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Published: September 4th 2009
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Photo 1
Freefall Leaving Etosha behind, we visit a local village belonging to the Himba tribe, a striking group of people who cover themselves in red pigmentation made from ochre. As this is our third village visit, I’m a little reluctant to go, and the experience mirrors those of previous visits, although as ever the children are a constant source of entertainment - particularly one youngster who insists on formally shaking everyone’s hand. At least this time the proceeds go towards a local orphanage, so the commercialism isn’t quite as obvious.
We make an early morning visit to the Cape Cross seal colony (noisy and smelly, and battered by enormous waves), then head to Swakopmund via one of the many shipwrecks which give the Skelton Coast its name.
Arriving in Swakupmond is a bit surreal... surrounded by desert, we arrive in a town filled with toy-town buildings all built on a grid pattern, a bit like Vegas (only a lot smaller and more Germanic). Swakopmund is the adventure capital of Namibia, and bordering the Namib Desert offers some great opportunities to sandboard, quad bike and sky dive... naturally, I try to do all 3! Our first day in town is the big
Photo 4
Team Skydive (photo thanks to Ollie Hanson) one... sandboarding in the morning, then skydiving in the afternoon. Lying flat on a piece of plywood doesn't sound like much fun, but doing it from the top of a sand dune is definitely worth a crack... even though I'm too long for my board and have to have two to stop all the sand going down my throat! Holding the two boards together impares my aerodynamics, so my top speed's not too impressive... gutted.
After lunch, an elite group heads over to the skydiving centre - a hut in the middle of the desert. As soon as I walk in, I'm suited up and shoved onto the plane, which is good as it means I don't have any time to brick myself about the fact that I'm going to jump out of a plane at 10,000ft! After a 20 minute ascent, we approach the drop zone. My instructor clips himself onto my back, and tells me to face out of the open door, with my right foot on the wheel support and my left foot on the edge. It's surprising how little you actually have to do in a tandem skydive... other than cross your arms and try
Photo 6
A shy Himba child to control your bowel! I watch the camera man go out backwards in front of me, then it's our turn... my instructor pushes me out and we freefall for about 30 seconds. I'm sure many people have tried, but describing the sensation of freefall couldn't ever do it justice... the landscape completely opens up and you're buffeted with wind, but it's not at all scary, and all I do for the entire descent is smile! Once the parachute is open, I get a chance to steer, turning in tight circles back towards the hut, and the rest of the guys waiting to see what it was like. Everyone has an awesome time, as people jump two at a time then run back to the others jumping and screaming about how amazing it is! A great day... and I wish I could have jumped again straight away!
The rest of our time in Swakopmund is a bit more relaxed, and sadly the quad biking is cancelled due to high winds (none of us fancied being sand-blasted).
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Mozza
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Smudger ...!
Smithy the blog and photos are brilliant. What a fantastic record of what you're up to mate. Am green with envy and can't wait to hook up with you in India brother. Really am looking forward to it. Is there anything you want us to bring out? If so shout me or if it's something from your folks place then get them to send it down to me. Take it easy player. Moz