Wednesday 27t July - travel to Swakopmund

Blimey, it was freezing last night!  Almost a frost on the desert grass this morning.  Break camp and load up the truck as we head back out to Solitaire on the C14 gravel road.  The dune mountains fade into the distance as the landscape flattens out to the grasses we saw before, with only distant island mountains punching up through the plains.  After a quick coffee and apple pie stop at Solitaire (real filter coffee!  Some of us almost wet themselves with excitement), we retrace our route on the C19 on the road to Walvis Bay.  As we get near the grasses give way to gravel then yellow sand, and that’s all there is.  We pass a uranium mine (or was it zinc?  Who said salt?  It’s all minerals whatever).  Worse, blue sky gives way to clouds Urrgh!  Walvis Bay (meaning Bay of Whales) is a small industrial town built around a massive deep water port.  One of the biggest on the West African Coast.  We spot some Flamingos.  But they look a bit drab under the cloudy sky. Back in the truck and 30 mins later we reach Swakopmund – a much nicer town.  Very much an adrenaline junkies hot spot.  There’s everything here: quad biking and sand boarding on the dunes, parapenting, sailing, fishing, skydiving, whale watching, kite surfing etc.  And that’s before lunch!  After we unpack at the Fischreier Guest House, it’s off to the dunes.  Combo quad biking and sand boarding.  And as Barry Smith would say if he were here – it’s a good as it gets.  Fantastic ear-to-ear-grinning fun (and a mouthful of sand to boot).  After 3 hours we crest the final dune to see the (non-existent) sun set.  Pity it was cloudy.  In the evening we head off to The Wreck – best restaurant in town allegedly.   We have a fun time and see off all the other guests by 8.30pm.  The bill is over £500.

(Post script Friday evening.  Hello to all our chums at the Griffins Head on Friday night.  Get Jerry to put one in the wood for us.  We are currently at the Brandberg Mountain.  White Lady Lodge.  This really is the middle of nowhere)