Arriving in Swakopmund after a dusty day of driving we showered (for the second time appreciating the wonderfulness of hot running water) and immediately went out to buy 'fun'. Swakopmund is known for its adventures in the dunes, so after a brief presentation of what was available we all signed up to sand-boarding and quad-biking. Sean and I had wanted to sky dive, but due to a recent 'incident' involving an army trainee, lack of reserve parachute folding people and trainees being told not to use the reserves, sky diving was temporarily on hold pending safety reviews.
We headed to a beach side bar called Tiger Reef for sundowners but unfortunately the clouds had set in and the sun wasn't really anywhere to be seen. Who cares though when it's Megan's birthday? We gladly drank wine and sat in the freezing cold and watched the grey-set regardless. We then walked along the beach front to the Lighthouse restaurant where we gorged on Oryx steak and more yummy wine. Drew had organized a birthday cake for Megan and so for the 5th time that day we sat and sang her Happy Birthday whilst we digested. The waiter almost spoilt the surprise by suggesting there was a problem with the candles, but Drew cleverly jumped up and said "for the table? there's a problem with the candles on the table?" - Megan of course was too polite to say anything.
Megan, Mercedes, Sean and I headed off to Gruner Kranz House that night where we got incredibly lathered and met Armando, Imms and friends. Of course the boys all wanted a snuggle with the M-Girls. But they both stayed true to their beaus!
The next day was spent nursing an almighty hangover and catching up on photo sorting and emails. Good job too because the weather was still grey and it even drizzled a little (rain? I haven't seen that for months!).
Saturday was activity day. We woke early and headed off for our morning activity of sand-boarding. We drove to the dunes and walked up to the top. We were given our sand-board - a rather technical piece of equipment which essentially compromised of a large piece of MDF, told how to lie on it (lie on belly, hold up front on board with hands, elbows up, legs together) and off we set. We did 5 runs; Little Nelly (our introduction run), Lizzy (where we were speed gunned, I clocked 58kph, Sean 56kph), a tandem run where we went down together, Dizzy (a flipping steep run where I clocked 74kph and Sean 72kph) which we did twice just for fun and ended with Gentle Valley where Sean outdid me on length. The weather was a bit cold to start off with, but clear skies. This turned out to be the best weather of all because of all the dune climbing we had to do! We were even spoiled with sandwiches and beer before heading back into town. I thoroughly enjoyed sand-boarding - it was really great fun.
The afternoon was quad-biking where the sunshine came out in full force - hooray! I started off on a manual quad - having never even driven a motorbike before - but was a bit of a scaredy cat and ended up in the group for the fastest automatic drivers because I wouldn't go fast (the autos are limited by how fast their bikes can go). So after our first hour I swapped my manual for an automatic so that someone else could go uber fast for the last hour and I could relax that I wasn't going to burn out the motor by not changing gears properly thus being stuck with a very large bill. We drove all over the dunes, rising up onto them like waves and over all the moguls and bumps. It was great fun too - but my nerves about the manual got the better of me from going too crazy. Next time I'll be more confident I think!
Knackered but happy that evening we went to Napolitana for biggest calzone I've ever eaten. I think it contained a whole Springbok.
Our final day in Swakopmund we spent walking around the very German town (Namibia has a strong German influence as a former colony, nowhere moreso than here!), taking an interest in the bizarre buildings which gave the town an air of the peculiar. It was so empty that that these buildings made it feel like a film set or Disney land - something not quite real or fitting. We wandered through the craft market remarking how much higher the prices were here for the exact same tat we'd seen throughout all African countries so far and what that must mean about the type of tourist that visits here. We ate lunch next to the pier whilst fending off the seagulls. We indulged on a bar of Cadburys for 70p (for 100g!) and drank it with red wine (￡1 for a very large glass) thinking how decadent we were, went up to Tiger Reef again with Carol (and this time actually got to see the sunset - no green flash though) and we ate a delicious homemade carbonara together as a group, watched a film and went to bed. All in all, a brilliant time in Swakopmund. It may be bizarre, but that's part of it's charm.
Next up is Sousessvlei and Dune 45 in the heart of the Namib Desert.
Other Things Jennie will Remember:
1) The racist idiots at Gruner Kranz House who told me that I was going to die for hanging out with black people (was essentially their message) - prats! We've been in Africa for months now without one racist incident and the first ones I receive are from white people. Well done to Sean and the Bouncer for stepping in and saving the day!
2) How many people can you fit into a polo? 10 apparently. Thanks for the lift home Imms! All three blocks of it.
3) Our first west African coastline experience where we hopped out quickly to see a Shipwreck on our way to Swakopmund - blimey, it was cold!
4) Parking the truck next to a black scorpion
Here are the photos:
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