Swakopmund part 2 (12-18)

Saturday I went to the third destination: the ocean. For this, I took the ocean tour to see dolphins and seals in Walvis Bay harbor. First we stopped at a place where there were a lot of flamingos. 

Then we embarked on our catamaran for the three-hour ocean experience. As we were embarking on the boat, there was a pelican on the pier. 

When we left, a seal followed in the boat’s wake and then jumped onto the boat. They know that the guides have fish for them. 

As the guide fed it, he pointed out that it has external ears, a distinguishing feature of the cape fur seals. When the seal returned to the water, the guide threw fish for it to fetch, which it did and then returned for more. 

Next a pelican joined us on the boat. Pelicans came and went during the trip. Toward the end of the morning one was near where I was sitting; so I decided to pet it, which we had been told was OK. It was interesting to feel the different textures on the neck and body.

We saw the oyster beds. Namibia produces a lot of oysters because they grow at least twice as fast as they do elsewhere due to the high level of plankton in the water and the currents. Some of the oysters are imported from other countries to be grown here and then exported. 

Since the oysters are grown in baskets, they do not get cleaned by the moving around in the current; so every six weeks they are pulled up to the oyster cleaning boat and cleaned. Millions of oysters are exported.

There are a number of tug boats in the harbor and oil rigs from Angola. They are brought here for cleaning and repair because of the piracy in Angola.

The next site was Pelican Point where about 13,000 cape fur seals reside. The area is literally covered with seals. 

The females and babies are on land while the males are in the ocean. 

We could see the small, dark babies, especially with the assistance of telephoto. Even from our distance offshore we could hear their loud noise.

Then we stopped for a while waiting for dolphins that did not oblige us with an appearance. This was my first dolphin tour on which we didn’t see any, but it was still a nice outing. As we started back to shore, we were served snacks which included fresh oysters.

On the way back to Swakopmund, I was fascinated by the water and clouds along the coast.

Other than the three outings, Swakopmund was a time for slow, relaxing days, which I needed. I visited the small museum and aquarium, which has only Namibian fish, 

and Kristal Gallerie, which has a collection of crystals found in Namibia. One is the largest quartz crystal cluster on display in the world. It weighs 14,000 kilograms. A special gem is pietersite, which is unique to Namibia. Being a combination of tiger’s eye, hawk’s eye and jasper, it is marbleized gold, blue, and brown.

Christmas decorations are minimal. There is a tree in the center of the town arcade, and some shops have a few decorations in the windows. At the home where I stayed there was a tree and there were a few decorations in the living room. The daughter had made a gingerbread house from scratch, as kits are not available here. She and her friends baked cookies one afternoon.

I specialized in eating seafood and relaxing at restaurants with an ocean view. One day I had kabeljou, the catch of the day which was a new fish for me, served over vegetables. 

Restaurant at the end of the jetty where I ate twice. 

Another day I had a grilled seafood skewer served over a fish fillet. 

And another day I had grilled calamari served over grilled veggies. 

I had raw oysters once 

and a combo of a tempura oyster, an oyster baked with cheese, and one cooked with lemon garlic sauce. All were very delicious. 

Since Swakopmund has a large population with German heritage, there are several bakeries; so I had to try baked goods as well. I ate very well in Swakopmund and enjoyed every bite. Relaxing and eating in Swakopmund was a wonderful finish for my southern Namibia holiday.