Day 25 – Swakopmund, Namibia

Sept 22nd

‘Swanky Mund’ for the day
Papa Jonah woke us up at 9AM to get our complementary breakfast, which turned into another feast. Then we spent the morning meandering through the town and shops, which included a traditional rug weaving store where workers woven things in the middle of the floor. In Peter’s Antiques we found goodies like voodoo-protected ostrich shells, zebra skin rugs and assorted wooden masks that reminded me of being murdered for some reason. There were also a slew of safari shops, where you could buy kakis outfits with more pockets than people have things to put in them. Despite all these wonderfully ‘traditional’ African stores, the majority of the town would make you think you were actually in Germany. Since Swakopmund was colonized by Germany in the 17th century, it continues to be a German resort town today. All the architecture and names of hotels and restaurants give no inclination at all that you are outside Europe. Most of the other tourists were Germans and almost everyone spoke German. Unfortunately, the only word I know in German is shiza, which means ‘shit,’ so it wasn’t very helpful.

Lunch and Camels
For lunch, we happened upon a burger joint and decided to try our luck. It turned out to have the most amazing burger I had ever had in my entire life. It was juicy and fell apart in your mouth, but still a little crispy on the outside with the perfect buttery/toasted bun. Absolutely perfect. It’s amazing how fresh food tastes outside the United States. Afterward I washed it down with Goldie’s warm beer from last night by shot gunning it outside. From there we headed to a beach market that had more of the same African crafts. Tierney and I decided to head 12km east of Swakopmund to a camel farm for the rest of the afternoon. When we got there, the woman who owned the place insisted we wear turbans, while she showed us the tortoise, zebra and chickens around the farm. I quickly obliged before our camel ride through the desert. It was a rather uncomfortable and bumpy ride, still great fun in the process.

Last night in Namibia
We headed back to Walvis Bay to meet up at BonAroma for our final meal. We each got some sort of meat to share and experiment. I got sirloin with chocolate chili sauce, just because it had the word “chocolate” in the name. (Obviously.) We left with a whole package of left over meat, which I insisted we share with a starving African. (Note: I didn’t see one homeless person in Namibia.) From there we headed to Champs, a dance club nearby, and took over the dance floor since there was not a single person on it. I handed our meat to the door guard on the way in and I think he was delighted with his steak and calamari snack. After dancing for a few hours, we decided to try a new disco. A local named JP strongly discouraged us from going to Rio Copa a reggae/salsa club that we had heard about. He explained, “It wasn’t appropriate for us,” meaning white people. We decided to take our chances and go anyway. It was a little awkward walking into the club being the only whites, but we Bee-lined it straight for the dance floor and let loose. No one seemed to mind, and the locals even got excited that we brought a new buzz to the floor. At one point, a woman named Ivy came up and started dancing with me and teaching us new moves. Then a mix of locals and us formed a mini circle and took turns breaking loose. Some of the things I saw people do I really didn’t know was possible on a dance floor. It was the absolutely best way to end our time in Namibia. On our way back to the ship, Cassidy announced we were playing “queen of the sidewalk” and most of us ended up in the dust next to the road. I seriously think I now have the ‘poo worm’ that supposedly burrows into your skin and lays eggs, but we’ll have to see in a few weeks.

Highs and Lows
My “high” was realizing the reason they include tomato slices at breakfast each morning is because it is actually a fruit. My “low” was trying to figure out whether my dance partner Ivy was a lesbian when she first asked me to dance.