Day 73-80 (23rd March- 30th March)

I arrived at the airport at the same time as Johannes. It was so nice to see him again😍 In the second week of my stay in Namibia, we decided that he would visit me for two weeks. So we went to a hotel in Windhoek together. It was really nice there: there was a pool, billiards, and a bar. For lunch, we treated ourselves to a pizza and spent the rest of our time chilling and sleeping by the pool. In the evening, we had a Braai there, and we even won a free drink at a small quiz before that🥳 It was very strange for me to have so much free time and not have to "work". I wasn't used to all the noises in the city anymore. I don't know how I'm going to survive in Bretten with all the cars and church bells again.

On Friday morning, after breakfast, we went on a city walking tour. We visited a German church, the Independence Museum, and the Parliament. After that, our tour guide left us alone in the city, which turned out to be an adventure without internet. I knew that Johannes and I wanted to visit the Craft Market again, so we asked people for directions and eventually made it there after a few detours. We bought some souvenirs there and had a delicious lunch. Then we went to a supermarket because we wanted to cook our own dinner that evening (it's so great to get to decide when and what to eat😍). Back at the hotel, we relaxed by the pool and even did some exercise (I already miss the gym at Naankuse😭). After our delicious dinner (curry with rice), we went to our room because it was already time to pack again.

On Saturday morning, we had to wake up early as we were picked up at shortly after 7. We are going on a "Etosha, Himba, and Skeleton Coast" tour for the next 6 days with three other people from China and our two guides Kennedy and Cheelo. On the way to our campsite, we stopped at a wood market. However, it really annoys me when everyone keeps talking to you and trying to sell you things, so we quickly went back to the bus. Our destination today was the Okonjima Reserve where the Africat organization is located. Right at the beginning of the reserve, Johannes told me that he would like to see rhinos, and not 10 meters later, we saw 3 rhinos right next to the road🦏

When we arrived at the reception, we went on a guided tour of the reserve after a quick lunch of sandwiches (they are so much better here than at Naankuse...even with avocado and various sauces😍). We fed a leopard and entered the enclosure of 5 cheetahs. Since they were fed in the morning, they were all sleeping in the shade, and we were able to get very close to observe them👀.

Back at the camp, our guides had already set up our tents, and we could enjoy the pool and watch the sunset from a small viewpoint. In the evening, we had another Braai, but it was really delicious🤤 After stargazing for a while, we went to bed relatively early because we had to wake up at 6.

On Sunday morning, we packed up our tents and drove to Etosha after breakfast. When we arrived at noon, we set up our camp and had some free time after a small lunch. Johannes and I went to the pool, sunbathed, and went swimming. In the afternoon, we went on a short safari, but we didn't see many animals. It's the rainy season, so not many animals gather at the waterholes as they can find water in more secluded places. After dinner, we went to the waterhole, which was only 2 minutes away from our camp. We were lucky to see a rhino drinking🦏😍

On Monday, we left at 7 a.m. when the gates opened and went on a full-day safari. Today, too, we saw only a few animals, which was a bit disappointing. We saw many antelopes, thousands of zebras, giraffes, an elephant, lions, although they were 150 meters away, and (my highlight) hyenas. In the evening, I told our guides that I really don't want to see any more zebras, and of course, when Johannes and I went to the waterhole, the only thing we saw was a zebra😂

On Tuesday, we had to pack up our camp early again and drove to a Himba tribe. We took a short tour and learned about their traditions. Afterwards, they wanted to sell us their souvenirs, and I am not good at saying no, so I bought an ankle bracelet for 10€😱 Unfortunately, everything was quite touristy and focused on money, which somewhat spoiled the experience. After that, we continued through mountains to a beautiful campsite in the middle of nowhere. There is also an elephant in the area that likes to pay a visit to the campsite. Unfortunately, we didn't see it🥲 The weather in the afternoon was not good, so we couldn't go to the pool. Instead, I treated myself to a coffee for only 70 cents and had planned to write my blog, but the Wi-Fi didn't really work.

On Wednesday, after breakfast, we finally headed to the coast🌊. The road at the beginning was really an adventurous roller coaster, but as the locals say, we got to enjoy an African massage😂

On the way, we stopped at an old oil drilling rig (not sure if that's what it's called) that was completely rusted and had never been in operation. It was quite interesting because the remains are just standing in the middle of the desert. The journey continued to a shipwreck, which turned out to be just the remains of the engine or whatever lying on the beach. However, we had lunch there with a view of the sea. And then came my highlight of the tour: Cape Cross🦭 There is a huge colony of about 100,000 seals. On a kind of jetty with a railing, you can walk among the seals and get quite close to them. The smell was quite interesting but not worse than the manure in Bretten🫣 Some seals somehow got through the railing, which almost gave a German older woman a heart attack, which was quite amusing for us outsiders. We set up our camp on a campsite near Cape Cross. Before dinner, Johannes and I watched the sunset over the sea☀️😍

Thursday was already the last day of our tour, and we could choose our last activity. We had to leave very early for Walvis Bay as we did a Sandwich Harbour tour from there. On the way, we stopped at the same shipwreck that I already knew from the Coastal Project. This stop made our journey to Sandwich Harbour very adventurous. As we were late, the tide had already come in, and on the way there, we drove right next to the sea. This meant that the water partially flooded our "road". Fortunately, we all arrived safely, and the view from the top was really beautiful, although it was foggy😍 The return journey turned out to be even more adventurous. This time we drove through the sand dunes, which sometimes meant a steep descent🫣 It was definitely a bit scary but also like a cool roller coaster. We stopped in the middle of a dune, where we got snacks and drinks. That's where I tried oysters for the first time, and I have to say, I almost vomited🤢 At least now I know that I will never eat them again. Back in Walvis Bay, our guides took Johannes and me to our hotel in Swakopmund. For us, the journey ended there, while the Chinese people continued traveling with the guides to the south of Namibia. In the hotel, we rested for a while and then went into the city. I wanted to visit some shops I already knew from last time, and otherwise, we just strolled around. We also stumbled upon a Snake Park, and now I finally saw a Black Mamba🐍 They are very poisonous, and there is no antidote in Namibia or South Africa, which means that you will definitely die if you get bitten😱 In the evening, we met up with the others for a farewell dinner. It was in a delicious fish restaurant right by the sea, and after our guides drove us back to the hotel, we finally got to sleep in a comfortable bed without having to set up and dismantle a tent the next morning🥳