54. From hot dunes to stinky seals

Loads of sun (plus the heat that comes along with it) and red sand dunes are the ingredients of our next day. At a quarter past six the gates to the park open and we of course, early birds we are, are present. We want to enjoy one of the oldest and driest ecosystems on earth before the sun makes us want to sit in shade we can’t find and enjoy a nice cold drink we don’t have.

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You can hike on the dunes and one of the most accessible of the large red dunes is Dune 45 which rises 150 meters above our heads. As it is the most accessible we, for obvious reasons, decide not to hike it. No, we, with no sense of any perspective on how big the dunes actually are, want to choose one where nobody else is setting foot on.  Dune K&K as we call it, is our target. It looks big but not too high. Not even sure we are actually aloud to hike this one, but oh well, we can do this! Why go where all tourists go when you can suffer on your own dune that is way higher than you expected! LOL Walking up is no walk in the park. For reasons my friends will understand, I do not make it all the way up. I sit down several times and stand up again to do 50 more steps but somewhere along the line I have enough and sit down to enjoy the scenery. Kosta however does like sports and he suffers his way to the top. By the time we are walking down again the sun has already heat up the sunny side of the dune.

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Our final destination in this warm and sweaty environment is Sossusvlei, a large pan of cracked, dry mud that is set amid red  sand dunes. By the time we are there it is incredibly hot. It’s almost hard to believe how hot it can be during the day when at night it can all of a sudden be very, very cold. And it is wintertime now, I don’t want to know how hot it is going to be when my friends Martine and Bart will be here in November.

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In the afternoon we move on toward Swakopmund. And this is what we love the most about this beautiful country: you can bush camp everywhere! Namibia counts just over 2 million inhabitants, spread over an area of 825.000 sq. km. That means more than enough space left for us …:

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… to choose a great spot for the night

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… to enjoy a sun downer

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… and to take a shower in all privacy

Before arriving in Swakopmund we stop at Walvis Bay, a harbour town. The only real reason we stop here is so Kosta could eat a schnitzel at Willi Probst bakery & Cafe. And let me tell you people, we have enjoyed our lunch! Never did chicken with mushroom sauce taste so good! And as for the schnitzel, jawohl, it makes feel Kosta right at home. : )

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German products you don’t have to miss in Namibia

Swakopmund is also a place where without any doubt Germans feel at home. It is a beautiful town full of them. Here you find everything you need. From nice supermarkets to internet possibilities, from bookshops with loads of German books to your typical tourist gift shops. From historical buildings spread over town to a sea-side promenade, yes, Swakopmund has it all. What they don’t have anymore is a brewery. The former Hansa brewery where you had the ample opportunity to sample the golden drink, has closed down. Kosta was looking forward to do an ‘educational’ tour of it but unfortunately the beer-maker has relocated.

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Desperation of a thirsty fan

A mere 100 km north of Swakopmund they also have a smelly seals colony. Seals might be cute but oh goodness do they stink! After almost vomiting three times I make my way down to the car. Good thing I have seen countless in my life, I have no urge to force myself to look at them one minute longer than needed. Kosta, who finds this very amusing, stays out a bit longer to enjoy the company of this funny creatures. I think he just wants to proof he can actually stand the smell. LOL

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1 comment:

  1. I like this part...myabe it's because of one photo LOL LOL

    ReplyDelete