The
Ocean
Few
people think of ocean when they think Africa.
Namibia lies on the Atlantic coast of Southern Africa, and it does so in
a most majestic way! In Namibia,
the desert meets the ocean and an age-old battle between sand and water and
dryness and moisture unfolds every day, proving the power and balance of Nature
and giving life to unique and beautiful creatures: rooted, legged, winged or footless.
We
visited the fur seal colony in Cape Cross and marveled at the thousands and
thousands of seals that spend the winter there.
Baby
seals and their mothers crowd beaches and make the ocean boil with their games
and swimming skills. They certainly
make their presence known by the smell that fills the air, which some of my
group mates thought was too hard to take. I
lost awareness of it as I watched in awe how mother and baby seals communicated
and interacted. Nature in all its simplicity is difficult to comprehend.
Further
south, in Walvis Bay, a small boat delivered us to a world of dolphins,
pelicans, flamingos and more seals. And
with typical African courtesy, our captain presented us with champagne and hors
d'oeuvres, which we enjoyed as we watched bottlenose and heavyside dolphins
rounding up fish for lunch, followed closely by the ever-hungry and playful
seals.
Walvis
Bay on a rainy afternoon
Swakopmund
is a small town of about 25,000 people that sits by the ocean with the desert as
its backyard. Like Windhoek, the
capital, it is colorful and full of personality.
Most of the comforts of city life, including Internet caf�s, great
restaurants and fun pubs are available there.
An
overnight in Swakopmund with a fantastic fish dinner at The Tug, overlooking the
powerful waves of the Atlantic ocean, was the perfect break to prepare us for
what was to come next: the Namib Desert.
