Rostock Ritz Desert Lodge Swakopmund

... there was a high point, we got to stay in bungalows. It was a welcome change to living in a tent (which by this point we had begun to refer to as "home"). We shared our bungalow with our esteemed neighbours Bridget and Troy. The first day in Swakopmund we went for a walk down to the market and did some crafty bargaining for souvenirs and then went out for a nice dinner, complete with candles, wine and lots of ...

... that but it was nice to we warmly greeted after the long bus ride. Went to get an estimate for repairing my camera and learned something very important...never drop your camera in sand. It's even worse than water as the sand moves everywhere so I couldn't just get it cleaned but needed to have it "stripped" or taken apart and then put back together. Well when I found this out I wanted it done professionally and the guys I was told were the best but more expensive were ...

... on telly( wow what luxury. We watched &#8220;Sex and the City &#8220; the movie and &#8220;The Hulk&#8221;.<br><br> Sunday 13th September. We had our brekky in the room because we had an electric jug , our coffee and plunger and we had bought muesli and milk so were set for our breakfasts for 4 days here. Today we had another foggy morning but went to the airfield anyway as skydiving was booked by 4 people and we took a gamble it would happen. It didn&#8217;t so we had lunch ...

Back to civilization! We crossed the continent and are now facing the Atlantic Ocean. It's very cold and windy! Swakopmund is like an oasis, growing right out of the Namib Desert. It looks like for a moment we are in Germany. It's great to sleep on a bed for a few nights and eat in a restaurant.

... asking, and whether you take pictures of adults or kids it is a good idea to show them the picture as many have never seen themselves on camera or in reflection and they get a big kick out of it. <br><br>The rest of the day was really humorous as people in our group would take a picture then turn it around to show the kids who would roar with surprise and laughter at themselves. Often grasping the camera for a better view only to be reduced to fits of ...

... br><br>From Angola we headed to the promised land Namibia, the land of English and steak. We got into Namibia and headed straight to Etosha national park for an amazing 2 days of game viewing. It was my first real game drive (I m not counting Lope nat park in Gabon as we only saw elephants at a great distance). Etosha was just mind blowing, I hate to say it but it was like being in a national geographic doco. The open plains, water holes and animals all over the place. On the ...

... morning we had a pretty decent drive up to Swakopmund, which is right along the Atlantic coast. It's a nice little German town, still among the dunes. I think it's pretty unique to have a complete desert right next to the ocean...all the other major ones I can think of like the Sahara, Gobi, and the desert in the western States are all quite far inland. There must be something that just makes all the moisture from the ocean dry up right away. Since Swakopmund is ...

... wind was blowing in the opposite direction so we didn't get to experience the stink we were warned of. <br><br>Sarah and Martin took the slightly more energetic option of kayaking with the seals and dolphins so whilst stopped looking out for dolphins and watching seals play in the waves we caught sight of them and they paddled over. Good opportunity to get photos of each other from a different angle. They were enjoying playing with the seals which would come up to the kayaks and ...

... we were kitted out with snowboard boots! It was a strange feeling to be carrying a snowboard under your arm in 30 degree heat wearing shorts and a singlet. Due to the fact there was only the 4 of us (Cesca, myself and the two Sarah's) attempting stand up boarding we enjoyed great tuition time from our guide Beth and her dog. Cesca and Sarah C took to it like duck's to water leaving myself and Sarah R eating sand (literally) as we fell down the dune. After a few runs we ...

... I belong somewhere....which is actually everywhere and nowhere at the same time. <br>Nikki and I have grown especialy close and I'm quite sad to leave her. She has been my rock on this trip, my buddy, my team member. We didn't argue once! If you read this, Nikki, thanks for memories darling and I hope to see you down the road someday! <br>I actually didn't expect this post to get so long and there is so much more to tell but I'll just have to tell my friends and family about it in person. <br><br>