Stepping onto Africa

Stepping onto Africa!

What a strange and beautiful coastline to awaken to. There were treeless mountains and sand instead of tropical looking mountains; very different from the previous two ports. There was dust swirling over the horizon. The QM2 is massive and looked bigger than the port town of Walvis Bay. Once customs and government work was finished the tour groups met and headed off in different directions. I had chosen the 4×4 option, which means 4 wheel drive vehicles heading first to the giant sand dunes, and then into the Namib desert in search of jackals, giraffes and moonscapes.

There was something magical in taking my first step onto the African continent. It was exhilarating and I felt alive and part of a very, very large world.

Our first stop was Dune No. 7, easily seen from the moment we left the port area. There was a mist hanging over the road and our guide and driver, Emma, was careful as the mist makes the roads very slippery and dangerous. Emma is a 3rd generation Afrikaaner of German descent. She and her husband live further out towards the capital of Namibia and she does tours to help support the new larger reserve/acreage they have purchased. She speaks several languages including Afrikaans, German, English and a dialect whose name escapes me.

The stop at Dune No. 7 was unearthly beautiful. The wind makes sharp top lines and symmetrical swirling patterns in the sand. The colors shift in the sunlight. This dune does not travel, but some do. We were invited to climb and I started up. It didn’t look that tall or steep, but I was definitely proved wrong and after 100 feet climbed my way down again. Beautiful to look at, tricky to climb, lol. One step up, two sliding steps down. What an intrepid explorer, lol.

We drove considerably further out towards the Namib Desert and entered the national park which is made up of mostly of the Namib. Small granite mountains, rocks, gullies and suddenly jackals! They were definitely not impressed or scared by us but we were definitely impressed by them. Larger in real life than imagined, they stared at us then loped away. There were many lizards and many rocks! Rose quartz, granite, iron, and bronze looking rocks everywhere. Four wheel drive was definitely needed as we wound our way through rough valleys and bounced over bumpy dirt roads. We stopped at a place known as “Singing Rocks”, an area of rock formations so filled with smoothed iron that as the guide struck them with small rocks we suddenly had a desert symphony of bells. But, sadly, no giraffes although the guide said he had seen some the day before.

At lunchtime we were entertained at a farm owned by a German family for several generations. The outbuildings had a chalet look and could have been in Austria. A large buffet lunch was spread out and included choices of springbok, ostrich, zebra and oryx. They were all good, with the springbok being especially tender and tasty! I could not look at the Zebra nor bring myself to taste it no matter how many people said its delicious. The champagne was a totally different matter, though! There was something very silly about drinking champagne as the farm’s goats wandered around our legs looking for handouts.

We traced our way back to the ship, being shown an area of new housing put up by prospective employers. Automotive companies are moving into Namibia, and Walvis Bay, with a deep water port, is expected to exponentially expand. Hundreds of small houses have been built, causing a population shift from the interior areas of Namibia as young men leave villages and families to pursue work which will pay them more in a week than they now earn in a year. Their families come with them and the nature of the townships, as they call the villages, is changing.

With the future moving in, vendors still squat by the side of the road hoping to sell local goods. The contrast is remarkable and it was easy to imagine how Walvis Bay will look in 10 years. I’m glad to have seen it before that happens, while being happy for the economic progress that will help so many. Or will it?