(25 June)
Our new temporary home is in Swakopmund. This is a town of about 45000.
The coast is called the Skeleton Coast, from Sandwich Harbour, south of Swakopmund, the Kurne river. This treacherous coast – a foggy region with rocky and soaring dunes. It has long been a graveyard for unwary ships and their crews, hence its forbidding name. Once a ship was washed ashore, the fate of the crew was sealed. The harsh winds and dense fog that rolls off the South Atlantic have now eroded most of the ships that were swept ashore here. This section of the coast is among the most remote and inaccessible areas in Namibia.
We are in a small cottage in a sort of courtyard behind a larger building. To reach it we had to open and close two electric gates. Out large car just about fits in the driveway. It’s a lovely little place near the sea. Being winter it is pretty chilly, very humid, and quite windy. We have a large living room, with an open kitchen/diner, two bedrooms and two shower rooms. The indoor chill resembles the one in England. Luckily we found an electric heater. AND there is hot water in the showers. We even ha a washing machine and a dryer. Happy days!
After unloading the car we went to Shoprite to by breakfast and dinner. It’s nice to be able to cook for a change on this trip. TO be honest though, today, after the long car trip (7,5 hrs including breaks), we settled for pizza that we heated in the oven. It was ready-made, but not frozen.