Tropic of Capricorn

To Swakopmund, 3rd of April 2024 - We watch Le Mirage disappear in our rearview mirror and head North to Swakopmund. We drive on the white road between the Naukluft mountains and the Namib-Naukluft desert. We pass Solitaire, a desert stopover with a small airfield. Along the road, old scrap cars in all shapes and sizes, stripped of all valuable components and full of bullet holes. We cross the Tropic of Capricorn between the Gaub and Kuiseb pass. A road sign, a line in the sand, 'been there done that'. Our Isuzu handles the washboard white roads with some skidding and sliding and safely takes us to Walvisbay. We are back in the world as we know it. More cars, more people, industry and high activity in this natural bay. All occupiers saw an interest in Walvis Bay, it was discovered by the Portuguese, taken by the Dutch, given to the Brits and in 1910 it came into the hands of the South-Africans. They kept it until four years after the Namibian independence of 1990. We continue North to Swakopmund. We follow the Atlantic, violently breaking its waves on the beach. The sea wind blows sand over the misty tarmac road. The strip along the coast is cloud covered, when we look inland, we see the sun. We check in to Hotel Swakopmund, in the street the pelicans are eating leftovers of the nearby fish market.

Tropic of Capricorn (FDC)

Beetle, the original (FDC)

Kuiseb Pass (FDC)

Pelicans and seagulls on the prowl (FDC)



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