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Namibia

We arrived this morning, December 3, 2022, after three days at sea from Sao Tome to Walvis Bay, Namibia. While cruising the three days at sea we crossed the Equator. Crossing the Equator at sea marks a well established and time honored tradition, initiated by many navy Captains across the world to boost the morale and camaraderie during many arduous days at sea.

Departing the ship we find a young seal at bow of the ship at the water line resting. Walvis Bay is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The city covers a total area of 11 sqare miles of land.

The bay is a safe haven for sea vessels because of its natural deep-water harbour, protected by the Pelican Point sand spit, being the only natural harbour of any size along the country's coast.

Being rich in plankton and marine life, these waters also drew large numbers of southern right whales, attracting whalers and fishing vessels.

Large numbers of local flamingos abound as do sand dunes south of the city.

Large numbers of local flamingos abound as do sand dunes south of the city.

What a difference in Namibia and the other countries we have been visiting. It is so clean and the buildings are very modern in most cases. The streets are well paved and clean of debris.

Walvis Bay, with its large bay and sand dunes, is an important center of tourism activity in Namibia. We passed by beautiful neighborhoods of homes along the bay side.

Massive huge industrial buildings manufacturing and creating thousands of jobs for the locals. In March 2018 the Namibian government in association with French Group PSA signed an investment agreement to initiate a joint-venture to assemble Opel and Peugeot vehicles in Walvis Bay.

Just outside of Walvis Bay is Sand Dune 7. One of the highest dunes in the area for hiking and sledding down the sand in the area. The sand dunes, some of which are 980 feet high.

People trekking up the Sand Dune. I have done this before in other locations around the world. It is fun. I was lazy today to just sit back and watch everyone get hot and sweaty.

We next drove to Swakopmund, It is a city on the coast of western Namibia about an hours drive from Walvis Bay. ,

Local businesses as we drove into town. All modern and new.

The town has 44,725 inhabitants and covers 76 square miles of land.

The city is situated at the edge of the Namib Desert and is the fourth largest population center in Namibia. The Namib desert may be the oldest desert in the world and contains some of the world's driest regions. The Namib stretches for more than 1,200 miles along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba River in Angola, through Namibia and to the Olifants River in Western Cape, South Africa.

We stopped at a Kristall Galerie. Wow.. what a place. The Kristall Galerie is the result of a man of passion, enthusiasm and vision, Johannes Adolf Kleynhans. What started out as a hobby, collecting stones and revise them, became a lifelong desire to collect the beautiful gems God created.

The Kristall Galerie, founded in 1998, has been designed for you to share in and discover some of the earth's most beautiful masterpieces - a fascinating display of crystals and gemstones.

Home of the World's largets Quartz crystal cluster on display. Unfortunately we were not allowed to photograph the largest of all the crystals. It is massive. higher than a normal ceiling.

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