Solitaire and Swakopmund

We left Little Sossuus around 9 in the morning on our way to Solitaire. The road from Sesreim to Solitaire was good, and we could sustain a reasonable speed. While driving along, I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the number of stones that were being flung out the back from the caravan’s wheels. I remarked to Alec that we would have to fit stone guards to Lizzie if this kept up.

Arriving at Solitaire, we found the fuel station rather busy, but Ray and Alec managed to pull in. While Alec was filling up with fuel, he was approached by a gentleman who had passed us driving a VW Amarok. He told Alec that he had literally been stoned by us. As he got close, the stones flung up by the caravan forced him to pull back! Eventually, he braved the rocks and managed to pass, only to find Ray in front of us, and once again, he got stoned!

Of course, one cannot go to Solitaire and not partake of apple pie and coffee at The Bakery.

After filling up, we parked and made our way to The Bakery, which was humming. Many tourists were already there, but we managed to snag a table. We ordered our apple pie with lashings of cream and coffee and tucked in. Was it the best apple pie I’ve ever tasted? Well, the jury is definitely still out on that!

Finishing our treat, we ploughed on to Swakopmund along the C14. The road surface was still okay, and we went down Guab Pass. What a lovely sight. The high walls at the bottom were imposing. Unfortunately, that was also about the end of the good road surface. Around the Kuiseb Pass, the road took a turn for the worse. It seriously deteriorated, and soon it was a bumpy, rutted mess, and our speed dropped to almost nothing. We were now driving on the left, on the right and in the middle while the car and van bumped around like mad.

I saw many little traveller’s cairns on the side of the road, many just a pile of rocks but some, like this one, had been built with care. What a pity there is no way to know the story behind the cairns.

It was a pleasure to drive onto the lovely smooth road around Walvis Bay and onto Swakopmund. We passed the vlei where there were flamingos, and we promised ourselves that we would return. We arrived safely at Alte Brucke and checked in. Ray and Alvan had gone on to find the place that was to repair their window, so they came in a little after us.

The campsite at Alte Brucke is fantastic, and it was a great pleasure to walk around on grass instead of sand! The individual ablutions were spotless and very well-appointed. Ray and Alvan arrived, and all four of us were exhausted from a difficult day’s travel, so it was just scrambled eggs for supper, an early shower and bed!

Ray and Alvan left early the following day to have their repair done while we took the opportunity to get all our domestic chores sorted. They returned with a Perspex window in their caravan. They could not find anywhere to replace the glass window, but the clear Perspex will do the job until they get home and can replace it with a safety glass window.

That evening we went off to The Fish Deli for supper. What a lovely restaurant. We had grilled fish with chips and salad. Ray had battered fish, and Alvan plumped for battered calamari, served with chips and salad. It was melt-in-the-mouth good! Just as we were paying the bill, a small group of male singers, who called themselves the Swakopmund A Capella Singers, walked in. After a short impromptu concert of the Lion Sleeps Tonight, a local song and an Afrikaans song, they left again after trying to sell a CD they had cut. They were outstanding, and I’m sure they sold a few copies of their CD to the patrons. It was an excellent finish to our supper.

The following day, Ray and Alvan returned to Walvis to see the flamingos, while Alec and I chose to visit the Swakopmund Aquarium. What a treat that was. They have a huge tank containing some of the biggest fish I have ever seen. The Kob were around 1,2 meters long. A fisherman’s dream! There were also Steenbras, Leervis and many other species, including a beautiful Green Turtle and several rays.

We were lucky to get a chance to chat with Frikkie Botes, a marine biologist and also the manager of the aquarium. He told us that the main tank contained over 320,000 litres of water pumped directly from the sea off Swakopmund. The water goes through a filtration system that removes any debris, but it cannot remove the red algae spores, so all over the aquarium, you can see small outbreaks of red algae. These are cleaned off every week by a team of divers.

The only fish in the aquarium are those found in Namibian waters. They collect the fish by various means, and the fish live in the aquarium for the rest of their lives, living a cushy life. They get hand-fed three times a week, which stops the larger fish from predating the smaller ones. The fish are accustomed to the divers and will happily take food from their hands. In this way, the divers ensure that everyone gets a fair share.

Apart from the large tank, with its impressive tunnel, there are many smaller exhibits with tiny fish. There were displays of mullet, sardines, mussels, lobster and many others.

At N$5 per person as an entrance fee, this was one of the highlights of our trip.

Leaving the aquarium, we headed out on the Henties Bay road toward the salt factory. Near the salt factory are many wooden platforms that house thousands of cormorants and other sea birds. These platforms collect guano which is scraped off every few weeks, ground up and bagged as fertilizer. The lines of cormorants stretched as far as the eye could see. The noise was deafening, and the smell was not too good either!

Also enjoying the pools of brackish water were many flamingoes.

We returned to Walvis Bay the following day to find the flamingo colony there. We first tried the lagoon, but the birds were too far away on a breakwater, so we ducked into the Dolphin Café and enjoyed a cup of coffee and a toastie. Yum!

We then went back toward Sandwich Harbour and found the flamingoes in several ponds. They are such fantastic birds, and we sat for a while just watching them bickering, filtering for food, and preening. Each time they opened their wings, you caught sight of the most glorious cerise colours. Such graceful, beautiful birds.

When we arrived back at the camp, Ray dragged out his Cobb Cooker and said we would have roast chicken for supper. I couldn’t help but be skeptical, but what a meal he managed to make in this cooker. The chicken was juicy with crispy skin and literally fell off the bone. That man can cook!

Our last day was spent just enjoying the town. Admiring the beautiful old buildings, many with strong European influence. Our impression of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund is they are both vibrant communities that are expanding at a fantastic rate. There is building happening everywhere. Driving around, one is struck by the apparent love affair between residents of Swakopmund and palm trees. They are everywhere, and many gardens sport one or two as well. Looking across the town, the horizon is dotted with fluffy canopies!

Another thing that struck us was that there was no litter lying around. Many smaller South African towns can take a leaf out of Swakopmund’s book concerning cleanliness.

Our visit to these beautiful towns brought our second week to a close in an incredible way.

We are off to Henties Bay tomorrow and then to Spitzkoppe and Twyfelfontein, so I’m still determining where I’ll find WIFI again. Take care, everyone, and be good.