Blogs from Swakopmund, Namibia, Africa - page 6

Finally we arrive in a town, Swakopmund, an adrenaline town at that. We start with a talk about all of the activities we can do, I opt for fishing and sky diving. It also means we have internet access and stay in dorms in hostel Amanpuri so have beds! This is the night of the stag/hen do so we need the comfort of dorms with mirrors and hair dryer facilities! At 2pm I'm picked up for my sky dive, it's not really hit me yet and doesn't until I'm hanging out of the plane. Katie and Sheriden are also jumping, Richelle is tagging along to watch and take photos. We've each opted to have our own cameraman for $70 extra so we can't all fit in the plane at the same time, it only holds 6 ... read more

Windhoek, Swakopmund, Cape Cross Watched the sun rise in a stunning African sky, completely cloudless with a huge sun. Unfortunately it was Joburg airport and zero degrees, and another few hours to ur destination of Windhoek. Both felt an intital surge of pleasure at being back in Africa as we drove West to the seaside and desret resort of Swakopmund. Many things very different to our time in Kenya, 17 years ago now, good level roads, Western petrol stations (including this one I'm using the internet in). Towns all clean and tidy. After a week here we're getting used to the desert climate, wrapping up warm to start the day, peeling off layers of jumpers as it warms up, boiling hot in the middle of the day, then suddenly cool to cold in the evening. In ... read more

June 10th Sleeping on the truck sounds like such a great idea before you goto bed, and it really is, but the sacrifice is waking up in the morning covered in morning dew. It’s not the most pleasant, it’s cold and wet and you don’t feel like you’re going ever be dry again. So after a semi-miserable morning wake up we sat around the remnants of the fire and tried warming up with tea and toast while talking about what the day had in store for us. To make the morning that much more…experience-filled the truck was stuck in the sand again. That meant that Farron, Nicio, Luke and I got a thick layer of sand on us to compliment the morning dew that was still drying. No big deal though, just not ideal morning labor ... read more

Right then, a horrifically overdue update on the trip so far - time and t'internet connections have been against me for most of this last section but now I have both, so here we go... Last report was from Vic Falls, so might as well continue from there, and go via Botswana to where I am at the moment, which is Swakopmund in south-western Namibia. Vic Falls: We had a few days in Vic Falls to explore the place. To be fair, half an hour would probably have done for the 'town' itself, basically just two streets crammed with tour operators, backpackers lodges, fast food shops and bars, but the main reason for anyone to visit here isn't the town, it's the huge wall of water that you can hear from several km away. Due to ... read more

Swakopmund It’s the Weekend! Swakopmund {Whoever came up with a name like Swakopmund??? } brands itself “The Adrenaline Capital of Namibia” with a number of Adventure Sports on offer. We are in Swakopmund for a long weekend and we don’t have to put up any tents. We’re in dormitory rooms at the Swakop Lodge. While we are here we are encouraged to sign up for sky-diving, sand-boarding and other such sports. Really I should be looking for “The Horlicks Capital of Namibia” but I sign up for a Dolphin Cruise and a Quad-Biking session. Friday Night is Party Night The town of Swakopmund is bigger than I expected. A lot of it is quite new and modern-looking but there are still some of the old German colonial buildings surviving. A lot of the businesses are geared ... read more