Day 22 – Walvis Bay, Namibia

Sept 19th

Pre-port Information
We docked in Walvis Bay (pronounced “Wall-fish” Bay) at 8AM. Everyone headed to the Union for a diplomatic briefing by Frank, who works for the U.S Embassy in Namibia, and David, who works for the U.S. Special Security Ops in Africa. Despite the heavy breathing that made him sound like Darth Vader, Frank presented some interesting information on political, social and economic conditions in Namibia. Namibia’s median age is 20 because of the high morality rate due to AIDS. Almost 40% are unemployed and inflation tapers around 12%. Despite all the deleterious conditions, my (future) experiences in Namibia didn’t seem to suggest their prevalence. Being Special Security Ops personnel, David talked mostly about crime and traveler warnings in Namibia. Surprisingly, despite all the poverty, Namibia’s crime rating is quite low and only limited to petty crime, including pick pockets and car break-ins. There are actually “car guards” on the street and you can pay them 2-3 Namibian dollars (about 25 American cents) to watch your car for a few hours while you shop. The most important form of advice he gave us was to “Be A Zebra,” since zebra are more cautious while drinking at water holes (thus escaping crocodiles), as opposed to the wildebeest, which tends to be eaten.

Walvis Bay
Upon disembarking, we stepped off the ship to the unpleasant smell of harbor fish and urine (as usual it seems). Once we passed through the harbor gate, Herero women, who were topless and smeared in red mud, greeted us with jewelry for sale. A mini market of African trade items, including wooden bowls, carved animals and stone figurines, developed outside the harbor once locals found out 700 Americans were in the area. While walking around, we were all really surprised at the cleanliness and westernization of the town. There wasn’t a piece of trash to be found and buildings were immaculately maintained. Stone streets were wide and traffic was light. Everyone was very friendly and always greeted us, since it is considered extremely rude not to greet people. Some even taught us their “African handshake” that consists of griping your fingers together, while pressing your thumbs together. You are also never supposed to point your finger in public because it is considered to be challenging someone to a dual. For lunch, the locals suggested we try Spur’s, which turned out to be exactly like a Denny’s restaurant. Each chain has a different theme based on an American State. Weird, I know. We eat in Nevada with Navajo totem poles and feather displays everywhere. Goldie, Sara and I ventured to try the monkey gland burger with green cream soda. (Monkey gland sauce turned out to be delicious BBQ sauce.)

Camping and Stargazing
That afternoon, Britney, Sara and I boarded 4x4 vehicles to transfer to the Namib Nauklift Park. Our tour passed the infamous Dune 7, the Moon Landscape and Goanikontes Oasis on our way to Pajero Camp. Dune 7 is the highest dune in the area. The Moon Landscape is a natural, eerie replica of the moon’s actual surface. Goanikontes Oasis is a desolate olive farm in the smack middle of nowhere and Pajero Camp was located in a canyon that not even our tour guides could find. Despite GPS, we got lost three times and had a van sunk in the sand, leaving us some time to toss a frisbee and take pictures. When we did make it to camp, we had free time to explore and settle into our tents. Contrary to my belief that we would be sleeping on the floor and pooping in holes, we had luxurious two-person tents with lush comforters on rod iron beds along with personal bucket showers. They even brought a bathroom (via trailer) with flushing toilets and running water! With time before dinner to kill, we ingeniously decided to go rock climbing. While climbing the sandstone rocks was miserable because of the sharp, brittle edges, the views from the top were well worth it. While we didn’t see much else besides some lizards, bugs and animal droppings, we were warned to wear sneakers at all times because of scorpions. By dinner time we changed into sweats and gathered by the fire pits to enjoy some Savannah Lights (cider beer). Dinner was catered in a large white tent with linen tablecloths and wasn’t what I would call traditional Namibian food. It consisted of beef Wellington, Mexican chicken, garlic potatoes, steamed veggies and a papaya/cheese appetizer. Desert was orange pastries with vanilla cream served with coffee that tasted like sand. Fully satisfied, we headed back to the fire pits to enjoy some after dinner drinks and stargaze. Two star experts gave a brief presentation on astronomy in the area. Using an enormous white telescope, they pointed out different constellations, including Sagittarius, along with Jupiter and the Milky Way. While chatting around the fire with some kids, Ines and Frances (two staff members at the camp) excitingly joined us and shared their music via cell phones. Through broken English we talked about sports, music and movies, of which their favorite is ‘Flight of the Phoenix’ with Dennis Kwade because it was shot in the canyon next to the camp. At around 3AM, some girls and I decided to pull our heavy, iron beds into the center of camp to sleep outside. Snuggled deeply in our makeshift “cocoons,” we chatted and watched shooting stars and satellites pass overhead. We eventually feel asleep to the utter silence of the desert. It was the quietest I have ever heard nature. Roughly two-hours later as the sun began to show over the cliffs, I headed out on an hour-long, morning rock climb to get a better view. (I say rock climb rather than hike because the steepness of the cliffs made it terrifying climbing without ropes. Thankfully, I was not the girl wearing rainbow sandals during this experience.)

Highs and Lows
My “high” was finding out that MTV’s Exiled reality show, for which one episode was shot in Namibia, is actually a total hoax. (The camp staff said the girl was pampered like a princess until she had to spend a few hours in the wilderness.) My “low” was finding out Ines and Frances had no idea who the Namibian rap artist ERAZE was… and not getting to poop in a hole.