Namibia ENG pt 2

Journey notes

Last week we traveled across the dunes of Namibia, through the lines of space and times, wandering until we reached Deadvlei. Let’s begin the second part of this wonderful trip!

After crossing the Tropic of Capricorn, the coastal towns wait for us. To tell the truth it is not a nice welcome, because they are often shrouded in fog which gives them a mysterious look. It is Benguela current “fault”, which pushes water vapour towards the coasts and, through condensing, creates this misty effect.
Don’t be afraid, because in the following days the 4×4 drivers drive recklessly among the Namib-Naukluft steep dunes, to the south of Walvisbaai, in an ups and downs fit for the best western Russian mountains. But when fog clears away, a real show is waiting for us: we discern the impressive dunes of the desert casting into the Atlantic Ocean, in a titanic fight from strenghts which have been challenging each other for ages, without finding a winner so far.

This is another complicated emotion to be described: I had never felt the thrill of getting into a quad. Well, driving it in the middle of the desert, whizzing among slopes and descents under the Duna 7, has been crazy!

Swakopmund has nothing to offer to the voyagers, apart from large saltpans, pink flamingoes which eat on the seashore and cheap oysters to taste. The Namibian ones are famous for their oceanic flavour and very cheap cost. They are really delicious if you taste them with cool Southafrican wines and just caught fish.

The trip goes on to North among white, uneven roads, full of sharp stones. We come across the Skeleton Coast, a large area plunged in a reserve where going out before sunset is compulsory; the area is full of wrecks and old, obsolete and irreparably rusty gas and oil installations. The perfect scenario to tear a tire repeatedly!

Cape Cross is a very peculiar part of coast, where a remarkable colony of sea lions live and bask in the sun. It’s a pity that they do it…among their droppings! The smell is so strong that many people need to use the tiger balm or scarves in front of their nose, despite the hot.
The adult ones often go fishing and when they come back they look for their young, who meanwhile have left and groan, in a jarring chorus from hundred of animals. The purpose of these sounds is to meet again and it seems that each parent and each young let out unique voices, in order to recognize themselves among other hundred of specimen. In such a loving situation, jackals and seagulls wander about furtively, hoping to find unprotected young to attack.

The last episode will be waiting for you the next week!

See you at the next story!

The First Part of this Travel
Italian Namibia notes