my first Namibian/American vacation

One good thing that comes from an upper intestine virus is that you have time (when you are awake) to update your blog. Yes, I am at home on doctor ordered bed rest for three days (I have already been at home sleeping for two so five might kill me from boredom). At least I finally have time to write about my first Namibian vacation, which I enjoyed Easter weekend in Swakopmund.

**(note I’m writing this on a lot of drowsy meds and did not bother to think while writing or proof read it, so sorry)

Thursday night:
Jill and Juice arrive from their sites and we enjoyed some of Jill’s homemade cookin’ and a ton of Reece cups that I received from Nikki in a care package. When I say a bunch I literally mean a bunch. I think each of us had a minimum of 12 cups. Needless to say we were on an extreme sugar high for the entire night where we took silly pictures and made them into a slide show that we enjoyed shortly after. Not only was it just great to see friends but to have some of American goodness was just another treat. Of course it’s a “you had to be there moment” but it was such a great night. Staying up late talking/catching up, eating junk and laughing for hours.
Friday:
Jill, Juice, Ghada (the VSO from Outjo) and myself set out for Swakopmund early in the morning. Jill and Juice had made some mixed CDs that we jammed to during the 3.5-hour car ride. It was just like being on a road trip with old friends. It was nice to be traveling in Namibia for once where we could enjoy a safe and sober driver (Ghada), seat belts, not worrying about hiking to the next point and American music not Damara hymns. As we traveled from the Kunene Region to Swakop the scenery drastically began to change. It became less green and the rolling hills turned into large mountains and then finally the last hour of the drive a barren desert. Seriously it’s like you are driving into the dead zone, there are not shrubs, no trees, just sand.
From the moment we drove into Swakop we were in awe. The palm trees, the stores, the smell of the ocean, it was like we had entered an entirely different country. It’s like a little Germany or little America, nothing like the rest of Namibia, probably the reason everyone holidays there. There are tons of restaurants, shops a movie theater; I mean it’s amazing!!! After checking into our hostel Juice and I changed into our swim gear and headed straight to the beach. There is one thing two ex-polo players had been missing in the last five months, swimming. Both of us being from California going to the beach was literally like going home. I never thought I was a California beach bum but I gotta tell you when I saw the ocean I had never been happier. I couldn’t stop running until the cold Atlantic was all around me. The water was super salty and really dirty but I loved every minute in it. At one point Juice started to yell at me to bring my attention to someone walking near our stranded stuff on the beach and forgetting I was in the ocean I got wiped out by a huge wave. I hadn’t been spun like that in such a long time. At once point I didn’t know where I was or what direction was up. I had to open my eyes to see which way the bubbles were going so I could find my way to the top so I can get some air. After a short breathe I got hit again. Our stuff was fine but I was all shaken up and caught in some seriously seaweed and a strong under current. Once I finally got a handle on the situation I was able to enjoy the ocean’s waves again but I’m still in shock that I let the ocean get the best of me, I mean I’m a swimmer for goodness sakes.
The four of us set out to eat a “real” meal not consisting of goat meat. Swakop has a nice little promenade with restaurants along the ocean and so my lunch/dinner of Oreo milkshakes and pizza was made perfect with the sound of the ocean. After eating I found the rest of my Nam27 friends (yes we took over Swakop that weekend). They had all been there for at least a day and their sunburns proved that they too had been enjoying the beach life.
Later that night we all (like 25 Nam27ers) took over a pub and began to dance the night away. The place was so crowded it felt like a sauna. Jill, Juice and I left and walked around the town. It was freezing in Swakop, which was a wonderful break from the normal hot temp. It was fabulous to see everyone at the pub but after a few minutes I was just overwhelmed and hot and well I just had to get out. It’s funny that out of all the Nam27ers I see Jill the most and even on vacation we spent almost all our time together. After our evening walk the three of us headed back to the hostel to curl up under the blankets and once again stayed up all night talking, the rest of friends staying with us came home super late but luckily we were still up to hear how the rest of the night pub hoping had went.
Saturday:
7am wide awake. Downfall of being a PC volunteer, you never sleep past 7am even when you try. I was determined to walk to the dunes, which are on the outskirts of town. Ever since I found out I was coming to Namibia I have had this crazy idea of sliding down a dune. Normally I’m the one with an excellent sense of direction but after taking Jill on a two hour walk into nowhere land we decided to head back to have breakfast and get ready for our next adventure…
Five of us decided to go skydiving, even though none of us can afford it on PC salaries. First they drive us off into the middle of nowhere, seriously. We were out in the middle of the desert and like a mirage a building complex appears and the car stops. All I could think was if they wanted to kill us they could, no one could find us-or help us. After signing our lives away and getting our instructions we loaded up into another van and the drove us further into no mans land to a tent. I took a picture of the 360-degree view of nothing, well sand. It’s crazy, the tent shaded all the workers who were packing the parachutes and well all around us was the “air strip”. After loading into the world’s smallest plane we (Jill and Rach went first and Juice, Betsy and I went second) flew above 10,000 feet were the view was beautiful, the ocean and sand dunes, AMAZING. Although this was my second time skydiving this time was so much cooler, the view, the instructors, everything was fabulous and my instructor let me fly, so cool.
Once we returned to civilization we met up with all the rest of our friends and went to a movie. It was so nice to feel normal again. The movie was not good but it was nice to enjoy the bad movie with all my friends. Everyone else went out pub hoping again that night but me, Jill, Rachel, Juice, Colleen, Aly, Natalie, Ghada grabbed a bite to eat at just enjoyed walking around. Most of us came home early, one because it was SO cold and two because we had an early morning to prepare for.
Sunday:
Easter morning, Juice, Aly, Jill and myself left at 6:45 in the morning to head to Walvisbay for a kayak trip. Our instructor was driving us on a large sand bank/peninsula called Pelican point. He pointed out all the wildlife we were seeing and points of interest knowing it was our first trip to Walvis. We kayaked in the lagoon and then out into the ocean to try to see some dolphins. I was amazed at how many seals and dolphins we saw. When they told us is was a guarantee to see seals I thought they were being a little cocky but my goodness I like we saw a couple thousand and not from a distance they were all around us. It was wonderful, it was like playing with the seals. Instead of an Easter egg hunt my friends and I went on a dolphin hunt. One of us would see a dolphin and we’d all paddle as hard as we could to try to get it to swim with us and play with us. Ah, it was so beautiful, a blue ocean, sand dunes as far as the eye can see on land and seals and flamingos everywhere. Skydiving was fun but this was a total different type of high or beauty. I’m so glad I did it, seriously one of the best things I’ve ever done. I can’t wait to do it again in June with my parents and in June there is a chance we will see whales!!!
Dinner was another great western meal topped off with soft serve, but after the weekend of such adrenaline rushes I was ready to sleep and regain my energy.
Monday:
We had been too tired and busy the previous nights to try to watch the sunset from the dunes but Monday Juice, Rach, Colleen and I got up early and walked out to the dunes in the dark to try to watch the sunrise. Swakop is covered by fog most of the day and well we never saw the sun actually rise but from the dunes we saw the sky change color, ha-ha. Silly idea but it was worth waking up early because just before we headed home Rachel and I went jumping down some dunes, weekend complete.
Yeah, a lot of people have given my a hard time about my weekend, saying oh didn’t know PC was so “rough” and what not. Being away from everything you know as normal for 5 months, missing every major holiday with your family, and being stuck at your site for months without seeing your friends is hard and without a vacation one might just lose it. Although that vacation was a break from reality it was so needed. At the end not only was I recharged and but I was dying to get home to Outjo.