Feeling smug, we make it into town the next morning in record time, leaving the best part of two days to explore the town, and get the heart racing with various adrenaline activities. Arriving in the typical Swakop fog, some pax are unsure whether their ambition to throw themselves out of a perfectly good plane from 10000 foot will be realised, but luckily the coastal clouds burn off, and the group heads out to the desert to skydive to their hearts content.
Unfortunately for some, skydiving is addictive, and more than one person has decided to blow the budget on their round-the-world trips by vowing to repeat the experience soon.
We head out to start the evenings entertainment at Napolitanas - a local restaurant famous for its game and massive portions. Nearly everyone was defeated by their dinner, which was anticipated by the restaurant as it had plenty of doggy bags available. After the dinner, it was universally agreed that the night would not be complete without a visit to a club for dancing and drinks...
Most Swakop activites have a very flexible cancellation policy, but this group is tough and despite some sore heads and minimal hours sleep, everyone duly turned up at the alloted times for their activities. Fun for the day was sandboarding (top speed of the day an impressive 74kph), quadbiking and sea kayaking with seals. We welcomed three new pax, and headed out to dinner at a local seafood restaurant before heading back to the same club/pub to close the evening.
Tip for Swakopmund: its not easy to get lost here, but if you really try you can manage it!
Day 8: Leaving the mists of Swakop behind us, we travel up the coast, looking out for shipwrecks, before reaching the Cape Cross Seal Colony, aka the stinky seals. There are 80000 resident seals here and in breeding season (December) this number increases to 210,000. This time, the babies are just beginning to show some signs of independence, much to their mother's concern. We never spent too long here due to the smell, and the group is under strict instructions not to open the windows or push-ups will be issued to the guilty party.
Trying to ignore the faint odour still clinging to our clothes (and apparently, cameras), we drive to the Spitzkoppe mountain, which was formed from magma over 100million years ago. A local guide takes everyone to see the impressive natural formations and the bushman art which is thought to have survived from 2-5000 years ago, and provided vital information between groups of what habitat and animals they should expect to encounter.
Everyone is hoping for another night under the stars, but the weather has other plans, and tents are hurriedly put up just as its getting dark. At least people have had lots of practice by now. The sunset first however is spectacular, with a double rainbow and lightning making it truly memorable.
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