Swakopmund 3 days stay

In Swakopmund, I was able to stay 3 nights at the Hansa Hotel. It's one of the old historic hotels and my room was huge compared to a lot of other tour members. Nice to have the space but I really didn't spend too much time there. Friday morning we all went on a boat cruise on Walvis Bay. Already on board was a huge fur seal. As we boarded the ship, one of the crew members was feeding him some fish but as soon as his rations were cut off, he jumped or I guess slithered over the edge. We took off and as the crew held up fish, seagulls and pelican would fly right up to the boat for an easy meal. There were millions of black commorants flying around and nesting on old abandoned fishing trawlers. As we cruised over to the other side, you could see flamingos in the distance and tonnes of fur seals frolicking in the water or on the beach. We also saw porpoises, dolphins and a sunfish (just the fin). Even thou it was overcast, I enjoyed the cruise since there were calm seas. The German couple and our tour driver would be heading back into Windhoek to end the tour while the rest of use would have an extra night in town before meeting up with the Northern tour leader and any new passengers.



Swakopmund is a nice seaside town with beaches, a pier, lots and lots of tourist shops but has some beautiful old German style buildings that are about 100 years old. Many are restored and I enjoyed walking around the town. I visited the Krystal Museum and me being a rock nut spent about 2 hours there. They have the largest crystal in the world that were found in Namibia and it took years to extract them from the cave. They also have a great display of many types of crystals and semi-precious stones. Along the beach front, I met the most interested guy (Brent) who created the neatest spoons out of seashells, porcupine quills and old fishing line. We had a good long chat about using his inspiration to create things from the environment and his life in Namibia. The local craft market is great if you like to barter (I don't) for souveniers. Everyone says they will give you the best price. Six of us went for a great dinner at the Tug Restaurant hoping for a great sunset which didn't materialize but the food was so great. Calamari starter, salad and dinner of Sea Bass and pop for about $20.00. I was recommended this restaurant by someone who use to live here and all my tour mates were glad I suggested such a great place.