Swakopmund – Walvis Bay

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May 9, Thursday Swakopmund - Walvis Bay
We all got up early today. Charlene, Trevor, Tavis, Megan, Dakotah and I got away from the house before 9am. We stopped for one pee break on the way. Just before getting into Swakopmund Charlene got two big chips in the windshield from a sand truck throwing out rocks. First thing when we pulled into Swakopmund we went to a Pick and Pay Grocery store to get some tape for the windshield and we picked some lunch food too. We visited the snake farm too. That was very cool. They told us about all the nasty snakes in Namibia. The boys got to hold a pythonwhich decided to entangle Tavis and Dakotah together. The Zebra snake has venom that decomposes flesh and there is no antivenin. The staff there are really knowledgeable and friendly. Its worth a stop there for sure. After we had enough of the snakes we headed over to Walvis Bay and the Casa Yeovella Guest house where we would stay for the night. It’s a really nice place with the rooms surrounding a courtyard so its really safe and there are friendly great people running the operation. The only thing is they didn’t give directions very well. The couple who were taking care of the guest house work with Open Doors but they are filling in to let the owners take a holiday. We asked them if there is a good seafood place there for our dinner. We had our lunch and headed off to Dune 7. First we had to get dune boards. We pulled in to a gas station to get boards and noticed there was a nice dining area in the corner. I say to Charlene “Maybe we should eat here tonight” joking. Then we go up to the till and notice that there is a takeout counter selling spring rolls. Steve’s Takeout. That’s where they told us to go for seafood. Ha. There was no seafood. Another laughable moment. I think you had to be there. Off we go to Dune 7 - the largest dune in the Namib Dessert which runs along the Atlantic ocean from the middle of Namibia into Angola. I couldn’t guess how tall this Dune was but I managed to climb to the top of it. You take one step forward and slide two back down. The kids played around for quite a while. The boards didn’t slide well (they needed to be waxed) but it was fun. Then a few of them log rolled down. They went so fast down that slope. Once everyone was down and trying to get the sand out of their clothes and from their ears, toes and hair, Trevor was over talking to the quad rides guy. He negotiated a deal for the four kids to go for a guided quad ride on the dunes. They had a blast. Dakotah wasn’t very confident at first but very good at the end. I was glad to see their excitement when they got back. That made up for the non-slippery boards. Back at the guest house everyone needed showers to get the sand out. Charlene and I went and got KFC for the kids to eat in the room and we went out to a restaurant for seafood. - Not Steve’s takeout. The Raft restaurant, on pilings out over the ocean was almost too fancy for me but they served a great Seafood platter. Walvis Bay is famous for flamingos. ( and Dune 7 ) There were flamingos under the dock at night. I was surprised to see them. With full bellies and comfy beds we all had a good night’s sleep.

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Comments

[Charlene (from Namibia!!)]

FUN!
Thanks for the GOOD TIME while you were here, you two! It was a PLEASURE to have you! Come again sometime and we'll go to STEVE's for some SEEfood (maybe it does sound like CHINESE?)! HA! I managed to find a place to get the rock chips repaired (AMAZING!!!)... it was in the basement of a parking garage, in a dark corner, but they did a fine job (not to Canadian standards... but DONE...)! Kids have settled down a lot (not sure why they were so freaky while you were here... but believe it or not they have calmed down a little... I have had 5 extra kids at my house for the last few days and they asked if they can stay a little longer :0\ We'll see!). Well, no more chasing Oryx, Kudu and whatever those other ones were for a while now... or RABBITS!!! Keep in touch! Love Charlene

[Charlene (from Namibia!!)]

Goat Transportation
Ok... so yesterday morning Josef (my yard guy... the one whose wife dropped dead on the Friday before you arrived!) showed up at the house... he said he needed to buy a little Bok (I was thinking Springbok...) to feed the family for the funeral which will finally take place 2 weeks later! So I got ready and took him around town (unfortunately it was a holiday... so no meat stores open)... then he decided that we would drive out into the BUSH (with my car... oh if only it was our 4x4!!!), to find his BOK... it was a GOAT! Anyway, we come to this farm and he goes and picks his goat (ALIVE) and ties a leg and puts it in the back of my car (ALIVE)! I paid for it (with the money from those WONDERFUL UK volunteers! God will bless them!!!) and off we went with this WAILING goat in the back of my car, flopping around, kicking things, wailing, crying, pooping... yes POOPING all over the back! :0) THIS IS AFRICA! Well the family was happy... and I came home and had some of the hundred kids who are staying at the house, clean out the car!!! HA! Ok there are only 10 now (just saw 2 more heading over there on my way here!!!). Pete is in the north again with Joe (finishing up the tiling of the Ark!), its just me and a houseful of kids! Don't you wanna come back!?!?!?! Catch you later! Charlene