Swakopmund! (Part 2)

After a busy first couple of days in Swakopmund learning about all of the history and cultures of the area, we  ended our trip with some of the most memorable moments of my Namibian experience so far. While in Walvis Bay, we traveled to Dune 7, one of the tallest sand dunes in the world. Now when I heard it was one of the tallest I still couldn't ever imagine what I was about to witness. We drove up to the dune and got off the bus right under the tallest and steepest dune I have ever seen. I couldn't imagine climbing up it! It was so high and looked like it would take A LOT of effort. Boy was I right! We all started out running up the sand laughing and giddy with excitement. When we realized it was too difficult to run up, we all switched to climbing up on our hands and knees. Pretty soon we were all huffing and puffing and totally out of breath. It was so much more difficult than I predicted! I would just sit and take a break on the way up but when you look down and realize how high up you are you just have to keep going. When I finally reached the top I cannot even describe to you how it felt. It was like you were standing on top of the world just looking over the beautiful Namib desert. I felt so connected to my atmosphere and just so peaceful and amazed by the beauty. I will never be able to describe how this felt in words but it was an incredible and intense physical and emotional experience. We explored the surrounding dunes, running, jumping, and rolling in the sand. I haven't felt that excited and happy in a long time to be honest and it was just amazing to be up there. We probably wandered around in the sand for about an hour before we headed back down to the bus. Dune 7 is seriously a place I will never ever forget and this moment was DEFINITELY my favorite part of my trip so far. Pictures will never do it justice but here are some from the climb!

Dune 7 from afar, super high!

The beginning

Look how steep it was!

Finally at the top!

Happy to be at the top!

The most beautiful moment I have had in awhile.

speechless.

Part of the group!

So pretty!

Beautiful sand patterns.

Fun in the sand

Absolutely beautiful.

The next day we had a whole day to do whatever we wanted which was super nice. Me and some others booked a kayaking trip on Walvis Bay complete with seals and flamingos! We got up bright and early and got picked up at 6:45 am to begin our trip. We drove out to Walvis Bay and then ended up driving right on the sand for miles. It was so incredible to be up and driving along the sand at 7 am with the fog everywhere...it felt even more like the moon! We got into the kayaks and were probably on the water for around 3 hours. There were hundreds of seals! If you have ever heard the noises seals make they are so ridiculous and hilarious! I kept thinking it was just humans making funny noises. They would swim right up to your kayak and jump up. It was adorable and they would even do tricks or ride along next to your kayak as you paddled. There were also lots of 3-4 month old babies which I of course loved. We also saw lots of different birds and tons of flamingos. This was another wonderful experience and one of the highlights of my trip so far. I was so happy to be able to interact with the seals and get an early morning workout in. Kayaking is hard but so worth it.

The group!

Anneke and I in our kayak with the seals in the background

Flamingos

Seals!

Jumping seals!

Having fun!

We were so close to them

Seals along the bank

On Tuesday I leave for our rural home stays and then am gone for two weeks after that traveling in the North and going on spring break. I am so excited and also nervous for the home stays because it will be a very different way of living. I feel like I am really ready for this though and I have been waiting for this for awhile. It is time to be really out of my comfort zone so here we go! I am also planning on traveling to Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana for spring break so that will be super exciting!

Thanks for reading and see you all after March 24th!