LUDERITZ, NAMIBIA – APRIL 6TH

I just finished going through our photos and, although we didn’t go on an excursion to the famous Ghost Town of the Namid or a trip to see the “Wild Horses of the Namid” which two of our fellow passengers thought was not a very accurate name for the excursion (they said it should’ve  been the “Feral Horses of the Namid”), our photos brought back sights and memories of this unusual town in Namibia. 

Namibia, means “vast place” in the Khoekhhoe language, the native people of southwestern Africa and is located on the southwest coast of Africa; South Africa is to its south; Botswana to its east and Angola to its north.  Luderitz was founded by Adolf Luderitz, a German merchant, in 1883.  It sits in the southwest corner of Namibia on the South Atlantic Ocean and has a population of approximately 15,000 people.  It has a mild desert climate with temperatures around 70 degrees throughout the year.  English is the official language and the Namibian Dollar (NAD) is its currency and is pretty much the same as the South African Rand or 15 NAD to the US dollar.  Just a week or so before we arrived, there was a huge sandstorm in Luderitz and its windy 40-knot winds often set windsurfing records. 

The Namid Desert stretches 1,200 miles along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia and South Africa.  Believed to be the oldest desert, this arid hotspot is home to arthropods, gazelles, ostriches, meerkats, desert elephants and the spiraled-horned oryx, the biggest antelopes in the Namid.  I remember one of these poor oryxes was being eaten by the lions we saw in Shamwari Game Reserve.

Although we didn’t book an excursion, I learned about the Kolmanskop Ghost Town from my Atlas Obscura calendar on December 15^th.  During the 1920s, this desert town was inhabited by hundreds of German diamond miners.  Where there was a hospital, theatre, casino, bowling alley and gym now just stands a ghost town, bleached by the sun and swallowed by the sand.  Diamond mining operations were fast and furious there until WWI caused a slump in sales.  In 1926, a richer source of diamonds was discovered south of Kolmanskop, and the town was eventually abandoned for good in 1954.  Kolmanskop was once home to the southern hemisphere’s first x-ray station and the first tram in Africa.  

The pier where we docked was right in the middle of town and walking was easy peasy.  However, before getting off the ship, we had to attend a face-to-passport inspection with Namibian Immigration upon arriving in Namibia.  It was necessary to prepare and sign an Arrival/Departure card.  Passports were, once again, collected and would be returned tomorrow.  

As I remember, the weather was hot, but, thankfully, dry.  I can’t say there was anything truly significant about this little town, but we enjoyed walking around, and, particularly, our visit to the local liquor store.   

 By now, it’s obvious I love bottles, colors, and different products available outside the United States, so I had no trouble finding items that caught my eye.  A very nice young man in the liquor store was eager to show me the various wines and other liqueurs available from Namibia.  Michael spoke to one of the cashiers, the only white woman we met who was of German descent and born in Luderitz.  She told him about the sandstorm from the previous week.  They even had a lovely bottle of tequila, which box was decorated in the style of the Day of the Dead holiday.  

People were on the street selling fruits and vegetables and one lady was cooking something to sell.  A trip to “Dunn’s,” a clothing store, was interesting to me.  I was surprised to see the very traditional clothing available for women.  I love the clothing Doris Day wore in her movies with Rock Hudson and the very early 60’s coat dresses were available at Dunn’s.  I thought it surprising considering how warm the dress and long-sleeved coat looked, but, as Michael keeps reminding me, when people in these warmer climates face temperatures below their usual comfort zone, they do get cold.  I both a great pair of very wide-legged cool cotton white pants (which need to be hemmed when I get home) for about $12.00 and when I converted the prices for shoes which were 29.99 NAD, they came to about $2.00 US.  That was amazing.  

We could see a Church from the city; on the way, we saw very nicely built apartments and other buildings.  One particular door on a building was beautiful and it reminded me immediately of our friend, Jerry, who has a love of finely-carved unusual doors.  While there were sidewalks, the streets were unpaved but covered in sand.  With all the multi-colored buildings, my immediate thought was that this area of town reminded me of a Universal back lot and I expected to see, I don’t know what, but some movie in the making.  Along the way, was a town bulletin board with an interest “want ad.” 

We arrived at the Church of the Rock and there were German-speaking “passengers” who spoke to the German-speaking caretakers of the Church.  Nearby were very large houses that were being renovated and one actually warned against trespassers by having razor wire surround it.  All of them had lots of gates and locks.  On the way back to town, we saw street painters who were actually hand-painting the divider lines on the street and further signage that I found amusing.  

 I also took a photo of what I believe was the first cat we saw on this entire cruise. 

A visit to the two grocery stores was also a treat and we saw some interesting items, which included, of course, Nutella, as well as the largest bag of Cheetos I’ve ever seen in my life.  Tomato flavored fritos and fruit chutney-flavored and Mexican salsa pringles also could be found (if one were actually looking for such delicacies!) 

Warning labels on cigarettes were the most graphic I’ve ever seen in the world.  The salesgirl said she didn’t smoke and didn’t know how anyone could continue doing so.  We agreed and she was very kind to take a couple of packs off the shelf so that I could get a better photo of the horrific packaging.  

We stopped in, what I believe was, the only souvenir shop in Luderitz and bought our little Namibian magnet and a little wood box for my collection.  I was able to spend all our South African Rand and was short about 18 SAR; the saleswoman very graciously accepted $1.00 US to make up the difference. 

Heading back to the pier and our ship, we enjoyed our lunch onboard and watched as a few of the fur seals frolicked in the nearby waters.  It was a truly delightful day, we enjoyed the sights of Luderitz and our interactions with the very pleasant and friendly people there.  It is a shame that Namibia is rich in so many ways but the wealth does not seem to trickle down to the people.  Nearby Angola, we were told, is the most corrupt country in Africa and I’m afraid that may be a real problem in Namibia.  Perhaps there are more opportunities in the larger cities, but, with the exception of those very larger houses (and we still haven’t figured out who actually live there), people seem to just get by.   

MICHAEL’S OBSERVATIONS:  I’d like to start with the beautiful colored homes we saw as we walked to the Church on the hill.  Leona’s observation about feeling it was a backlot at Universal Studios was probably inspired by the fact that there were no people on the street or, apparently, in the homes.  There were bars on the windows, razor wire and sharp blades buried in the tops of the concrete fences.  I’m guessing that these homes are owned by folks with the monetary means to travel between locations, depending on the weather.

 The other thing that was very amazing was the tremendous amount of sand and sand dunes.  As the young lady in the liquor store told me they have severe winds that can move these sand dunes overnight.  She said we were very fortunate that the winds were calm the day of our visit.  Usually, it’s blowing so hard that it’s difficult to avoid getting sand in your eyes. 

We had a delightful time visiting the local supermarkets and looking at the meager selections that the local inhabits get to choose from.  Our local stores on Bainbridge Island have at least twenty feet of cereals to choose from;  here in Namibia, there was a space no bigger than one foot holding cereal selections.

The local people were very friendly and I never worried about any time of criminal activity.  That’s one thing Princess is always researching;  I guess they don’t want publicity about bringing a lot of old people into a criminal situation. 

Funny as it may seem, I think the highlight of our visit was Leona’s clothing purchase in a little store, thousands of miles away from our home.  I always enjoy watching Leona finds something unique to add to her wardrobe.