Swakopmund

We left Etosha National Park and headed to the desert and coast of Swakopmund, originally a German colony town. We spent a whole day doing nothing; walking around town, hanging out at a cafe, shopping, going to the movies. It was incredible. None of us have done that in months. Dan and Mandy hadn't seen a movie in a year, since they got to CARE. It was incredible to just hang out and have a normal day. We ate some good seafood, watched the sun set over the Atlantic and got our feet sandy. We also saw the movie Water For Elephants, which was NOT as good as the book. Reese Witherspoon barely tried in the movie. Big letdown, but going to a movie theater was priceless.

The next morning, Adam and I did something I've been aching to do for years...Skydiving!! We went to the Swakopmund Skydiving Club where we met Pip, our dive buddy. I went first, suited up in an awesome suit, got a quick 15 minute rundown of what was going to happen (yes, only about 15 minutes-T.I.A.), and went to the word's tiniest plane. This plane didn't have seats, just the pilot and a cushy mat on the floor that maximum 4 people could cramply fit it. Oh, and no door. We took a scenic 20 minute flight up to 10,000 feet. We flew over sand dunes that edge right up to the ocean. It was a tad chilly, but actually really really cool. I was also calmer than I thought I would be, probably because there was no turning back now. I watched Pip's altimeter climb to 10,000 feet. We maneuvered our feet out of the door like we had practiced, clipped together of course, and out we went. It was terrifying! The air was sucked out of my lungs for a dizzying 30 seconds of free fall. One of the coolest feelings ever. The view was incredible of the distant desert and the coastline. Then Pip pulled the parachute and we floated towards the ground. He pulled us in crazy circles, which almost made me lose my breakfast. We landed very easily, and it was all over. I thought I was going to pass out from all the excitement, but a beer at 9:15 am helped calm me down. Then it was Adam's turn to jump. We both received videos of our jumps and certificates. Then it was back to our campsite to meet back up with Mandy and Dan.

That afternoon we went to the Cape Cross Seal Reserve, which hosts the largest seal colony in the world. And boy, did it smell like it. There were thousands and thousands of seals. We only stayed and took pictures for about half an hour before we all wanted vomit. And boy do seals make a lot of weird noises. It was really interesting to see seals on the coast so close to a desert. We enjoyed a delightful sunset dinner at The Tug, a tug boat converted into a restaurant.

Our final morning found us having a quiet breakfast at a super quaint little cafe in town, and doing some last minute shopping, where Adam and I made some large, insane purchases, but I don't want to spoil the surprise for my parents. We drove on down to Walvis Bay and saw a few flocks of wild Greater Flamingos, on our way down to our next stop, Sossusvlei. On our way down though, we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, the sign for which made for some fun pictures. All in all, a nice relaxing, adrenaline pumping few days in Swakop.