It was a bumpy ride last night but nothing fell over and we mostly slept through it. We are eager to go sightseeing again and today we are in Namibia. Namibia has already been on my countries visited list because of a trip made to Africa a few years ago that included visits to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia as we visited the Victoria Falls area. So how did Namibia make my visited list at that time? It turns out Namibia shares part of its border with Botswana, along the Zambezi River. We went to a floating restaurant in the Zambezi River that was located on the Namibia side of the river. While there I also had a Namibian beer so I rationalized that I had indeed visited Namibia. My conscious has bothered me (somewhat) about that claim since that time so today will clear my conscious and legitimize my claim of visiting the country of Namibia.

Namibia is the driest country in Sub-Saharan Africa and is noted for its huge sand dunes and the “skeleton coast”. It is a relative new country, having gained its independence from South Africa only in 1990. Prior to that it was a German colony in the late 19th century and into the 20th century before South Africa took over after WWI.  Its population is only about 2.5 million people. Its main economy is based on agriculture, tourism and mining (diamonds, uranium, gold silver). People rave about its physical attractions and the animals that inhabit its dramatic climate. Walvis Bay is the 2nd largest city of the country with a population of 62,000 people. Its deep water port is important to the country’s economy and has been since its discovery in back in 1485.

I chose a tour (Treasures of the Namib Desert by Off-Road Vehicle) that would take us away from the city and into the desert area surrounding it to see its famous dunes and a unique plant that supposedly lives for a thousand years! The Walvis Bay port where we docked was busy when we arrived but it was only a short distance before we entered a world of sand, sand and more sand! Because of these conditions we traveled in small groups(6) in 4WD vehicles as we soon found ourselves on sand and dirt roads. We soon entered Namib-Naukluft National Park, noted for its moonscape like landscape and made several stops for pictures and explanations about the area and the vegetation that somehow manages to thrive there. The major attraction in the area is to see the endemic Welwitschia (named after the Austrian botanist and doctor, Friedrich Welwitsch, who first saw and described it in 1859) plant which can often live a thousand years. It is not a pretty plant in my opinion!

We stopped at an oasis in the park for some refreshments and snacks before proceeding to the famous Dune 7 located near Walvis Bay. It is the tallest dune in Namibia, with a height of 1,256 feet!  Its name is because it is the seventh dune after crossing the Tsauchab River. We were given time to climb it (if you hurried) which many younger people who were visiting it were doing. If you are successful the fun thing is to slide down it on a sheet of plastic or cardboard! We chose the wiser option of walking (not easy as the sand is very fine and you tend to sink in at each step) part of the way up and simply enjoying the views.

After experiencing the dune we were driven to the Walvis Bay Lagoon where a huge flock of flamingos resided. It was quite a sight.

On our way back to the ship I was impressed by some of the waterfront homes lining the shore. You would have thought you were in the USA. The homes were large and very modern and we were told the prices were cheap (by US standards). Too bad it is so hard to get here!

The entertainment this evening was a Beatles Dance Party hosted by the singers of the Production staff and the Regent Signature orchestra. We watched a bit but decided it was a bit too chaotic for us and retired to the luxury of our suite.

This is the last port of call before we reach our disembarking port of Cape Town, South Africa, but to get there we have one more day at sea to enjoy.