The Zuiderdam entered the bay outside of the town of Lüderitz early this morning just as the sun was rising. Today we would be at anchor and tender to shore. Right after breakfast, our deck was called to attend the face-to-passport inspection held in the upper dining room. All we needed was our room key, our passports, and the correct arrival forms filled out and signed. It went quickly, and once again, while waiting in the line that passed through the photo shop, cookies and water were offered to all. Tempting, but we just had a nice breakfast that included fresh strawberries probably from Cape Town. Nice.
The ship's tour offered today were a walking tour with the highlights of Lüderitz for 2 ½ hours for $80. Two other excursions for $180 were a 2 hour tour to Kolmannskop, the deserted mining town. The other one was a 3 ¾ hour boat ride to Halifax Island to see wildlife such as little penguins, cormorants, seals, and Heaviside dolphins. Finally there was a ride to see the wild horses of Namibia for 4 hours and $350. It was possible they might also see some gemsbok, springbok and ostriches if they came to the same waterhole.
We took a tour to the ghost town the first time we visited here. It just so happened that we came a day after a once in one hundred year rainstorm. Needless to say, it was a muddy mess. However we do recall the story of when the 1908 railway workers happened upon some shining stones in the sand they were digging. Turned out they were diamonds. The town built up by Germans who built fancy homes, a hospital, ballroom, a power station, school, roads and a theater. A sports hall was constructed along with a casino, butchery, bakery and an ice factory. There were 300 adults and 40 kids, mostly German. There were also 800 local Native Ovamba workers. The production of the diamonds lasted 40 years, then it ceased to produce. Eventually all of the people left, and the town was deserted….much the same as it can be seen today. At the time we went there, the guide told the story and then we were left to explore on our own.
We left the ship by 10:30am, right before open tenders were announced. It was an easy tender ride with smooth waters. Kimberly announced twice before we left that no wheelchairs no scooters could be taken ashore. The ramp at the tender landing was too narrow and steep to accommodate them. Bet there were some disappointed folks, since this was the first we heard about the gangway onshore.
There were a handful of local tour guides that approached all of us as we got to the complex. They were polite and not trying to pressure anyone. A "no thanks" worked well here. What we noticed right away was the fact that hardly any of the locals were out and about, due to the fact it was Sunday. Most everything was closed, except the supermarket across the street which closed by noontime.
Having just been here a year ago, we knew the direction to go. At the roundabout, we turned left and headed uphill passing the many German-style buildings along the way. Modern businesses such as the power company banks, and some restaurants have moved into these restored structures. Our destination was Felsenkirche, the German Evangelical Lutheran Church. Buit in 1912, this church was built on Diamond Hill giving it the name of Church on the Rocks. It was opened to visitors and all that could make the hike up there were welcomed inside.
Going around the side of this church, we looked over the cliff and discovered the hotel down below on the water. We always thought this was a resort, but upon closer inspection, we saw it was the Nest Hotel. Kimberly had not mentioned this hotel in her talk, so that may be a good thing. All the more reason to find a way there for a good lunch venue.
It was a long walk back downhill, where we took a left turn at the bottom. We did find the paved road there, but it soon turned to gravel the closer we got to the hotel. It appeared we were the only "cruise ship" people there at 11:45am. We were led to the Penguin Restaurant on the lower level of the hotel. When asked by the friendly waiter if we liked inside or outside dining, we naturally said outside in the patio please. Seated at a table under an umbrella facing the bay, we ordered the local lager, Hansa draft beer which we had earned with the walk. We have to mention it was warm in the sun, but we were saved by a fresh cool breeze coming off of the fog bank.
We spent almost two leisurely hours enjoying the beer and food. One of us ordered a club sandwich, l the other more adventurous person had the crusted calamari rings. Both entrees came with chips (French fries). The calamari was reported to be the best he ever tasted, but we suspected that would be the case here. The portions were most generous, but we did save some room for a shared dessert. Having seen Malva pudding on Cape Town's menus, we decided to give the local African treat a try. It consisted of a warm spongy spiced cake drenched in vanilla custard sauce. Very good. We complimented the waiter on the new dessert for us and for some reason, it never showed up on our bill. The price may have been $2 USD or so, but we made it up with the tip. The American Express did not work here, only Visa we believe. So we paid in South African rand, which is almost identical in value to the Namibian dollar. This meal with four 500 ml beers came to under $30 USD. Still a good deal in our opinion.
From here we walked back slowly, recommending the Penguin Restaurant to two gals coming from the ship like we did. They thought it was closed to the public. We are sure they were glad to go there as well. Even though it was only 2pm, the town was deserted….looking the same as the ghost town in the hills. There was one restaurant opened near the port called the Portuguese Fishery and was packed with cruise ship guests.
A tender boat was waiting, so we passed by the few wooden carved souvenirs (we already have them all) and boarded the boat back. It was a rougher ride this time, maybe because we think the driver was being trained by two other sailors. We were back to our room by 3pm, where we stayed working on photos until sail away time. Captain Friso came on the speakers around 4:30pm and sounded so pleased with today's warm and cool weather as well as the fog and sun. He said we have 249 nautical miles to go to reach Walvis Bay tomorrow at a speed of 19 knots. Although he expected high winds, he said the seas and swells will remain at 6 feet or so. Sounds good to us.
We agreed that the more times we come here, the more we like it as we discover more and more about the town as well as the best places to dine.
Within a short time after leaving the bay, we hit the fogbank and sailed north towards our next stop at Walvis Bay. The Captain added that our stay there will be extended an hour or so later than planned. Also fine with us.
Dinnertime found a nice small appetizer of sesame chicken with the good sweet and sour sauce. Caesar salads again followed by delicious grilled pork chops with apple chutney and mashed potatoes for one of us and rice for the other. We are not fans of kale or quinoa, so substitutes like potatoes and rice worked well for us. Our waiters are so good at getting everything right even though we add and subtract many sides.
There was a show tonight with a local vocal group called the Afro Popera Trio. A mix of opera, and Neopolitan songs (sounds like ice cream to us) was guaranteed to please everyone.
Bill & Mary Ann
