Walvis Bay, Namibia – Goodbye Africa

February 23, 2013 – March 6, 2013

The sail to Namibia seemed so short after our last sail! The 6 days at sea felt like nothing, and next thing I knew we were seeing land again! I was on lookout on the morning of the 1^st, and I got to be the first to ring in land! What seemed at first to be simply gray shapes on an equally gray horizon soon grew to become the shapes of a lighthouse, and finally land. Then, I saw a dark shape quickly approaching in the water; a seal was poking it’s head out! Next thing I knew, more and more seals were passing by our ship, then I saw a line of dark shapes ahead – it was like a wave of seals

We anchored that afternoon, and went alongside early the following morning. When we finally got shore leave we headed out into the city of Walvis Bay, only to find that it was so quiet, it was like a ghost town. So instead, we took a taxi to the nearby city of Swakopmund. During our 5 days in Namibia, I spent most of my shore leave time in Swakopmund. There were lots of shops and restaurants there, including one really neat restaurant that is built on stilts over the water!

Our second day of shore leave was really nice and relaxing; what we all needed! I was in a group with three of my friends, and we bought a picnic lunch at the grocery store. We had a picnic lying in a small park by the beach, loving the feeling of grass on our backs! Ahh, land!

 

The following two days were busy and filled with some great port programs! Namibia is named after the Namib Desert, which is the oldest in the world. Some of the dunes are the highest as well, and we found ourselves flying down them in dune buggies for one of the port programs! The jeeps took us to a few view spots. Namibia is where the sand meets the sea; some of the dunes slope all the way down to the waves crashing at the bottom. The port program ended with a final stop at a dune with a lake full of flamingos at the base! We clambered all the way to the top of the steep dune, nearly burning our feet on the hot sand. The view from the top was incredible and well worth the climb. Endless dunes stretched behind us, with the lake below us and the ocean just beyond. We ran down the and into the lake for a swim. After the swim, a snack of cold drinks and local oysters (so slimy, but I had to try one!) awaited us!

We explored the dunes again the following day, but as part of a sand boarding program instead. We were given helmets, gloves, elbow pads, and a thin, flexible sheet of wood, and set off up the dune. There were a couple instructors who showed us what to do; you go down on your tummy, head-first, holding the front of the board up so you don’t go face-down into the sand! We spent the morning flying down 6 different runs, and on one of them I reached an insane speed of 70km/h! Woohooo!

Everyone had a blast, and though none of us really knew what to expect upon our arrival in Namibia, it turned out to be another fantastic port! On March 6^th, it was once again time to leave land behind us, saying goodbye to Africa for the last time.