Postcards from Namibia

Sandy Namibia

When and Where: 03/2023 – Luderitz, Walvis Bay, Dune 7

70^th Country Visited; 7^th African Country Visited

Interesting Facts:

- Namibia is the second least densely populated country in the world. Namibia is twice the size of California but only has 2.5 million people.

- The Namib Desert is the oldest desert in the world. And Namibia is the only place in the world where a desert meets an ocean.

- Dune 7 is the tallest sand dune in Africa and the 7^th tallest sand dune in the world.

With beautiful visions of Cape Town South Africa etched in my mind, Namibia was a bit of a bust. Although there was nothing wrong with Namibia, it was not nearly as beautiful as South Africa. The Zuiderdam made two port stops in Namibia: Luderitz and Walvis Bay. Formerly known as German South West Africa, Namibia was colonized by Germany between 1884-1890. There are still a lot of German influences in the architecture, the food, and the culture. German in still spoken in parts of the country. In 1915 during World War I, Great Britain and South African forces invaded Namibia and the Germans surrendered. Renamed South West Africa, it merged with the British controlled South Africa as one colony. In 1990, the territory broke away from South Africa and formed the new nation, Namibia.

Namibia, the 70^th country I’ve visited, felt very safe. I was excited to get off the ship in Luderitz, our first of the two stops in Namibia. I decided to wear my only green shirt in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. However, it was chilly and drizzly in the morning, so I also wore my 302 (Delaware) jacket. Luderitz is an old German village along the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a very windy and dusty location. Upon disembarkation, I boarded a bus chartered by Across Africa Tours, a Delaware based company who matched our ports of call with their tours. I had previously heard mixed reviews about Across Africa Tours from passengers who used them before, but their prices were half the cost of Holland America tours and the excursion were longer.

Along with nine other passengers, I boarded the minivan in Luderitz. Our first stop, Kolmanskuppe, was a short drive from the pier and at the foot of the Namib Desert. It is an abandoned diamond mining ghost town. Founded in 1908, Kolmanskuppe was once a small but rich diamond mining village. The abandoned buildings are now a tourist attraction. The village contained everything needed to run a small town: living quarters for families, a bunkhouse for single men, restaurants, shops, bars, an ice factory and the first X-ray station in the Southern Hemisphere. The town was ultimately abandoned in 1956. Some of the remaining buildings had hundred-year-old intricate furnishings inside. Our next stop was Diaz Point, the 1488 landing location of the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Diaz. A large cross memorial was later erected atop a tall stone mound overlooking the Atlantic Ocean where Diaz landed. I, along with 2 of the other 9 passengers hiked to the top of the cliff for the amazing view. A short distance away is Diaz Point Lighthouse, a red and white striped beacon light which dates back to 1915. On the route back toward town, we stopped to take pictures of the flamingos in a nearby shallow lake. From there, we proceeded to Agate Beach. There was nothing special about the beach except that it was at the foot of the desert. After a brief stop, we jumped back in the van and headed back to downtown Luderitz.

Once in Luderitz, we stopped at Felsenkirche, also known as The Church of the Rock. The German Evangelical Lutheran church was completed in 1912. This beautiful yellow-hued Gothic church sits atop a granite outcrop overlooking downtown Luzeritz all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. The church was stunning inside and elaborately decorated with rich wood tones. The large ornate stained-glass window behind the altar was donated by German Kaiser Wilhelm II. Our final stop was at a grocery store in downtown. I walked around for about 15 minutes before heading back to the ship. The charming waterfront had palm lined roads and quaint cafes. The town was cute overall, but certainly not one of my favorite destinations.

The next day we arrived in Walvis Bay. We arrived to another chilly and drizzly morning. I disembarked early and began to search for my Across Africa tour. As I walked along the pier alone, I was accosted by at least 25 aggressive vendors. I powered through the crowd in search of my tour. I couldn’t find signage anywhere indicating my tour was at the pier. I called my contact in the US. She tried multiple times to reach the charter company. Unfortunately, she couldn’t reach anyone by phone and offered me a refund. I ran into two people I know from the ship and a newer member of the crew. We agreed to hire a driver to take us to three locations: a beach with Flamingos, the infamous Dune 7, and the Dune Mall. The nearby beach wasn’t very interesting other than watching the flamingos. However, the homes near the beach were upscale and modern. Next the driver took us to Dune 7. On the way, he commented on my Rehoboth Beach sweatshirt. It turned out that there is a Rehoboth Namibia, just south of the national capital Windhoek. The driver was from Rehoboth. He wanted my sweatshirt, but I had nothing else to wear. We did pose for pictures together with him pointing at my sweatshirt.

Hiking Dune 7 was the most physically challenging thing I have ever done. At 1,256 feet, it is the highest sand dune in Africa and the 7^th highest sand dune in the world. It is the 7^th in a series of dunes that start at the Atlantic Ocean and go inland. It’s a steep and challenging climb. I chose to hike barefoot to get more traction, but I wasn’t getting much traction at all. For every 5 steps I took upward, my sandy feet slipped back 3 steps. My heart felt like it was beating out of my chest due to a combination of the exhaustion of the climb and my overall fear of heights. My mouth was parched, but I was determined not to give up. The last 200 feet or so, I was crawling on my hands and knees. I knew I was going to make it to the top or have a heart attack and roll down. Naomi, the crew member who joined me, made it to the top first after about 50 minutes. I was another 10 minutes behind her. At the apex, we both posed for pictures and photographed the scenery below. Instead of climbing back down the dune, I chose to slide on my butt, which was faster. At the bottom, I was completely covered in sand. As we drove back to Walvis Bay, we stopped along the highway to take pictures capturing all of Dune 7. Afterward the driver took us to Dune Mall, a modern mall close to the dune. The mall featured groceries, alcohol, housewares and more. While there, I stopped in Woolworth’s, my favorite African chain store. Similar to the former American Woolworth’s, there was a lunch counter and various departments such as ladies clothes, men’s clothes and housewares. Unlike the former Woolworth’s, they also sell alcohol and groceries. I spent about ½ hour walking around before I met back up with the driver and passengers to go back to the ship. Overall, I liked Namibia. It’s sleepy and beautiful. It’s different from the other African countries, but I enjoyed my experience, especially hiking Dune 7.