Due to our late departure from Cape Town we arrived into Walvis Bay substantially later than planned, about 10am. Overnight a heavy fog had descended, making the arrival at complete odds with our experience so far on this trip
This put considerable strain on the small number of Namibian immigration officials that had come aboard to process the excursion groups ASAP, and then the hordes of other passengers waiting to disembark for the day.
Eventually all the tours had got away and it was our turn to disembark. The plan was to take the free shuttle to a shopping mall designated as the drop off point, at which you could then wander about and do your own thing. Excellent. That was until we saw the queue for the shuttle. In our estimation it would take about an hour just to get a ride. At that point sheer impatience paid off. An enterprising local was selling places in his minivan for $20 per head to visit the flamingo lagoon, salt pan / pink lake, dune 7 and Swakopmund. All he needed was another 10 bodies. After some more haranguing of those waiting we eventually found more punters and off we went. This turned out to be an excellent spur-of-the-moment decisions. Our driver, Freddy, delivered exactly as asked.
Flamingo Lagoon.
Be in no doubt, readers, there are flamingos here. Thousands of pink flamingos. Meredith was delighted as this site was one she really wanted to visit. To give you an idea, in the below photo you can see QM2 in the distance. It would have been a shame to have missed this given it was relatively close to the ship.
Salt Pan / Pink Lake
Not much to see here except a big pile of salt. And a pink lake.
We moved on pretty quickly, although some in our group were clearly transfixed.
Dune 7
The photos below really don’t do this place justice. You might just be able to pick out the dark spots on the dune crest: they are, indeed people, hardy souls who made the trek up the side of the dune. We did not do this as time was limited, and our previous experience of climing dunes in Namibia was not stellar. I’d wager we are not in better shape today given Dean’s dodgy knee and Meredith’s dodgy airways.
Swakopmund
We had visited Swakopmund on our last trip to Africa in 2003. Back then, after a week or so sleeping in a tent our guide offered us the option of a solid roof, bed and our own shower and we jumped at it. We were dropped at a point close to the waterfront and were given about 30 minutes to wander around. We took the opportunity to buy some bits and pieces that should see us through to the Canary Islands in 7 days time and also some quick snaps along the way.
Return to QM2
We then took a scenic coast road back to Walvis Bay to meet up with the ship. The drive back was stunning, with impressive sand dunes along the entire route. Our driver made it back to the ship at about 6.00pm, in plenty of time to meet the 8.30pm last-aboard cutoff. Time for a G & T and watch the sun go down from our balcony.
A perfect end to a day we hadn’t planned.
Now, 7 days and 3800 nautical miles on the water to the Canary Islands.
Great pictures and insight of what a day in the life looks like for you, I also would have loved the flamingoes like M. Can’t wait to see what the Canary Islands look like, stay healthy!!!
Thanks guys. Long haul now to next stop but seas have been like glass so a very smooth ride.
Cheers, Dean