A Little piece of Germany

Well we have just had 3 nights in a delightful little German seaside town of Swakopmund on the North Sea coast. OK it is not on the North Sea but the South Atlantic but it is very German.
Surrounded on 3 sides by the Sand Dunes of the Namib Desert and the other by the sea it seems a long way from Africa. In the early part of the 20th Century it was set out by the German administration and has wide, empty streets, lots of German architecture and a big German feel and has been a great place to stop and have our relaxing mid Namibian break.
We have been quad bike riding over the dunes, walking in the dunes looking for sidewinder snakes and a drive down the coast to Walvis Bay, the only proper sea port on this coast of Namibia and that was ruled by the British while the rest of Namibia was in German hands at the beginning of the 20th century.
The restaurants are very good here as are the pubs but not at all like the Africa we have been travelling through. It is the busiest time of year and although still winter here it has been unusually warm day and night. We had been warned by others we had met on our travels that Swakopmund was experiencing sandstorms and the much too common sea fogs that roll in this time of year. We had not experienced any of these but we had noticed the temperature has dropped a lot tonight and it was a lot mistier as we walked home from dinner.

Tomorrow, (Tuesday) we start south, first of all to Sestriem and the largest sand dunes in Africa if not the world then on again towards South Africa, back to camping sometimes and other times lodges.

NUTS

One thing to comment on is the “scam” we were warned about that happens all the time. If this is the best “scam” that the locals can think about then we are ok.

What happens it this
We stop in the car at a check point, gate to the National Park, Petrol station or even when we are walking down the road. Someone comes up and talks to you, introduces them selves and asks you your name. Within seconds they have your name carved on a nut, a palm nut. They then want you to buy it for lots of Namibian dollars and pressure you to buy as they have carved it. We knew about this one so the name we like to give is from our Maternal Greek Grandmother of Mickailpopopodoupolis (or any other version that we can string out) it sort of confuses them and it is much more fun to watch them struggling at that point. Although pestered everywhere with guys coming up with their nuts in their hands we have yet to get the sob story of buying them. (Yes I did mean to write that!!!!!)
We probably will not have an internet connection until we arrive back in Windhoek about the 25th August so don’t expect a lot till then

Mike and Jan