Spring 2015 - Day 86: Namibia

Today I got up early to go on an adventure. Sea kayaking! I had no idea what to expect, except maybe the ocean and maybe some paddling. 

Our first stop was at a house in a neighborhood to pick up the kayaks. You would think that a very makeshift operation would freak me out but in this case it felt more like we were supporting a small business. 

We drove into the desert again but this time it was the opposite direction of the sand dune. 

We drove past marshes with the ocean didn't meet the sand cleanly. One of the marshes was full of flamingos. Have you ever seen a flamingo fly? It is very strange looking in a beautiful way. And there were hundreds and hundreds of them, both the greater flamingo and the lesser flamingo. 

We drove all the way out to the tip of a peninsula. Half way there the road disappeared and we were just carving our way through the packed sand. 

Eventually the seals came into view. There were hundreds of them, all squealing and barking on the rocks and splashing in the ocean. 

They unloaded the kayaks and a tent that they set up for the bathroom. We paired up and pushed the kayaks out into the water. We were given some time to practice paddling around while everyone got into the water. Then we guides told us to follow them and we headed out toward the open water where we were most likely to see dolphins. 

And did we ever! We came across a pod of three or four and they came up so close to us. Their dorsal fins broke out of the water right next to our kayak. It was insanely beautiful. 

We then headed back into the bay. Once we were closer to land we were able to paddle our way through two different clusters of seals. They were splashing and playing in the water in two huge groups. We just floated our way through them and let them jump around next to us. 

It was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. We were alone on the water with the most adorable and lively creatures I have ever seen. I didn't really want it to end. 

But it had to eventually. After a while we all had to come back into the beach where we were given a snack. It was clearly homemade and that just made it all the better. 

Back on the ship I took a nap until Stephanie came back. She invited me to go into town to go to a move: Cinderella. Turns out the movie theatre in Swakomund is one of only two in the whole country. How cool is that! I went with Stephanie, Austin, and one of their friends. 

The cab ride to Swakomund took almost an hour but we eventually got there and found the movie theatre next to their nicest hotel. We bought our movie tickets, which I think were the cheapest tickets I have ever purchased at $3.50. 

It wasn't time for the movie yet so we asked them for a place to eat dinner and they directed us to a pizza place. 

After a fairly brief walk past some guinea hens, and getting a little lost we ate some of the best pizza ever. And I got to try Savanna Light. 

The movie theatre was tiny - probably about 30 seats. Since our movie tickets were so cheap we bought the large snack pack which included a bag of popcorn, a box of Astros and a caramel bar. All for 40 Namibian Dollars… aka $2.85. 

What a deal. And the movie was fabulous. My favorite part? The cinematography, absolutely beautiful. 

Getting back to the port was more challenging. It was now late at night and there weren't any taxis driving around the street. We ended up having the hotel call one for us and then we had to wait for it to drive all the way from Walvis Bay. 

It was very late when we got back to the port, and the taxi driver did not make it to the port entrance that we were used to. But we were tired of being in the taxi and we didn't want to pay more so we got out and walk. And got very, very lost. 

We wandered here and there in the direction of the ship, and had to find our way through a fence. Eventually we found the water and walked our way past cargo ship after cargo ship. It probably took us 40 minutes to get back to our bay. 

The ship never looked so welcoming after all that walking. Stephanie and I went straight to bed, we were exhausted after a very successful day. Namibia was turning out great so far!