Swakopmund

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This weekend we took a four hour bus ride on the intercape mainliner to the coastal town of Swakopmund. Namibia used to be a German colony and Swakopmund reflects this heritage. We stayed at a place called Brigadoon B and B that was really nice and served delicious breakfasts with bacon and eggs in the garden. Our first night we had dinner at a place called Kucki's pub. I had a local fish called kingklip which was white and flaky and really delicious. Katie had a lovely surf and turf. We tried another local beer called Hansa which is really nice. Then we headed over to the pier to watch the sunset. Swakop is on the west coast of Namibia which makes it on the other side of the Atlantic from the US. It was spectacular and there was some fog above the water so it looked like the sky ate the sun before it could get to the water.

On Saturday we had the best day! We started the morning with a boat tour with a group called Ocean Adventures. We took a boat tour around Walvis Bay. We learned that oysters in Namibia grow 3 times as fast as other places because the water is so cold that they always stuff their faces (or whatever part of the body they eat through) like it's winter. We saw pelicans, cormorants, two types of dolphins, and bunches of seals. One seal named Spotty jumped up onto the boat and we were able to pet him (his fur was soft and smooth). In the morning we had "sea coffee" (brandy) and then in the afternoon there was lunch including champagne and freshly shucked raw oysters. We both swallowed the first one whole. I wasn't so into it but Katie had another and chewed and enjoyed it. (and no vibrio yet either!) As we were pulling into the dock another seal shocked a lady by jumping up onto the boat right next to her. The guide told us not to pet this one because he bites! When we got back to the dock there were two pelicans hanging out and begging from people. It was really cold on the boat but so beautiful!

Then we had a break and did some people watching over delicious pastries at Cafe Anton. In the afternoon we went on a quad biking tour which was so incredibly amazing! We highly recommend the experience if you ever have the opportunity. We first spent an hour on the quad bikes going through the sand dunes. Being in the dunes is surreal, it seems like you are on another planet! It was just the two of us with the guide so we got to go wherever we wanted. Then we took a break from biking and went sand boarding which is like sledding on sand. You take this thick waxed piece of cardboard, lay on it, hold up the front and push off! It seemed really steep and scary at first but once we got going it was really fun! After a few runs on the board we dumped out the dunes that had accumulated in our shoes and got back on the quads. The whole ride back our amazing guide Todo rode kind of backwards and took photos and videos of us. It may have been a bit dangerous on his part, but he ended the ride in one piece. He told us that he is from the northern region of the country and speaks oshiwambo. He works in Swakop during the holidays but then when all the tourists clear out he heads back home to find work.

When we got back to the hotel we were covered in sand and spent about 20 minutes on the front porch shaking out and brushing off all of it before heading in for showers. Then we headed to The Tug Restaurant for another delicious dinner. The restaurant is made out of an old tug boat. I had another local fish called Kabeljou and Katie had Kingklip with lobster and mushroom sauce. I had a nice south african white wine and Katie tried another local beer, Tafel which she compares to Yuengling. Then we headed to the hotel for some much needed sleep after our busy day.

In the morning we did some shopping downtown and then caught our bus home. This ride was a bit hot and crowded but we managed to survive. It was such a wonderful weekend and now we are rejuvenated and ready to tackle another week of work!

http://www.brigadoonswakopmund.com/
http://www.kuckispub.com/
http://www.oceanadvnamibia.com/
http://www.outback-orange.com/
http://www.the-tug.com/

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