Swakopmund

The kids were really excited about going to Swakopmund - in their mind this would be where all the real adventure stuff was going to happen. They wanted to go quad biking, go to the movies, go on a boat to see the seals and enjoy being in some sort of civilisation.

The drive to Swakop is pretty and we stopped in at Sollitaire on route, it is full of old rusty cars and bikes, and really worth a stop in. They have a stunning bakery with very fresh treats and rolls. The kids also got a chance to play Lawrence of Arabia and rode on camels.

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After a good few hours on the road, we decided to take an even more scenic route and ended up on a road that one actually needed special permission to go on as it passes some diamond mines on the way. We were completely oblivious to this, and just carried on.

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I finally got to see some wild horses on the way which made my drive if the truth be told.

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Finally after a good day in the car, we arrived in Swakopmund. Did I mention the Namibian dust, well the trailer tent was full of it. The cover was now white and not the usual green, but as it was Christmas eve - it looked a little snow like. Luckily we found a carwash open and they at least managed to spray off a load of dust off it. We also managed to grab some last minute groceries at the Spar before the whole town came to a stand still for Christmas.

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Swakopmund is very busy in December, it is the local Margate for Namibians, and many South African's also make the long journey to be there, so to get a campsite in Swakopmund in December is really difficult. We managed to find a really nice place that was 10Kms out of town called Sofia Dale. It is a very nice camp ground, run by a German couple who have only been here for 2 years. One critism, is that there are not enough hot showers for the amount of people camping, but I am sure they will improve this. They also have a good shop, and sell or hire out dune boards. This was one of our first purchases... One for each of the kids.

Christmas in Namibia was very different from Christmas at Linyanti.... We actually had a roast dinner, and not pasta with packet sauce surounded by hippo's and mozzies ...(for you Jules) The kids did get a chance to do some of the things they wanted to do. We walked on the beach, we did dune boarding and we got to go on quads in the desert, so it was jam packed.

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The next day was a little different in that we went to Sandwhich Harbour. If you have a 4 x 4, this is a must. Try to get behind someone local, as you need to be sure about the tides. You can still drive on the beach in Namibia, and this drive takes you along the edge of the sea and the dunes, so if the tide comes in, you are pretty darn screwed!! We did manage to find a local, and followed them in. The drive there is magnificent, we even saw a whale really close to the beach, so must be a very deep drop off just after the waves. Sandwhich harbour is a wet land right on the edge of the desert. There are lots of different species of birds, and it is a very pretty and peacefull place.

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After this, we went to the famous Dune 7. All I can say it is one giant dustbin. I cannot believe people can be so darn piggy!! Beer bottles and chip packets everywhere!!! Jon still went up!!

Our last full day in Swakopmund was spent looking at Welwitschia trail. This is very interesting, we saw Lichens and even got to put water on them to change their colour. I did expect them to be a bit bigger though - how on earth did anyone find them anyway?? We spent a bit of time looking at the Welwitschia and even went to see the one that is about 3000 years old. It is huge and very impressive.

Our plan for the next day was to leave proper early, head up to Hentjies, then Cape Cross, then off to the Spitzkoppe.