Argitaratu: 25.07.2023
In Sossusvlei I left the house in the morning at 8°C, by the time I reached Solitaire around noon it was 26°C (the day before in Sossus it was even 29°C!) and the closer I got to Swakop, the colder it got again. It was only 15°C here, at 2 pm in the afternoon... 🥶 So you have to dress in layers, freezing in the morning with a T-shirt, sweater, and jacket, sweating alone in a T-shirt at noon, and needing a sweater and jacket again in Swakop. Here I found a really nice accommodation right on the jetty (long pier into the sea with a restaurant at the end and a viewing platform on the roof) for 800 N$ per night (about 40 €). After checking in, I went straight out again, to the jetty, some walking along the beach, and into town. This time I was approached by someone everywhere... It didn't seem that intense the other times I was here... 🤔 One person was really persistent. At first, he just talked my ear off, where he actually comes from Namibia and what click sounds there are in his language, etc. Then suddenly he unpacked these typical Namibian 'wooden bead keychains', of which I already have one with 'Nicole' on it since the last trip, and he absolutely wanted to carve one with my name on it for me. I used Cham's trick, I conjured up a 20 euro bill from my back pocket, pressed it into his hand, and wanted to keep walking. But he INSISTED on carving me a bead with my name on it and almost became slightly aggressive because I didn't want a bead from him! 'For my children, they have nothing else to eat!' 'Yeah, I just gave you a twenty for nothing, so you leave me alone! Why do I need a bead now? I already have some and don't want any more!' Luckily he finally left me alone when he apparently realized that he already got something from me without a bead! But I avoided that corner for a while and preferred to walk somewhere else! 😅
By the way, you pass the 'Old Courthouse', Hotel 'Europa Hof' in half-timbered style, on 'Strandstraße' and many other facilities with German names! 😄
Today I had a lazy day in Swakop. It was quite cool in the morning and raining a bit. So after breakfast, I lay down on the bed and watched TV for a while. But around 11 o'clock I finally went out and walked along the beach to the 'Platz am Meer' Shopping Mall (yes, it also has a German name! 😅) at the other end of the town. Have some lunch, kill time, drink milkshake, have coffee and cake, and walk back again. And hey, the sun even came out again! 😄 On the way back, I wanted to relax for a moment on a bench on the beach, when suddenly someone approached me again, sat down next to me, and in the second sentence already said that he wants my phone number now! 'No, I'm not giving it to a stranger just like that!' 'But we are not strangers anymore, we already know each other! I want to come with you and spend the night with you!' 'No! I have to go again!' And that's it again with relaxing on the bench on the beach for a moment! 😝 Stupidly enough, the guy got up shortly after me and followed me! So I pretended to be interested in the flowers on the side of the road and stopped. He walked past me, 'I want you! Take me with you!' 'No thanks!' When he had passed me, I took the next turn and stood behind a bush so he couldn't see me anymore, and waited until he had walked a good distance further! 🙄 The rest went without a hitch! 😅
shortly before sunset, I quickly went up the Woermannhaus Tower, for some photos over Swakop and then to the sunset itself on the jetty.
For dinner at the 'Brauhaus' there was only room at the bar, and I chatted with the bartender (of course in German, what else!? 😄) She told me that she was born in Windhoek, has lived everywhere in Namibia, and is now in Swakop, but has never been to Germany!
Now I will relax a bit in the accommodation and tomorrow I will continue to Spitzkoppe! 😊