Welcome to Namibia

Here we are in Namibia and it's just possible that a few of you had to dig out your atlases or world maps to figure out exactly where we are. One thing about cruising … your geography improves. Although if you talked to our Quiz Night partners, they'd never believe it.

Formerly known as South West Africa, Namibia was originally inhabited by the San people (bushmen) and later several native people migrated to the area including the Owambo, the Herero and the Damara. Today, the San make up less than 3% of Namibia's ~2.3 million population and the Owambo people constitute about 45%.  The country recognizes nine separate national languages, of which Oshiwambo (the language of the Owambo) is most widely spoken. We've had no problem finding English speakers though.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to land and explore the the area. Explorer Diogo Cao came ashore at Swakopmond in 1484, followed closely by Bartolomeu Dias in 1486, for whom Dias Point and its lighthouse are named. Namibia became a German protectorate in 1884 and remained as such until the end of WWI when the South Africans were appointed to oversee the territory by the League of Nations. When South Africa adopted the apartheid policy, the UN revoked their mandate to govern the territory in 1966, but the South Africans ignored the UN resolution and continued its occupation of the South West Africa Territory.

Namibia is one of the newest democratic nations in Africa, only gaining its independence from South Africa in 1990, following the Namibian War of Independence (1966-1990).  The country is considered politically, socially and economically stable which is saying a lot for a young African nation. It's a pretty progressive country having just elected its first female Prime Minister, Saara Kuugongelwa Amadhila, who took office in March 2015.

Some interesting facts about Namibia:

Namibian currency is the Namibian dollar, but is on par with the South African rand and both currencies are accepted equally. Interestingly, Namibian dollars are referred to as “bucks”, just like in the USA.

Namibia has the world's highest population of free-roaming cheetahs.

Both the Kalihari and the Namib Deserts cover much of Namibia's land area. The Namib Desert is thought to be the oldest desert in the world (80 million years old) and reputedly has the highest sand dunes. We climbed some multi-story high dunes at Sossusvlei /Sesriem last time we visited in 2007.

The Hoba Meteorite is the world's largest complete meteorite and the most massive naturally occurring piece of iron known at the Earth's surface.  Discovered by a farmer plowing his field in northeast Namibia,  the meteor weighs in at 60+ tons and resides where it landed.

Dragon's Breath Lake, also located in the northeast part of the country, is the largest known underground lake in the world.

Namibia has an 83% literacy rate, one of the highest in Africa.

Namibia's name derives from the Nama word “namib” which translates to vast, open space.

The country is about half the size of Alaska and is the second least densely populated country in the world … second only to Mongolia (which I didn't even realize was a country).

Fish River Canyon is the second largest canyon in the world and, you guessed it, the Grand Canyon is the largest.

Namibia has the least annual rainfall in sub-Saharan Africa.

Namibia is the world's 8th largest producer of diamonds and the first diamond was found not far from right where we currently are in Luderitz.

Now, that we've whet your appetite for the country, we're anxious to explore with you what makes it so special. We visited Namibia back in 2007. Check out the website to see what we did back then.

Arrival in Lüderitz, Namibia

Much to our pleasant surprise, we reached Lüderitz (LEW-der-its) in 77 hours. It was 486nm ... Royal Cape YC Berth 25 to the mooring in Robert Harbour, Lüderitz, with an average speed of 6.3 knots. You really have to love a town with an umlaut in its name (ü – those two little dots above the u).  The forecast for several days of southerly winds was unusual for this time of year along the southwest African coast, but was most welcome. Hooray! The ride had its ups and downs, but all in all, it was a very reasonable, albeit cold, passage. And here we are, in a new country already.

Our last day at sea was fairly benign. The day started grey and bleak and continued that way until we neared Lüderitz port. The Namibian coastline is tan, washed-out and barren. The desert meets the sea here with ever-shifting sand dunes … some of the largest in the world. Through the grey overcast, we could make out a band of sunlight which hovered just above the shoreline. It expanded as we neared Lüderitz. By the time we rounded Dias Point and its scenic lighthouse, the sky was blue and  it was warm and sunny.

Sea lions, dolphins and African penguins greeted us as we headed into the bay.

We contacted Port Authority and asked quite formally for permission to enter the harbor. The answer was “Okay! Call with particulars when you're anchored.”. We proceeded into the harbor and based upon a previous cruiser's notes, looked for a mooring at red marker 9. Well, it was actually red marker 8, but we figured it out. The wind kicked up as we were attempting to pick up a mooring … of course. The mooring buoy was tangled in a rat's nest of very large lines, so heavy I couldn't pick it up with the boat hook. We made three attempts at plucking it from the water and I finally lassoed it with a big bowline. We wrestled it aboard with much sweat and frustration. David used rolling hitches to attach two lines to the 2” slimy hawser. We found out later that it was reserved for a fishing boat and they picked it up with a grappling hook and a windlass. I didn't feel so badly about our inadequacies after hearing that.

By the end of these mooring maneuvers, the deck and the crew were covered in green slime and various, unidentified sea critters oozed and skittered along the scuppers. Yuck! By 1700 (5pm for non-sailors), we were secured and tidied up. We were more than happy to go below, clean up, relax and call it a day. End of passage! Phew!

Out of (South) Africa

As we leave South Africa and head offshore, it's a good time to reflect on our impressions of this beautiful country and what memories stick most solidly in our minds. Here's our list … Animals, animals, animals – Without a doubt, the animals and birds we saw during our visit here impressed us the most. Though it wasn't really on our bucket list, catching a glimpse of the Big Five in their natural environment was awesome ... in the truest sense of the word. Kruger was probably our best game park. Despite its reputation of being crowded, costly and touristy, it was definitely worth a visit.

Cultural experiences – We went out of our way to visit Swazi and Ndebele villages. Unfortunately, these were less than authentic experiences; they were tourist experiences and we realize it. That said, we visited museums which gave us good background and history on the indigenous peoples. We visited local markets and talked with craftsmen. There's always more to learn and see.

Exchange rate – On the practical side, the exchange rate of  $1 US  = R12 was definitely in our favor and we were able to get lots of work done at a reasonable price while supplementing the South African economy.

Sani Pass, Lesotho – Though their visit was short, we really enjoyed our time with Hannah and Brennan  and our trip with them to tiny, landlocked Lesotho. Climbing the Sani Pass in a Land Rover was a unique, thrilling experience. Popping inside a Sotho home for fresh bread and maize beer and crawling on hands and knees into a Sotho shepherd's hut were definitely cultural experiences we'll remember.

South African Food – Curries were probably our favorite ...both Durban and Malay varieties were excellent. Ostrich isn't bad. Bunny chow, boerewors, biltong and mealie pap … not so much. Amarula liqueur is outstanding … even the elephants love it. Don Pedros are out of this world. And the wine … oh, my!

Third world eccentricities – like load shedding … when the electricity was shut off without warning for several hours each day in Durban, especially when we were showering, definitely made an impression. Or perhaps our “expedited” package that took three days to make it from the USA to Jo'burg and then nearly a month to make it from Jo'burg Customs to us in Cape Town. TIA – This is Africa.

Favorite town as cruisers – Mosselbaai was perhaps our favorite seaport visit. The people were exceptionally warm and friendly. Everything was close by and convenient. We enjoyed the Dias Museum and our visit to the Cape St. Blaize Lighthouse and just wandering around this pleasant town.

Inland travel – If seeing the animals was wonderful, the “getting there” was exciting, too. Our inland travel took us to game parks, two new countries (Swaziland and Lesotho), through winelands and mountains, bush and along the wild coast. The natural beauty of South Africa is astounding.

As always, the warmth, kindness and hospitality of the people we met and with whom we interacted was a highlight. We met so many and all enriched our lives. Whenever we read the headlines about political, religious and racial discord, we always come back to our one-on-one chance encounters with people we meet … different colors, different religions, different ethnicities, different cultures and who knows or cares about their politics. The meetings are always special, sharing experiences and one-on-one, people are all the same.

We may be out of South Africa, but we're not out of southern Africa. We're en route to Namibia and looking forward to it.