Walvis Bay, Namibia (2 Days)

            Sunday, 4 Feb 2018 – Our alarm awoke us at 6:15 AM, far too early.  After breakfast we went to the Horizons Lounge as instructed to pick up our passports and hand them, along with landing documents, to a Namibian official.  Although this process involved standing in a very long line, much of the time Sally sat in chairs near the line.  Soon after that, we were on our way to a boat just a short way down the shore to start our 4-hour “Dolphin and Seal Cruise” on the Walvis Bay Lagoon.

The Republic of Namibia is located in southern Africa, with its western border being the Atlantic Ocean.  Namibia became a German colony in 1884 until World War I, after which South Africa occupied the colony.  In 1990, following the Namibian War of Independence, the country gained independence from South Africa.  Its large desert has resulted in Namibia having the second-lowest population density of any sovereign country, next to Mongolia, with a total population of about 2.5 million.

Map of Southern Africa

Pelican Attacking Sally

At the pier, the passengers were divided between the two boats.  Nick, the captain and guide on our boat (with 16 passengers) appeared to be of German descent; assisting him in physical tasks was a younger black man.  When we boarded, the two of us and three others climbed stairs to the upper level because Sally thought it might be better viewing from there.  The boat was soon out in a calm lagoon, with four pelicans closely following our boat.  The younger man tossed up fish, one at a time, some 6 inches long or longer, and the pelicans caught them in mid-air.  Soon, one large pelican came into the boat, sometimes sitting by the captain, who also fed her.  Then, the pelican got “close and personal” with us, sitting a little more than 2 feet from Sally.  Toward the end of the trip, maybe when the supply of fish had run out, the pelican started grabbing Sally by the leg and once by the arm with its large beak.  (If the bird had teeth, it would have been a bite.)  At that point, Sally pulled back, not wanting the huge bill to attack her face!

Sharing Refreshments with Bathsheba & Deiter

During much of this time, our boat was going toward Pelican Point, where a seal colony was crowded on the shore.  Early during our 4-hour excursion, a seal had leapt into the boat, but we were above and didn’t see him; later he left.  Nevertheless, near the end of our trip, we went below to partake in refreshments – sparkling wine, fresh oysters, and open sandwiches.  Suddenly, a seal leapt into the boat again, and for a while he was right beside us.  And did you know that seals shake off water like a dog after a bath?  We were given a little shower!  However, the captain warned us not to touch him because he might bite. Earlier, he had shown us a photograph of seal ripping a shark in half with its teeth!

Although Sally had hoped to see dolphins, a woman from the other boat later told Jesse that their captain said the dolphins had abruptly left the area about 3 weeks earlier.  Sally didn’t feel well after returning to the ship, so we skipped both swimming and dancing for the day.  Sally limited her dinner to soup, tea, and water, while Jesse overate, as usual.

Dune Mall

Monday, 5 Feb 2018 – Although our ship was still docked at Walvis Bay, Namibia for a second day, we had no tours scheduled.  Sally still didn’t feel up to shopping, but Jesse found out that it was easy to catch a shuttle to the brand new Dune Mall.  And so he went, didn’t get lost, and was back in the cabin in less than two hours.  It was interesting that the mall clerks almost always started talking to Jesse in another language before changing to English, apparently mistaking him for a local.  Although he had hoped to take a photo of a huge sand dune, a wall between the mall and the sand made that impossible. 
After lunch, Jesse went for a swim without Sally, and afterwards talked in the hot tub for quite a while with Jill, from Wales.  She was the woman from the other boat that told him about the dolphins leaving the area.  Also, the entire Super Bowl LII was being replayed played on one of the Insignia TV channels, but we satisfied ourselves with watching the much shorter recap.  (It had also been broadcast live, starting at 1:00 AM local time, but probably very few of our passengers were able to stay awake long enough to watch the whole game!)

Tonight was Indian night at the café.  Jesse tried many of the interesting items but Sally, not so much.  She hopes to feel well enough to swim and dance by tomorrow.