Take Flight

Swakopmund, Namibia
November 22, 2013

We were able to sleep in until 8:00! We had a great breakfast on the balcony and watched oryx, springbok, birds and a hare come up to the watering hole. Then we packed up and headed to the airstrip.
Carlos arrived to fly us to Swakopmund. The flight was absolutely stunning! We flew over the Namib-Naukluft Park and followed the road between the dunes. It was incredible to see the red dunes from above to see how truly massive they are and how we were just able to see a small fraction of them yesterday. Today we got an understanding of the breadth of the dunes. We were also able to get a bird's eye view of deadvlei, sossusvlei, Dune 45, Big Daddy and Big Mama. Beyond that spot, the road ended and the two dune ranges united Dunes from Above.
After a while the dunes changed shape, height and colour - more like a butternut squash with splashes of aubergine. We were able to see two abandoned diamond mine sites. 
The landscape kept changing and the sand changed shapes and colours again to a blend of cream, latte and caramel.
As we were along the coast, we saw two of the ship wrecks that give this coast the name - Skeleton Coast. It was very cool to see them from the plane. They almost looked like dinosaur bones. 
As we flew over the emerald greens and blues of the Atlantic we were able to see colonies of seals dotting the coastline. They were lounging on the sand and a few were playfully gliding into the water.
The coastline changed and the sand dunes became like cliffs up to the edge of the water. When I looked out the other window, I could see hundreds of flamingos flying around. It was so cool to watch them from above!
We also flew over desalinization plants that were removing salt from the ocean The Skeleton Coast. The colours were incredible - rust, mauve, white, blue, pomegranate, grey, lime green and pea green. It looked like an abstract painting. 
We then flew over Walvis Bay, it looks like a resort town with lots of palm trees. Shortly afterward we headed inland and landed in Swampokmund.
Freddie picked us up at the airport and drove us to the former train station, now the Swakopmund Hotel. The main building is an exact replica of the train station in Hamburg. We checked into our room, refreshed and added a few layers. The breeze is very cool off the ocean and it probably 10 - 15 degrees cooler than Sossusvlei. 
We headed to the beach and had a bite to eat at the Lighthouse Cafe. We walked over to the Jetty after lunch and popped into The Tug to make a reservation for Sunday night. We walked to the end of the Jetty and had a drink at the restaurant. We bumped into our plane mates from North Carolina while we were there! It is a small touristy town, so I have a feeling that this may happen again.
We took a quick spin around the town and checked out a few shops. I can tell that the prices of the souvenirs are a bit pricier here than in Windhoek. 
After watching some TV and having a nap, we headed to Kucki's Pub for dinner. Like lunch, the food was heavy and OK, but nothing special. I still do not have my appetite back yet, so I would prefer to eat something lighter...
We are calling it an early night as we are going to be picked up for the catamaran tour tomorrow morning at 8:00 am.
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