Namibia Day 4: Atlantic Ocean from Africa

---

Looks about the same except the sun sets on it from this side. We didn't really do any of the things we had planned to do today. We attempted to do them, including driving out to the Quad Bike stop just north of Walvis Bay, but Jennifer thought it was too touristy and there were definitely a ton of people and I was never all that hot on it so we took off. All of the tours are guided, which is probably a good idea for safety's sake but takes some of the fun out of it. The locals seem to take it very seriously however, with some guys donning full racing gear like motocross suits.

Swakopmund

We attempted to go to the beach today near the lighthouse as suggested by William and Thea but it was just too cold outside. We may be in the Tropics during summertime but the air and water currents are not favorable to oceanfront activities. On top of that it seems the wind robs the beaches of all the good sand and accumulates it on a long dune a couple of hundred meters inland. So the beaches, at least in the immediate vicinity of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund are not powder sand but rocks and a bit coarser sand that cannot lift - your typical east coast sand you would find in the US.

We did walk around town and made the day of all the merchants in the African crafts market. Very few things are Namibian there and we negotiated items we had held off buying in Zimbabwe and tried to hold these poor fellows to Zimbabwe prices. Very much to their consternation. I squeezed one guy good but I know I got fleeced by another. But that's okay, they were all good guys. In hindsight, the guys who really needed it are in Zimbabwe. When someone asks you for an old t-shirt or shoes when you will not give cash, that is a sign of difficulty. The Zimbabweans are desperate. As Elton said today, selling his woodblock prints, "they did it to themselves." Yes, Rhodesia is self-determining today, cannot blame Mugabe, the burden is shared. The town is very different from anything we have seen so far as it is clearly a tourist town that does well and the blacks are a minority on the streets. Our first time walking about in an urban environment.

We have found a painting we very much like from a Botswana artist, a painting of Botswana, but a landscape not unfamiliar to what we have seen. So that is the only agenda for tomorrow. We are off to drinks and dinner with Thea and William after visiting their hotel the Sea Side Hotel and Spa.

Life in Swakopmud

We had a wonderful dinner with Thea and William at their home north of Swakopmund. This is the type of thing you miss out on in a tour and I would not trade it for the amount of security compromised by doing things on your own intelligently. Tour guides may say they will give you something authentic, but nothing beats serendipity. To recap, we met Thea and William because we had to share a table at Kooiki's restaurant last night and we struck up a pleasant conversation so that they invited us to their place for dinner.

They came to Villa Margherita so that we may follow them back home, and interesting drive in itself, as few tourists would see this part of Swakopmund. William is connected with the military locally and has developed the Sea Side Resort and Spa in conjunction with them on a parcel of land they own. He likewise built a number of homes on this tract and his own home the beach. William and Thea are much like pioneers of 19th century America, engaged in every manner of business, the most recent being a move away from building to a large scale pig farm, the first of its kind to exacting international standards in Namibia. A pig factory is the more exact representation as he mentioned how the waste are below his pigs is only such a depth compared to a place near Las Vegas which is of a stunning depth which meant nothing to me beyond his emphasis that it was exceptional there. Quantities of waste, I suppose, are a good indication of the productivity of such a place and his does not seem too shabby.

Their home and hotel is interesting, architects seem to be few and far between, there is little restriction on building codes, and all elements of design, including lighting and landscaping, are apparently the province of the builder himself. The cursory conclusion after a walk about the center of town, discussions with Thea and William, and a visit of their hotel is that the market is wide open for quality retail and hospitality venues. It is just that nothing has quite yet been built to world-class standards and this is likely derived from the conclusion that because population is so light in the country and in each town, that they are not warranted. I would disagree, but a good hotel and a good shopping center would decimate what is already there and so may not be in the best interest of the business community in general. But who wants to use mediocrity as a standard.

There home is very sizable, as large as the 30+ room hotel, I joked, an industrial-modern build with the braai located in the living room adjacent to a very respectable kitchen. Very respectable means that the equipment is there, almost as if obtained on the same purchase order as the hotel's with a commercial walk-in freezer, refrigerator, built-in cappuccino machine, etc. The braai itself is indoors with a well-executed ventilation system that William clearly understands, for some top-notch grilling of meats, together with a large drawer below it to store all manner of proper bush wood to give the right flavors. I think they accommodated us by serving beef, chicken, and pork - which was very nice of them, but I was hoping for some exotic meat that would have been killed on their farm near Etosha Park as they had described. The freezer certainly had lots of meat in it. Thea made a very good salad with Feta, which seems to be a big thing among the Afrikaners, but I don't think they know that Feta is in fact Greek. Southern Africa is much like America. We enjoyed a lot of Castle Beers before dinner as William proudly confirmed that Namibia is one of the top 5 consumers of beer per capita, followed by a good Spier Merlot for dinner. We talked about many things, some of them having to do with the world's (and Namibia's) perception of America in the world (more than passing observations) to black/white relations which of course southern Africa and America have much to discuss.

In any event, I have to go now and I don't know how well I've characterized things, but question me and I will happily relate more. A review from Jennifer will be helpful as well as my mind is going and I just don't remember things all that well, especially when I am being pumped full of Castles.

---

Photos

Courtyard at Villa Margherita
Very well done. Our room is just to the right of Jennifer's head.

Villa Margherita Swakopmund
Old house built by a German in 1913.

Church on Daniel Tjongarero Avenue
Across the corner from Villa Margherita, the most beautiful in the city, but not the most central.

Daniel Tjongarero Avenue Swakopmund
Walking down the street towards town. The vibrant pedestrian area is only at the very center of town, the area east and north of Villa Margherita is the ultimate border for tourists.

Swakopmund City Hall
Definitely a German build.

Swakopmund Beaches
This is immediately south of the Swakop River. Many barnacles, mussels, and crawfish in the area.

On the Rocks
Jennifer on the Atlantic Coast of Namibia!

Looking Southward on the Namibian Coast
Notice the deep blue hue of the sky from the Ocean and the pink hue of the sky above the dunes from the vast Namib Desert.

Coastal Rocks
These are more dangerous than they may appear. The area north of Swakopmund is known as Skeleton Coast as this is the most shipwrecked coastline in the world. One other area of Namibia I would have liked to have seen.

View of Swakopmund
From the area just south of the mouth of the Swakop River.

Jetty from Tug Restaurant
The Tug Restaurant is actually quite nice, we did not try the food but the service and beer was good.

Comments

[Thea]

Hi from William and Thea
Hallo Manny and Jennifer. Hope you are doing well and are enjoying Cape Town. If you are back at home, please do send me some photo's of the shopping centre you are about to open. Also send the name of the person you know from Cape Town, maybe I aught to just try and hear if he is interested..? (I do not think it is good that you mentioned the Cheetah?) Can you take it out or not? Warm regards. Your friends in Namibia

[The Steiners]

Visit to Swakopmund
Thea and WIlliam, we had a great time! Thank you for contacting me on the blog, it has been difficult getting a hold of an internet connection until today. I will send you an email. I can take the Cheetah out, if you would like me to. But on the other hand I think it is important for people to understand what is happening, and that there is a good reason for things happening the way they do. let me know.