This is a bizarre little town on the edge of the desert just where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. During the three days that I was there the wind howled in off the sea and the place had a feel of Bray in windy winter weather.
I had planned to base myself here and travel around to see as much of the Skeleton Coast as was feasible. However, once I got chatting with some of the locals, I realised that my options were limited on a big bike with road tyres.
The guys in the local Yamaha store were very helpful and even offered to clean out my air filter for me.
These Pirellis were the type of tyres that I would have needed but, even if I was prepared to buy them, they didn’t have a correct fit for my R1200GSA.
So the next option, and one that was suggested to me before I left Ireland, was to take a flight over the area. So I booked one for Thursday afternoon.
I had earlier bumped into a Belgian couple, Roch and Françoise, who were tracking a very similar route through Africa as I was. We arranged to have dinner together and later spent a really nice evening comparing stories about our journeys thus far. They were departing the next morning to head to Luderitz but hopefully we will get to meet up again further down the road.
The flight over the Namib Desert and the Skeleton Coast was every bit as spectacular as I had imagined it would be. The strong wind made for a very bumpy ride which was made a bit more uncomfortable by the German woman sitting beside me who started vomiting after ten minutes and continued on and off for the entire three and a half hour flight.
This was like a moonscape and the view from up high gave a much better sense of just how vast this country is.
Looking down on the only tar road into Swakopmund which runs beside a railway track made me wonder how they keep it clear of sand.
There are dozens of rotting shipwrecks along this barrren coastline thus giving rise to the name, The Skeleton Coast.
It was a marvelous day and I was delighted to get to see so much.
On the Friday I pottered around the town, doing touristy sight seeing things. It is very hard to describe this place. It was built by Germans as a holiday destination and one guy was telling me that there are regular flights into Windhoek direct from Frankfurt. Given that the country is a former German colony I guess therein lies the connection.
It has churches which would not be out of place in Bavaria.
It is also worth mentioning that Swakopmund, as is the case for Windhoek I am advised, is not very safe. Muggings and stabbings have become the norm in recent years and a couple of days previously two tourists were stabbed in broad daylight. Even though the town is small, there is a hinterland of poorly constructed housing for locals and this contrast makes for a somewhat unsettled community in many ways.
Anyway, I am glad that I came to see this place as I have read several pieces about it in recent years and it has always aroused my curiosity…….
ZIGZAGGING AFRICA BY MOTORBIKE 