Location: Walvis Bay, Namibia
Almost all the multiple-world cruisers told me the waves around Cape Town were especially calm this trip. The Cape of Good Hope sticks into the merger of Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean currents – the Benguela Current can make things a bit bouncy. A few years ago, the Silver Whisper was hit by a 100-foot rogue wave, fortunately from the front. Our Cruise Director says it was almost a minute of going up followed by a terrifying tip over the crest and then a (mercifully) graceful minute of going down the other side.
Another aspect of the Benguela Current is colder temperatures (since the current is from Antarctica), so it’s been much cooler than when we were in South Africa. There have been sea lions swimming alongside the ship all day. More about them in the next posting…
Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay is not very large, but it is the access into Namibia. Which is darn sandy. There are giant sand dunes visible from the port. We are a bit pinched, as this is Easter weekend and many of the more touristy things are closed. So, I went out for “dinner in the desert.”
We rode two buses over about 30 minutes of paved roads and then 20 minutes of sand roads until we turned the corner past a dune and saw a large tent. The surrounding views were brilliant (so long as I knew I’d be indoors later that night).
We were greeted by camels.
I have never ridden a camel, so that could not continue. The camel guide actually yelped when he saw me and then ushered me to the larger of the camels.
The meal was not amazing, but the tent was tall enough that they had gas outdoor heaters inside the tent. We were entertained by a choral percussion group. I have about 10 seconds of video for each.
I may have been the only person in our group that did not realize the field of brown paper bags would have lit candles in them by the evening. The moon crested the western dunes and the scene was great. I don’t think my mobile phone camera did it justice, and I don’t know how to take such a picture with my Canon.
The trip was a bit expensive for what we got, but it was fun.
Tomorrow: sea lions and dolphins.
PS: Hong Kong Tuxedo
I got my Hong Kong tailored tuxedo suit while the ship was in Cape Town, and we had a formal night last night. The fit was perfect (but I need to stop putting my thumb in my front pocket).
