wonderful lunch at a very good price. We walked around the shops by the hotel and bought some Amarula, the African liqueur made from the fruit of the marula tree and fresh cream which is similar to Baileys but with a better flavor. Pat also bought a beautiful caftan dress with a hand painted giraffe on the front and we each bought a safari shirt. It’s the most shopping we’ve done on the cruise so far. We stopped to see flamingos but they were away somewhere. We got back to the ship in time to help our team win trivia and then got ready for the evening event.

There was a complimentary event for all guests, a “Dinner under the desert stars.” At 6:30 we were taken in mini vans to Dune 7 in the desert where three tents were set up in a horseshoe shape with a fire in front and high dunes on 3 sides. We were greeted with champagne and listened to a local German school a capella choir singing Namibian songs. Several of us adventuresome folks climbed the close by dune which was at least 5 stories or more tall. It isn’t easy walking up the steep slope with soft sand. The view from the top with the sun setting behind another dune was spectacular. There were 4 camels for guests to ride if they chose and later a fire baton dancer entertained. Good South African wines were served as was stir fry chicken and sweet peppers in phyllo appetizer. The main course was a buffet which consisted of several Namibian dishes including butterfish, chicken, ostrich done 3 ways, and lamb & tiger prawn stir fry. Several deserts were also on the buffet and we were treated to native music while we ate. It was a beautiful setting and we all enjoyed the event. Unfortunately it was overcast with a slight drizzle so we didn’t see stars and the moon which would have been magnificent in the desert with no light pollution. We were back to the ship by 10:00.