I really didn’t know what to expect before coming to Namibia. Parts of it are very first world, then other parts are very 3rd world and poverty stricken. In any case Namibia is a growing cosmopolitan country and with a mere population of only 2 million people. It has a very vast arid desert like landscape with wide open spaces and only pockets of people scattered through out the land. And by pockets of people I mean diversity at it’s finest.
It’s not everyday you walk into a grocery store with so many ethnic flavors. You see people of all different colors and ethnicity, locals from all tribes, some who have adopted the more western dress, the Herero women decked out in original traditional Victorian dress and then your okra painted bear breasted Himba women walking around like it’s no ones business. It makes for some fun people watching.
Perfect Place for a Road trip
We rented a 4 wheel drive Toyota and traveled over 2,000 miles covering the entire northern half of Namibia, beginning in Windhoek and heading north through Swakopmund Region, Damaraland, and then Etosha National Park where we did a self game drive.
Most Common Mode of Transportation
I don’t know how these people managed to do it in these little carts. Some of these back roads are brutal to drive on.
Sunrise Spectacular
The land of mirages
Certain parts of our drive was so empty it was almost haunting. This is the land of mirages where the horizon is blurred while it extends so far into nothingness. It’s like looking out at the ocean as far as the eye can see and when the sun radiates heat from the ground it distorts whats actually there. The challenging part of the drive comes down to not getting dizzy.
Filming in the Desert
In the middle of nowhere, this sign
Dust Land
Dune to Sea
Driving into Walvis bay and Skwakomand was very strange. The only thing separating Dune from Sea was the road. I wasn’t sure what to make of this exotic foreign land when we first arrived.
This is the Skeleton Coast
The wind and rocky ground beneath the heavy fog made sailing this route a nightmare for ships coming through. The coast is named after the skeletal remains of seals, whales and shipwrecks. Whale carcasses covered the shore when the whaling industry was still active, as well as the skeletal shipwrecks caused by rocks offshore in the fog. More than a thousand vessels of various sizes litter the coast to this day.
Cape Cross and a lot of STINK
Home to the best known breeding colony of Cape Fur Seals and probably the worst smelling area I have ever been to in my life. High concentrations of urine and carcasses from dead or dieing seals around the area added to the terrible stench. It was almost unbearable to even get out of our car. Making my eyes water and mouth sweat, I couldn’t help but gaag when I opened the door. Nevertheless, held my breath and went over to take a few photos. The seals are born here and die here. African fur seals annually consume more than 1 million tonnes of fish and other marine life. For perspective that’s about 300,000 tons more than is taken by the fishing industries of Namibia and South Africa put together.
The Desert Sunrise
The Worlds Infamous Apple Pie
A place called Solitaire, where many Films have been shot
Sun Rise in Damaraland
