Walvis Bay Flamingos

Passing back through Swakopmund on our way to Walvis Bay, we saw unusual activities and structures, such as this highly decorated house.

Camel Ride?

Typical windy day

The Atlantic Coast of Namibia is really sandy.

Quad Ride?

Beach homes

After checking in at Anna's Inn, we had supper at Crazy Mama's meeting some New Jersey girls.

  The next morning the wind had died down so we could see the famous flamingos of Walvis Bay.

Greater Flamingos are white and light pink with beaks that are light with a black tip.  There must be good things to eat in Walvis Bay.

Grey Heron

South and Beyond Solitaire

With long traveling distances in Namibia, you look at anything that is different.  

Rounded bare hills

Trees growing only where there must be a source of water.

Quiver Tree

Bushman's Hat (Hoodia gordonii)

A rare house

Solitaire...a restaurant, a bakery that sold ice cream, a graveyard for vehicles....

Tomorrow we will see the dunes in the Namib-Naukluft National Park of Namibia, but we needed to find a place to camp.  

Unfortunately, it was a big holiday weekend, and all the campsites had been reserved.  

Probably knowing that not every reservation party would show up, and that we would just camp outside the gates for free, the park rangers said we could camp in between several sites.  They gave us very specific directions to find the spot.

Of course, not one of the spots around us ended up being used.  But we were near the swimming pool and a nice ablution building.

A big tree with a big Sociable Weaver nest overlooked the pool.

Sociable Weaver Bird

Ring-necked Dove

It was a balmy Baja-type night with a very dark sky and small moon.

Skeleton Coast

Jim and I drove north to see some of the Skeleton Coast of Namibia.  Piles of salt and salt flats went on for miles north of Swakopmund.

Occasionally groupings of highly colored houses for vacation? for fishing? appeared.  We rarely saw cars...because it was their fall season?

Shipwreck of the Zelia India

Hentiesbaai is virtually the only city north of Swakopmund on the Skeleton Coast.

A bride was on her way to her wedding.

The Henties Bay Golf Course lies in the Omaruru River Bed.

More salt flats

Cape Cross Seal Preserve is ahead.

The entry fee is taken in this small building well away from the sea lions.

These folks were leaving as we were entering.

Sea lion life is good.

Many sea lions were feeding in the ocean.

These babies were born around December 10, so that made them about 4 1/2 months old.

We were close to the sea lions, and, yes, it was a whiffy place.

100,000 sea lions was the estimated guess at the preserve.

The Skeleton Coast in Namibia is long, and we stopped to camp at Mile 108.

This was our very rustic ablution building.  In order to get any water, we had to turn on a valve that released water from the tank.  That meant we had to turn it on to flush or wash hands then turn it off.

A little plover was the only wildlife we saw.

It was a night for gin rummy then dressing to be warm in our thin sleeping bags because the wind was howling from the south.

We could have paid extra to take a shower in the morning on our way out to the road.

There were many vehicles with fishing rods attached in unusual ways.

Popular fishing spots were often sign-posted.

We saw these pink salt crystals on our way north and stopped to buy some on our way south.  You paid according to size as indicated on the stick into the tin provided.  Most pieces were $2-$5.

At Roy's Camp Jim and Steve were told about the Dead Sea of Namibia.  We were close, so we ventured another 25+ miles to see it.  It took some time.  

Only my fingers got in, but I would have floated if I had gone all the way because of the high concentration of salt and other minerals.

The rock was sharp and brittle.