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On to the adrenaline capital of Namibia - Swakopmund. Here you can skydive, quad-bike the dunes, sandboard on the big dunes, dolphin watch, and many other things. I was looking forward to Swakop as it sounds like my type of place.
We had about 6 people in our group planning to skydive, and for us, it was not in the budget (one day I will)!! We did, however, head out into the desert with the group, to the landing strip, and watched them all skydive - while having a few drinks. Seeing their different reactions was quite interesting. Charlotte and Hannah were buzzing. Nick seemed a little in a daze after, not sure what he had just done. Lori was excited, and possibly the first flying minister they have ever had. Antti seemed a little green and apparently "didn't like the whirlys". And poor Emma, being her 10th tandem skydive was supposed to go naked. To her credit, she went topless and will be fine for her 11th one!! It was a bit of a party at the airstrip, and the guys seem to have a lot of fun in their jobs. It was a harrowingly, fast drive through the desert home, and a delicious meal at Napolitanas with the group later. Michelle and I enjoyed a tasty Oryx (Gemsbok antelope) pizza, and we had a fun time with the group before going out for a little dance later on.
Next morning was my turn to play. I went out sandboarding with six of our group. It was to be stand-up sandboarding and they supplied the board and proper snowboarding boots. The first time climbing up the dune is the worst, like skiing, after the trail has been broken, the next steps get easier. But, it also gets hotter!!!
I surprised myself by actually being quite proficient at it. The others were all learning, and they let me just go ahead by myself because I had snowboarding experience. By the 3rd run, I was hitting the big jump at the top, but also hitting the sand hard on the landing. I had good turns the rest of the way down, and was hustling back up excitedly for another run. 6 runs in all, 2 landed jumps, and a heck of a lot of sand in places sand shouldn't be. I will be cleaning it out for weeks.
They let us have a go at the lay-down boarding too, on the fastest run. Apparently, the record is 83 km/h, but our guide Emma had one 75 -so that was also a goal. First run, only 70, second 72, so I was a little distraught coming back up. A change of board, and a speedy 75 km/h ensued, so I was happy to tie her record. Quite a rush to be speeding along on the sand like that, being careful not to turn sideways as a crash would result.
That evening, was drinks and dinner with the group, but everyone was feeling tired from their adrenaline fix, and crashed early. Only the driver Shyrod went out dancing. *Stub
On to the adrenaline capital of Namibia - Swakopmund. Here you can skydive, quad-bike the dunes, sandboard on the big dunes, dolphin watch, and many other things. I was looking forward to Swakop as it sounds like my type of place.
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| Martin ready to conquer the dune behind |
Next morning was my turn to play. I went out sandboarding with six of our group. It was to be stand-up sandboarding and they supplied the board and proper snowboarding boots. The first time climbing up the dune is the worst, like skiing, after the trail has been broken, the next steps get easier. But, it also gets hotter!!!
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| The aftermath of sandboarding |
They let us have a go at the lay-down boarding too, on the fastest run. Apparently, the record is 83 km/h, but our guide Emma had one 75 -so that was also a goal. First run, only 70, second 72, so I was a little distraught coming back up. A change of board, and a speedy 75 km/h ensued, so I was happy to tie her record. Quite a rush to be speeding along on the sand like that, being careful not to turn sideways as a crash would result.
That evening, was drinks and dinner with the group, but everyone was feeling tired from their adrenaline fix, and crashed early. Only the driver Shyrod went out dancing. *Stub
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