The end of the adventure
Last day, last stage. Only 35 kilometres left to ride between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, easy and flat, heading south along the coast on terrain much like yesterday’s. We could feel sad about it, and we will, but the accumulated tiredness and the miserable weather make us very keen to get there and have a few days off the bike. We set off well wrapped up: the mist surrounds us and the damp gets into everything. The tarmac is good and we soon leave Swakopmund behind.
The landscape is very similar to yesterday’s. Sand on our left, the ocean on our right and tarmac ahead. And a lot of traffic, far too much, which forces us onto the hard shoulder. It’s a shame, because the route is beautiful, but it’s clear that drivers here aren’t used to meeting cyclists. Only the tourists’ cars give us room when they overtake. The rest pass very close, until finally a lorry nearly knocks us off and we decide it’s better to ride on the hard shoulder, unsurfaced and full of potholes, but safer than the road.
Before long we reach the outskirts of Walvis Bay. There’s sand as far as the eye can see: we’ve reached the gates of the desert.
We cross Walvis Bay from north to south to the campsite where we’ll spend a couple of days, since we’re using the following morning to go kayaking among the seals. We quickly get out of our damp clothes and wrap up a little. Once again, although the temperature isn’t very low, the humidity makes the day far from pleasant. We use the afternoon to take a walk around the bay and discover that Walvis Bay feels like a ghost town. Only the flamingos (there are thousands of them) and a few pelicans cross our path.
By the way, I never imagined pelicans were so big. We were lucky enough to have three come close, flying over our heads, and we could see their huge wingspan for ourselves.
It was a quiet, enjoyable day. Even so, we head for the tent early, as tomorrow we have an early start to go and see the seals in the bay. At its far end, a small peninsula called Pelican Point, there are about 10,000 of them.
The next morning they pick us up at the campsite. No bikes today: we treat ourselves to getting around the bay by 4x4. We drive through the salt works, one of Walvis Bay’s big businesses along with fishing. We make our way across the sand, seeing hundreds of flamingos and, in the distance, the odd jackal. We get as far as what was once a lighthouse, built for export to Japan but which, after various financial problems, stayed in the bay. Today it’s a luxury lodge, the Pelican Point Lodge, very beautiful and very, very expensive. No wonder, since it has the best views in the area. We, however, make do with looking at it from the sand.
And here we are. It’s incredible: there are seals everywhere. About 10,000 seals live in this bay, safe in the knowledge that nobody bothers them and only tourists come to visit them now and then. And honestly, they seem delighted.
We dress up like Captain Birdseye and get into the kayaks. Seals, pelicans and even dolphins, so fast and elusive they wouldn’t let us photograph or film them. I got good use out of the GoPro.
I’d say the seals had more fun than we did, if it weren’t for the fact that we had a really, really great time. It was one of those experiences that put a smile on your face every time you remember it.
Tomorrow we go back to Windhoek, the capital, by bus. And if all goes well, we’ll have one more day on the bike.