Sauerkraut, Spitzkopfe & the Skeleton coast

We pulled into Swakopmund after about 4 hours travelling in comfort on a shuttle minibus. We had passed through a couple of small towns, but generally the landscape was completely devoid of human life and became more and more flat and barren the closer we got to the coast. We boarded the bus in 38'C in Windhoek, but disembarked at 24'C. This temperature difference at the coast is something that we heard talked about time and time again during the following few weeks; people migrate to this area from around the country simply because it is a more comfortable temperature, though apparently is prone to sea mist as the moisture condenses and locals told us they don't like that.

What we didn't expect in Swakopmund was to see such interesting European influenced architecture around the town, and to feel the lasting influence of German colonisation so heavily. German cuisine is everywhere, with beer houses and even a doughnut shop on the end of the pier selling Berliners and Black Forest Gateaux style doughnuts. Being able to order Bratwurst or Sauerkraut was a real novelty. The building designs and colours set in a desert environment with palm trees is like nothing we've ever seen before.

Our first few days were spent at Japies Yard, a private home with a couple of dogs and children running about and cute guest accommodation in the garden. It was close to the waterfront and only a 10 minute walk to the centre of town with all its shops and restaurants. On day 2, I managed to fall over on my way into a restaurant and smacked my knee against cobbles. I was a hot mess for about 30 minutes feeling fairly sorry for myself and continuously crying while holding a package of ice against my knee to try to keep the swelling down (ice provided by a very nice guy who was keen to help and who only got snivels and distress as his reward). It wasn't just drama though, I did really hurt myself and spent the next week using my walking poles to help me move about. The bruising all the way down my leg stayed for about 4 weeks, so that gives you an idea how bad it was. I'm so clumsy! I've fallen over fairly regularly since I was a child, but now the landings are a bit heavier and the impact lasts a bit longer.

The day after I smacked my knee we headed out on a tour we had already booked to see more of the area and visit Spitzkopfe, Namibia's answer to the Matterhorn. We were picked up by Michael of M.A.D Tours in a 4x4 and as it was only the 2 of us we were very comfy and the tour was really informal, which is how we prefer it. Michael, Namibian born and bred, drove us out of Swakopmund, into the vast empty landscape on unpaved roads, very quickly leaving all traffic and people behind us. We were alone in the midst of nothingness, eventually arriving at an area known as the Moon Landscape, where wind and water erosion has created an incredible vista of rock and earth craters, rocky peaks and hollows that look other worldly. You couldn't see how cool it was from the car and I initially thought this is one of those attractions that isn't really anything (that happens fairly regularly), but no, we walked to the edge of the lookout and this strange landscape opened up before us.

About an hour later, we arrived at Spitzkopfe, a series of rocky granite peaks, with Grosse Spitzkopfe being the main attraction with it's very recognisable rhino horn appearance. As the landscape is so flat and empty you can see Spitzkopfe from a very long way off, but when you get close, it becomes something incredible; it's a big rock mountain, but as with all mountains, their sheer size only really hits home, when you're close and looking up at it.

Spitzkopfe is not the tallest peak in Namibia, but it is the most famous. Gaz was able to hike up part of the rock with Michael, but my damaged knee prevented me from even attempting it. We spent a bit of time exploring the area, taking in the views, seeing the historic bushman paintings that adorn the granite, investigating graves that are reported to be fairly ancient (we were somewhat dubious and Michael gave us the nod that we were probably right to be).

We made our way back to the coast, stopping on the side of the gravel road to have lunch - a delicious deli-style chicken salad that Michael fished out of his big cool box. This really reminded me of traveling around Australia 15 years ago with an eski full of ice to keep food and drinks fresh; it's the same principle here.

Michael then took us to see the Zeila shipwreck, a fishing trawler that ran aground in 2008. It is one of hundreds of boats that have met their fate along the skeleton coast, which is also known as the world's largest ship cemetery. Standing on the flat sandy shores that seem to never end, it's hard to see why it is so dangerous, but the dangers lie in the strong current pushing to the shore, so strong in fact that it is virtually impossible to launch a boat from these shores. This coupled with the condensing sea air, creates a mist that often settles against the shoreline here up and down the coast, disorienting and misleading boats. It was fascinating to see how Zeila has been completely taken over by nesting seabirds, and when you realise that it rests in shallow water in an area devoid of trees and buildings, its masts are simply the only high points for miles around.

Note: Other shipwrecks further up the coast can only be seen from the air, as diamond mining operations mean no land access to the coast. Air tours can be booked, but they were expensive for a 15 minute flight in our opinion.

Spending the day with Michael was great; a chance to see more of this remote and empty country with a guide that knows the history and was able to share with us more about what life is like in Namibia. He was born in the north of the country but relocated to Swakopmund and set up his tour guide business and the passion he has for showing people the best of his country is clear. He was genuinely a really nice guy and his conversation was as much a part of the day as the amazing places he took us to.

While in Swakopmund we also stayed at Jetty's Self-Catering, overlooking the waterfront and only a few steps from the historic and very cute town pier. It was originally erected to allow boats to dock but nearby Walvis Bay ultimately became the flourishing port as the current was less strong along that stretch of the coast. The pier remains as a point of interest for the town and it is home to a restaurant at the far end.

It was out of season when we were there, so the local hawkers in their official numbered red vests were a bit overwhelming; with few tourists in the town, we were approached many times whenever we walked near the sea, and they were fairly persistent which became quite annoying. Whilst we always want to support the local communities we visit, we can't buy souvenirs from every seller, especially when as in Swakopmund, they are all selling the same carved palm nut key chains. If there was some variety in the items they were selling, they might have more luck, but every single one of them wanted us to buy a carved palm nut keychain.

When I was out walking alone I had one difficult exchange with a seller who didn't want to take no for an answer and after being insistent with me, then simply changed to begging for money to feed his children who hadn't eat for several days. When I explained that I didn't have any cash on me (I genuinely didn't), he simply said, but you have a credit card and can use that to buy me food at the supermarket. I didn't go to the supermarket with him, but I walked away in tears and struggled to reconcile what had happened and things that had been said. I have simplified it here, but he may or may not have been genuine, I will never know. All I know is that I knew I could not go with him, and I knew I could not simply just give him money but the guilt I was wracked with and the complex feelings I had about what basically amounted to emotional blackmail was hard to process. Not for the first time travelling I found it very hard being confronted by the harshness of poverty and the helplessness I feel and the guilt at sometimes walking away. I don't know if the guilt is right or wrong, but all I know is that it is hard to work through.

Soon enough our week in Swakopmund had come to an end. We had a reserved a 4x4 pick up truck for 10 days and whilst it was fairly expensive, it was the best way to really explore this vast country. We walked to the Avis car hire office at the scheduled time, only to find the office closed. No 'be right back' sign, just closed. Without a sim card and no internet access, we were unable to call the number on the door. So after 10 minutes of waiting, I spoke to a shop assistant in the shop opposite who rolled her eyes and said' he always does this'. She kindly called him and he arrived moments later looking like he was juggling 10 different tasks.

Once we got the keys for the beast of a car, we picked up a SIM card from the Telecom shop recommended to us by the Avis guy (this was not good advice it turned out later), picked up some food, found a camping shop and bought a small gas canister and a stove top for the canister, plus a pan for cooking. This meant that we could boil water wherever we were and keep Gaz in his much needed endless supply of coffee. :-)

Before we left town we ended up returning to Avis after Gaz realised that he had no idea where the tools were or the wheel nuts for removing the tyres and insisted that we should not leave without this information. We knew we would be travelling on unpaved roads and a puncture was entirely possible. Gaz's insistence proved very wise but more on this in the next blog. Thankfully, a bit of luck was on our side and as we were driving back, we spotted the Avis guy walking down the street. We pulled over, got our questions answered and headed off much happier that we knew what we were doing ... sort of!

Our next 10 days would be an adventure, driving ourselves around the Namibian wilderness on a route that had taken a fair amount of planning, would lead us into the heart of the Namibian sand sea, through desert landscapes and grassy plains under skies that never end.