Namibia Day 6: Travel Day
The road from Solitaire to Walvis Bay
I was quite sad to leave the Desert Homestead and Sesriem area of Namibia. The Desert Homestead was in such a beautiful area, and the staff was very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. I would have to say it was my favorite place that we stayed. A note for photographers though, there isn't any plug-ins in the chalets. You do electricity - the lights work, but they don't provide a way to plug in your electronic devices. They do provide it up at the restaurant/check-in area. So if you need to charge camera batteries, you'll need to do it there.
The trip from the Desert Homestead to Swakopmund was long, and the scenery changed drastically over the course of the trip. Along the way you end up on narrow roads going through mountains - I found it a little nerve-wracking at times, as there was one spot where if you look down the cliff on the edge of the road you see a bus that at some time in the past managed to go off the road and land much further below. After you leave the mountains you end up in the desert - not the pretty one with sand dunes, but the flat and completely barren one. Nothing to see in any direction except flat desert, sand and gravel. Periodically you do see large rocks in the distance. Long ways between any place to stop and refuel, etc.
The stop at Solitaire is well worth spending a little time. It's the last stop before you hit the desert and it's quite the oasis. They have places to stay(though we didn't stay there) a couple shops, and a wonderful baked goods shop. They have the most amazing apple pie/crisp that I've ever had, and they have this little courtyard where you eat. In the courtyard is a lovely fountain, and a lot of birds. The birds are there hoping for crumbs, and make for a lovely setting with the sound of the fountain and the birds.
We only stopped in Walvis Bay for a few minutes as we were in a hurry to get to Swakopmund, but we did see flamingos while we were there. I wished we would have had time to spend there but it didn't work out on this trip.
