Weekend at Walvis (Bay and Swakopmund)

After being rescued from the Namib-Naukluft Park in the Namib Desert, Jonathan and I continued on to our original destination of the Coast, specifically, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.

Swakopmund and Walvis Bay are two towns located on the West Coast of Namibia, two of the handful of places along the country’s Atlantic Ocean border that are actually navigable. A designated area north of Swakopmund is actually called the "Skeleton Coast"; don't worry, wasn't planning on traveling there, even on paved roads.

Swakopmund has become a major beach resort town, while Walvis Bay is a bit more industrial, yet relaxing, nonetheless. We decided to stay at a Bed & Breakfast in Swakopmund (the Intermezzo), and adventure in Walvis Bay. I really enjoyed the accomodations because it had a fabulous bathtub and calming view. It had been about 4 months since I soaked in a tub, and after C28 (be sure to read that post), I REALLY needed to relax.

Although the famous Walvis Bay pink flamingos were already gone (for the season), we were able to enjoy sailing with dolphins, seals, pelicans, and other aquatic life and birds during our morning cruise. We were also planning to go on a moonlight horseback ride, but no moon. (We did, however, get to see a whole lot of constellations during our night in the desert). Folks venture to Walvis Bay to kayak, sandboard (like boogie-board, but on sand dunes, rather than water waves), and enjoy the natural harbour. Our time was limited, even more so by our unexpected delays, so we took it easy, savoured the good food, and casually explored both towns.

Because of the location of Walvis Bay, there is some interesting political history there. For instance, while Namibia gained it's freedom in 1990, it wasn't until 1994 that the territory of Walvis Bay was officially transferred to the new nation of Namibia and became free.

As you can imagine, I have tons of pictures to share from this trip and from the time I arrived in Namibia; but, it literally takes about 20 minutes to upload one photo using the internet in Khorixas (and I pay by the volume, not the time). I'll try to get them up somehow.

NOTE: The formatting of this post seems to be a problem; I'll try to figure it out.