Six on the clock, twice in three days. We’re getting spoiled by these later mornings.
It was cold last night at Dead Valley Lodge in Sossusvlei – we didn’t put on any extra blankets, but we did turn off the condensation coolers.
No time to waste, though. We need to pack up, eat breakfast, pay the bill and be ready to leave by 8 am if we hope to reach Swakopmund for a late lunch around 2 pm. We should still have time for a few brief stops.
My wife and I took some time last night to consider the pace of this leg of the journey, and whether it’s working for us. There’s no question, it’s a lot.
We were limited in our options due to our late booking window – we typically book our trips two years out, as opposed to six months for Namibia, when accommodation options were limited. (We’d cancelled our South Africa G Adventures trip due to concerns regarding their more ‘relaxed’ approach to hotel bookings last October.)
Would we have cut Sossusvlei? The dunes are remarkable – not as desolate as the Sahara, but every bit as beautiful – and it’s a true privilege to see the oldest desert in the world covered in life. Likewise, it was glorious to be able to enjoy the arid landscape from the luxury of Dead Valley Lodge.
But it comes at a price – a seven hour grueling drive from Windhoek, and today’s six hour drive to Swakopmund.
With that, we leave the tarmac and begin our lengthy African massage:
Though the dirt road offers us another glimpse at the petrified dunes:
We stop briefly in Solitaire for gas and a restroom stop. From here on, our only options will be “bushy bushy.” (Though I think I still prefer EcoCamp’s FaciliTrees. And we didn’t have to worry about venomous snakes in Chile – having already seen a black mamba cross the road we’re a bit wary of bushy-bushy.)
Onward we go, with more breathtaking landscapes along the way:
We continue on, past some of the highest peaks in Namibia:
And into one of the ‘moon landscapes’, now iridescent with pale green grass:
We stop to take in the stunning scenery around the Kuisep river:
We’re originally scheduled to visit the larger of the ‘moon landscape’ sites, with better views and possibly a hike – but the Land Cruiser’s air conditioning once more struggles to keep up with the heat.
We hold another family conference, and ask Ewald to skip the next stop. This will save us more than thirty minutes off our drive, getting us in at a much-more-reasonable 1 to 1:30 pm.
We continue deeper into the Namib desert:
It’s getting properly dry now. Even the faint grasslands fed by the recent rains are disappearing:
But as we approach the Atlantic ocean, the temperature starts to drop and the roads improve.
Dune 7 comes into view:
The tallest dune in Namibia, so named because it’s the seventh dune encountered after crossing the Tsauchab river
There are a huge range of dune-based activities in the area, including sandboarding and quad biking. We’re in town for less than 48 hours so we’ve opted for a boat tour to see the seals and (hopefully) dolphins instead.
One last push to get to Swakopmund:
We make it to town by 1 pm – right on time.
Ewald gives us a quick drive through town, showing us the shopping areas, the oceanfront, and some of the historic buildings. Namibia is a former German colony and there are several older buildings built in the German style. Older buildings – some dating back to the early 20th century – cannot be heavily renovated or demolished.
We pass a former German-language school that has since become a Namib school. Segregation was in effect until the country’s independence in 1990.
Then we head to the Organic Stay Guesthouse, where we are booked for the next two nights. It’s a few blocks from the main road in a quieter area – a bit of a walk to the beach, but we’re thrilled to be staying in a spacious, three bedroom unit:
We take the room with the smaller double bed – it has an ensuite bathroom, which is inexplicably doorless:
But otherwise it’s a supremely comfortable space. No air conditioning, but no need for it either – the Atlantic wind keeps the temperature cool and comfortable.
We had boxed lunches on the road, but it was more of a snack than a full meal – so we head to the Alstadt Restaurant for second lunch.
It has a proper German beer garden:
They have a “boot” beer on the menu, which I sadly pass on ordering.
It costs roughly US$7.00 and – if my math is correct – holds 5 pints of beer. Tempting, but much more than I can handle in a single sitting!
My lone pint is delicious:
And the burgers are absolutely massive:
I’m unable to finish mine – a rare occurrence.
We head to the main street to pick up a few odds and sundry from the grocery store, and to take out some Namibian cash from the bank machine. We use Standard Bank this time, and I’m able to withdraw directly from my bank account – as opposed to the credit card advance I had to take in Windhoek.
Then we return to our rooms for a bit for more blogging, homework and laundry. This time the laundry is done by volume – a half bag costs 300 NAD (USD$16) while a full bag costs 600 NAD (USD$32). They prefer that we separate out our laundry so we end up doing two half loads. Prices are still very reasonable.
Dinnertime. The kids have been very patient with various boxed lunches and undercooked barbeque, so we head to the nearest, bestest pizza place – Gabriele’s.
The inside is pleasant:
But we opt for the outside instead, with a distant view of the ocean:
It’s fantastic pizza – fast and reasonably priced:
Most of our restaurant bills in Namibia have run less than USD$50 for four meals, including drinks and dessert – this is no exception.
While dining, we spot a yellow glider stuck in a palm tree.
A sure sign that the UK’s school break is underway
House-made gelato for dessert:
Then a few quick snaps of town to make up for the lack of photos taken earlier this afternoon:
Time for bed – we want to be well rested for our Walvis Bay catamaran ride tomorrow.