Namibia: Where the ocean meets the desert.

We hit a couple whales today. Not really, but it felt like it. The waters are bound to get rough as we head south.

Disclaimer: I will try my best to paint a vivid and accurate picture of life in Namibia, but the truth is, you should go ahead and book your flight. So, pull out the map, highlight the west coast of Africa, and give this hidden treasure some lovin’.

History? Check. Scenery? Check. Seafood? The best. Extreme sports? Absolutely! Affordable? Definitely.

I spent my second night in Africa under the stars…literally. I joined a group of about seventy SAS students on a camping trip in the Namib-Naukluft Park, one of the oldest and largest deserts in the world. Picture this: Tarzan and Jane’s campsite placed in front of the Lion King backdrop. We climbed the canyon’s walls and dug our toes into the pixie dust sand. After a gourmet dinner, we lounged around the campfire and waited for the evening skies to fully submit to the star studded darkness. Mosquito free. Pleasantly cool. No obligations. This was Africa.
A chorus of gentle humming grew louder as a shuffling train of 45 black Africans made their way through the luminary-lit campsite. Dressed in an array of traditional celebration clothing, the choir sang beautiful hymns of God’s beauty and generosity and African folk tales. The beat of the drum was faint. The rhythm of their steps in the sand was music in itself. They each made a different beat-box sound. Clicks, bird whistles, and deep water drop sounds put a smile on everyone’s face. The live Marimba music was entrancing. In English or Afrikaans…the message was the same. God is good.
Star gazing in the southern hemisphere was a little different then star hunting in the states. About 20 of us, the most adventuresome, drug our iron frame beds out of the tents and into the darkness. Lined up as if we were patients in a WWII hospital, we laid in awe. Shooting stars looked like dancing lasers. The Southern Cross took the place of the Big Dipper. Jupiter sparkled like a disco ball. It all looked so fake…like glitter on black construction paper. We stayed awake until the moon finally rose up from behind the cliffs. I so badly wish cameras could capture what exactly my eyes saw.
Swakopmund. Go there! It is a quirky little town that still looks like the German colony it once was…Namibia + Germany = good food, lots of shopping, and extreme sports. Sandboarding is my new love. I wish it were an Olympic sport. I would dominate! The dunes look like golden mountains of snow. No fear, I was first of the group to jump on the masonite board and slide down the 120m mountain at 80km/h! SO MUCH FUN! The jaw-dropping backdrop of golden dunes meeting the blue ocean, made the steep hiking worth it. I think I will move to Swakopmund and be a sandboarding instructor…forget the snow, this is tons better! I’ve got pictures and a DVD of this adventure, so plan for a viewing party in December. Dad, I think sand dunes would be a great addition to the new house. We’ve got the natural slope, and think about, you wouldn’t have to mow! Sand would be a great Christmas present…
Swakop made the perfect movie set…literally. The movie, The Prisoner, was being filmed in the open market. The 1950s set was amazing. The cast wore whites and tans. There were old Mercedes convertibles and buses. We sat on park benches and watched the filming. Who would have thought that in Namibia, a country of only 2 million people, I could stand on the edge of a movie set? I was barely 10 ft away from the actor who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ.
Let’s talk food. Besides having the best seafood of my life, I also ate banana, garlic pizza, springbok, and I even tried Mopani worms and Oshifima porridge!
I spent my last day in Namibia in the township Kuisebmond, the “projects”. I visited a kindergarten, multi-purpose center, and community health center. Even though these people were still fighting poverty, Aids/ HIV, and aspects of the apartheid, they were hopeful and remained family centered.
Tomorrow we arrive in Cape Town. All of my classes have been focusing on the causes and effects of the apartheid. We’ve listened to Nelson Mandela’s and Desmond Tutu’s speeches. The readings have been powerful, and the lectures are passion filled.
Also, Mbeki, the prime minister of South Africa, resigned on Sunday. So I cannot wait to pick up a local paper in the morning. No worries, it is still a safe and stable country…it’s just making history.

Did you know:

Namibia is only 18 years old.
English is the official language of Namibia.
South Africa will be the home of the 2010 World Cup

Tot Siens! ( Goodbye in Afrikaans.)