I'm sweating happily as I write to you all from the open-air dining room at the Imbabala Camp on the Zambesi River in Zimbabwe to tell you about our drive to a cool foggy vacation town on the Namibian Coast and our stay there.
German-built Swakopmund, where we spent two nights, and Walvis (sounds like "Val Fish) Bay to the south, the most important port for Namibia and interior southern Africa were the destination of our all-day drive north and west from the Namib Desert Lodge.
We stopped en route in Solitaire for a sample of the famous apple strudel and for us and fuel for our car. Stopping for fuel when ever you see a petrol station is good advice for anyone driving in the remote areas of Namibia where we travelled. The roadside scenery was of grazing land with a backdrop of dry mountain ranges to the east. We were advised to avoid the main road to Walvis Bay and were treated to relatively smooth gravel surfaces and the sight of this tame zebra with his horse pals at one corner. We also "had to stop" for a picture of the massive pink granite domes that appeared to the east of our route.
When we arrived in the town, we were eager for a walk and were delighted to see the German roots of the popular tourist destination reflected in the architecture including this imposing cream-colored mansion that graces a downtown corner. The ample and varied breakfast fare at the Swakopmund Guest House also can trace its roots to the land of my maternal great-grandpa Knapp, the son of a Buffalo New York wine merchant from Cologne. The picture show about 1/3 of the breakfast buffet table.
On 0903, after stuffing ourselves with cured meats and fruit and muesli, we were off for a catamaran tour of Walvis Bay. Our tour guide was an entertaining guy who treated us to on board visits by seals and pelicans whom he had trained to come for fish snacks. At the stern of the boat he attracted a eager flock to fill their bills and bellies from his bucket and a handsome youngster who posed for me on the cabin top. We visted the seal colony and laid on the "trampolines" between the hulls of the catamaran to thrill to the dolphins who came to surf in the bow wakes. The finish our tour we were served fresh oysters and sparkling wine as we motored back to the dock.
After our morning on the water, we drove along the road to the Walvis Bay salt works to enjoy the shore birds, took a welcome nap to soothe our windswept cheeks, and "dined in with cheese and crackers and an excellent South African red wine.
The next day we set off for Twyfelfontein with a wade with Paula in the Atlantic to sample the temperature of the Benguela Current. We pronounced it "not as cold" as the Japan Current that sweeps the northern California coast.
I'm glad all of you are smart folks, because it seems that, as I see the order of the pictures for this post on my trusty iPhone, good ol' Blogger wants to challenge your intellects with an order of images taht does not match the text. have fun!
Love from Zimbabwe and a view across the river to Zambia -- are we really here?
Love and hugs,
Marian
