GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010 BLOG #39 WALVIS BAY

First, before you start thinking you know how to pronounce this, realize that it comes from the Dutch “whale – fish.” Got it? The town was our first introduction to Namibia, and from what we saw in the way of __, had a plethora of good tours. The one we settled on was “Sandwich Bay,” less for the name than the fact that it promised views of the flamingos settled here. (Recall that we had only seen a few at Torres del Paine in Chile.)

Well, this more than made up for it. Indeed, several of the other tours would have been just as good; heck, you could have walked the right direction out of town and seen the flamingos for yourself! What made us happy with our decision, however, was that this occurred in the first half-hour of a very full day. We were in all-terrain vehicles and continued up past the local salt works on a “road” which ran through grass and scrub before emerging on the shore of the South Atlantic. We followed this for miles, sometimes almost being hit by the spray, and seeing seals, porpoises, and other wildlife.


A stop was made where tall sand dunes extended beyond the shore side lagoons, while those who were more intrepid (Sam says “Crazier”) than the rest spent a lot of time climbing to the top. Back below, a feast was spread and we had a relaxing lunch before taking off again.







 Our journey back to the ship, however, was not a mere repeat. We headed “off road” into the great sand dunes which border the coast, spotting local nara melons, used by the bushmen, as well as springbok. The drivers gunned up and down the dunes in a remarkable display of bravado, with the two of us bouncing in the back.



A return to the city left just enough time for us to be dropped (you guessed it) at the local bookstore, incurring the glares of everyone else, who hadn’t thought of asking.

Well, not as well known to Americans as its southern neighbor, South Africa, Namibia has lots to offer anyone who loves nature and the wide-open spaces. Now it’s on to Luderitz and the “Diamond Area” ….

GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010 BLOG #33: COLONIA DEL SACRAMENTO

“Just across” the River Plate from Buenos Aires – we use the term “just across” advisedly as we are talking about a wide river (approximately 100 miles wide) – lies Colonia del Sacramento.

We’d never heard of it before we went to Uruguay and now we won’t be able to forget it. Imagine, if you will, an undeveloped Saint Augustine with all the beauty of that city’s historical buildings and none of the tawdry tourist shops and crowds. That’s Colonia del Sacramento. It’s a city of sleepy buildings, flowers, and dragonflies.

While you can take a ferry from Buenos Aires, we got there via bus from Montevideo. (We figure that any place designated as a World Heritage Site has to be a good bet to visit and we haven’t missed yet.) The ride itself is part of the fun – a good chance to see part of the Uruguayan countryside as you drive along tree-lined roads.

In historic Colonia, most of the streets are roughly-paved with rocks, while the houses show their origin – Portuguese or Spanish – by their roof design. (Notice the circular roof tiles, our guide told us that they had been molded on the thighs of the slaves.) Colonia, like Uruguay itself, was fought over by both the Portuguese and Spanish. Each street and building has its own story – near the harbor the street is allegedly part of the old red light district. Over there the ruins of a convent, with a lighthouse whose keeper was burned alive.

The town’s church was extremely austere on the outside, but boasts wonderful carvings within.

 We were given 20 minutes of freedom before lunch, so, of course, Sam found an antique store with deals on Spanish coins allegedly from wrecks in the Plate River.


Our short sojourn in Colonia did not allow us to completely enter into the town’s languid atmosphere, but we saw enough to determine to come back should we ever have the opportunity. “Take a load off,” and stay a little bit longer.