Fifth week - Still in Namibia, Spitzkoppe and Swakopmund

FYI - blog and pics easier to read on laptop or computer.

Check out a few of our videos related to this post on YouTube:
Cape Cross Seals at play
Cape Cross Seal talk

Well, we have left the animals behind us and the scenery has changed from flat plains, scrubby trees and the odd village, to hills, mountains and more green than we have seen the last 2 weeks. And, the temperature has dropped considerably. Something like mid 60s but sunny and breezy now.

Arrived after a long day of driving to the "Ayers Rock" like area of Spitzkoppe. Beautiful, rounded, reddish rock formations, apparently of volcanic origin. Each cloud and change of the sun, makes the place look different and special. Went on a tour to see rock paintings and get a sense of this special place.

We set up our tent right under the rocks and had a night of clear skies and thousands of stars. It was October 12 and the "girls" we are travelling with, insisted in recognizing Aaron's 62nd birthday. Balloons, a few toasts and toasted marshmellows (the center removed and filled with liquor for some) were shared. Simon, our cook, surprised us all with a delicious cake, cooked in a pan over the fire....I wonder how many of us could do that?? It was moist, frosted and decorated, wishing Aaron a happy birthday. We all sang and ate cake, celebrating my best buddy!

Next day, we continued to head south, to Swakopmund, stopping at Cape Cross, Seal Cove, aptly named, along the way. The seals of Cape Cross have a breeding colony of Cape Fur seals, recognized by the presence of two visible ears, compared to true seals who are earless!? These seals do not migrate and at times, reach between 80,000 and 100,000 seals, decreasing, when pups are weened and go out to sea to feed themselves. That's a lot of seal barking and seal poop! The smell takes getting used to, but the antics of the seals were worth it and the new pups, just adorable. Hope to put a clip on YouTube in future update. Meanwhile, enjoy a few pics.

 The town of Swakopmund seems to have just fallen out of the sky or dropped as part of the "Truman" movie set!!! So big, so modular, such big roads and so empty!! We hear in good weather, the locals take over, perhaps like Cape Cod, but hard for us to imagine. Just sort of surreal walking around. The nice part of being here is we get 3 days off the truck, in beds with showers etc.. We are sharing a bungalo with another couple, Gary and Catherine from Tasmania, Australia. Meals on our own as well. Yum....we get to pick off a menu for a few days.

Great time for getting laundry done and updating blog. Hope you have enjoyed? It was fellow traveller, Michelle's birthday on the 13th. Much more partying than Aaron's celebration. Most of the gals didn't wake till mid morning.....good thing we weren't leaving on the truck early!!!

Things to do in Swakopmund are associated with the dunes. Many in our group went sand boarding and on cultural township tours. We opted for a quad bike (ATV) ride thru dunes. A new adventure for us and a fun time. We were the only 2 in the group, so we pretty much went at our speed. Great views of dunes.

We have both sand boarded before in Peru and Australia so decided to try something new. As for the tour, we ended up going to the township on our own (after checking if it was safe with a few locals). Absent our good camera and money, off we went. Saw what seemed like hundreds of kids getting out of school and said hello, checked out several hair salons and barbershops for Aaron, finally finding someone willing and able to cut a white guy with little to no hair, hair!!! A great job by Mozz!

Mozz uses a large paint brush to finish cleaning up!

Also met a new Peace Corp worker who stopped us in the street to say hi. Con, was from NJ, went to school in Rhode Island and is a Patriot's fan!!! Go figure, the 2 guys were talking Pat's injuries. Con is just starting his assignment and will be here 2 years helping small businesses and whatever other needs he identifies that are doable. A nice meet and greet!

We head to Sesriem/River Camp on way to Namib Desert, passing the Tropic of Capricorn, a "private" LOL toilet, and a practically abandoned desert town of 92 people along the way. Stay tuned.