Namibia- The Unknown Wonder

When our voyage was rerouted in November, I had never heard of Namibia- where was it? Is it an island? I don’t even think I could pronounce it. Today, after spending an enriching three days in this new born nation, I can say it is by far my favorite country I’ve been to in Africa and one of my favorites in general.

Namibia gained independence just in 1994 and is quiet, unknown and still has a large influence of Germany. I feel like I know more about Namibia than America at this point- everyone I met had new information to spread and more patriotism and praise for their country.

Heidi (my roommate), Peter (roommate’s brother) and I left Walvis Bay on Valentines Day with an open mind, 2 backpacks and a tent just in case we decided to camp. We walked into town and got a taxi to Swakopmund, a highly Germanized town just 35k away. The town was, like most of the country, silent. Namibia is about the size of Texas and Oklahoma combined but has a population of only 2 million. The streets are empty, the sun roars down and we felt like we were walking in a made up town and resembled a mini putput golf course. After taking a quick nap on the beach, we wandered to Dunes Backpackers- the first hostel we found. We got a dorm room with two German women and three men working on youth ministries who were from Namibia, the UK and South Africa. Steven, the South African, joined us as we began searching the town for dinner. Semester at Sea kids tend to take over and of course we were everywhere to be found. After an hour of looking for the perfect restaurant, we stopped at a seafood shack.

We celebrated Valentines Day with red wine and everyone ordered seafood- Peter got oysters, prawns and calamari and after being persuaded I had my first break of the vegetarian lifestyle. (Yes dad you can laugh and say I told you so). Later, we went out dancing at the local bar which was filled with Semester At Sea kids but I was fortunate enough to find Paulie- a Namibian filled with questions, answers and inspiration. Paulie knew everything about San Francisco, Boulder, the entire US and had never been there. We talked about everything from our different cultures to the stereotypes of both whites and blacks in America or when traveling abroad. It was a genuine, real conversation with someone in a bar and who was curious about Americans- he actually wanted to know if we were really like the people he had seen on MTV.

Four hours of sleep later, we were up and ready to make a plan. We walked throughout the town again (probably our 4th time because really it was so small), went to the grocery store and got a bag of bread, cheese, a soccer ball and parked it at the beach. After frying in the sun, playing soccer with locals who originally had just tried to rip us off, we took a taxi back to Walvis Bay. Along the way, we stopped at Dune 7- the largest in the area. We were planning on sandboarding but after running into multiple SAS students, they told us to do “the hamster ball” down the dunes. Obviously we had no idea what they were talking about but in the sake of doing the tourist thing, we signed up and were driven out to the top of the dune. We dove into a big bubble (imagine Bubble Boy times 5) and it was filled with water. You get in and then they roll you down the dune- splashing, slipping, flipping, getting air and crashing into each other (Heidi, Peter and I went as a triple) and I don’t know if I can even describe it. It was the weirdest thing I have ever done. Ever but an inventive way to explore the dunes?

We got back on the ship to shower and went back into town for dinner. Forgetting it was a Sunday night, we went to the only open place- Crazy Mama’s- a pizzeria that perfectly hit the spot. Even though it’s technically illegal (we’re not allowed to fraternize with the crew) we were able to sit with two of the food and beverage staff and one of the engineers. Finally I was able to get a lot of the burning questions I had answered. It’s amazing that they leave us clueless on how the ship really works and luckily the men were extremely nice and I actually feel like I have a better understanding on this vessel I call home.

Today we woke up early again and headed to the Lagoon to get on our sand dune tour. Moses, our guide, Heidi, Peter and I set off into the desert in two dune-buggies. We drove 60k out to Sandwich Harbor- not actually a place where sandwiches or any service is found but where the water has moved in 1k in over time and yes due to global warming. Moses knew answers to all of our questions and we learned more about the fabulous Namibian culture and history. We climbed the dunes and overlooked the ocean and all the vegetation. That is really what I love about Namibia- one minute you’re in the ocean, then tall grass, lagoons, sand dunes and mountains. The scenery is constantly changing and it’s all open space. You wouldn’t run into a soul. We went up and over the dunes which is actually really scary. Moses and Heidi rode in the first car and Peter and I were instructed to follow his tracks so we didn’t flip over. You’d just be driving along and then bam- the san dunes drops off and you are suddenly completely vertical. After a few near death experiences, I let Peter drive the rest of the way. Fortunately that meant I just got to admire and look at how the clear, absolute picturesque blue skies hit the sand and it never got old. For 8 hours I looked at the changing dunes and learned how the winds blow from different directions to create the distinct edges. We enjoyed a nicely packed picnic with mango juice, pears, tomatoes and cheese and somehow Peter was able to convince me to try Antelope. I took a tiny bite but won’t be eating that again…

We headed back into Walvis Bay and had to rush back to make dock time. I don’t know if I’ve ever been this tired and sunburned but again I wouldn’t have slept for a moment and missed this. I’ve realized it’s much better to travel independently and not with the SAS trips. Peter and Heidi have been traveling for years and knew how to just wing it and see where the wind took us. Sure we did a few typical tourist things but we branched out and stayed clear of SAS kids when possible and tried to really try it by ourselves. I felt completely safe the entire time and I think the Namibians are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life.

Maybe you’re like me and had never heard of Namibia but that’s what also made it so special. The sand always creates a pristine trail, the air it extremely hot but the ocean will bring you back to normal temperature, the people are welcoming and willing to assist you in any capacity and yes the food is good enough to have a vegetarian eat meat for the first time in almost two years.