EAT MY DUST
The day did not start off well when I saw Jean, an older American woman on our tour, step back and tumble heavily outside the motel. By the time I reached her, her wrist had blown up and it was obvious that she had done some major damage to it. The nearest medical facility would be our next overnight stop, Swakopmund, so we kept pretty much on schedule and continued on our way.
Today has been another long and dusty drive over bumpy dirt roads. The dust seems to get in everywhere, from the pockets of my camera bag to my ears, nose and hair. It’s hard to keep clean, just sitting on the coach. The dust just seems to hang suspended in the air, it’s not just that kicked up by the occasional passing car. In fact, on the horizon it looks as though a storm could be approaching but it’s just the combination of dust and haze.
Along the way we spotted orxy, springbok and ostriches.
Mid morning we stopped at the whistlestop of Solitaire where they have a reputation for making great apple crumble but as the food was on the open counter with quite a few flies around, I opted to explore the interesting surrounds with its old car wrecks – very photogenic.
We passed the Tropic of Capricorn and not too long after that as we got nearer to the coast, the temperature noticeably dropped and the sky became more overcast than hazy. By the time we reached Walvis Bay most people were reaching for their fleeces!
Once at Swakopmund, we were dropped off at an adventure centre to book activities for the next day while Innocent took Jean to the doctor. It turns out that Jean’s wrist is broken in two places and requires surgery so she is going to leave us here and return home to the States.
Whilst some of the others booked quad biking on the sand-dunes tomorrow, I opted for some free time in the morning then a town tour in the afternoon.
Our accommodation here is a bit different than expected (well, really, extremely unexpected!). It used to be the hospital and it has now been turned into a hotel, although there is still an old people’s home in part of the complex. Everyone has been accommodated in the front except for Jean and me who have been housed in the annex, past the old people’s home! Every time I’ve gone back and forth to my room I’ve been running into an elderly lady on her walking frame! My room would have been a wardroom at some time and now it looks as though it’s been decorated by a grandma back in the seventies – chenille bedspreads, glass of daisies on the little wooden table covered with a lace tablecloth, doily on the bedside table, crocheted lace curtains, etc.
We all had dinner in town at a restaurant which served the most humungous meals. Those of us who couldn’t finish their servings had the waitress deliver the remaining serving to several men who were waiting on the street outside – apparently the waitress was used to this.
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