A broad, Aboard, Abroad: Luderitz, Namibia

SUNRISE OVER THE DUNES

UPSTAIRS IN A HOUSE IN THE GHOST TOWN OF KOLMANSKOP

Our journey from Capetown was almost entirely through a thick sea-fog. The ship slid along slowly and quietly, foghorn sounding every few minutes. It was very eery, especially at night. We slipped out of the fog and into Luderitz as the sun came up over the dunes. Yes, I really was up that early. The fog hung low behind us, all the way along the edge of the coast. Weird.

Luderitz is a small town built on rocks and sand, sustained by fisheries and nearby diamond mines. The houses are brick and plaster, many painted in jellybean colours which contrasted beautifully with the intense blue sky. But the second you leave town you’re in the desert, as far as the eye can see.

We took a tour to the ghost town of Kolmanskop, about 15 minutes drive away. The first road sign we saw said SAND. Stating the obvious somewhat. Kolmanskop came about due to the alluvial diamond mining in the area, but was deserted in the 1950s when the diamonds ran out. The houses are slowly disappearing into the sand. We were allowed to wander through them but were told to beware of snakes. Terrific. Some houses had sand halfway up the first floor, but if you could get to the staircase you could climb to the second floor and get some great views through the windows. Walking around , I searched very diligently for a stray diamond. The sign near the town said DIAMOND THEFT HELPS NO-ONE. It would’ve helped me, but I had no luck.

Back in Luderitz, Robin and I made our way down to the dock, where there was an oyster farm. A local had told us they ran a great little bar, and their oysters were fantastic. It was lunchtime so we thought we’d give it a go. Those oysters were bloody marvellous. Shucked in front of us, straight out of the water. A perfect balance of salty creaminess. We had two dozen each, washed down with a chilled South African sav blanc. Mmmmmm-mm.

Having refueled, we went for a walk around the town. Once you’re off the main road most of the streets are sandy dirt, and often terminate in a large clump of rock. We clambered up one of these massive rock forms for great views of the town, harbour and ship. We visited the museum (even more of a relic than the one in East London), and went inside Goerke House, a stunning example of German colonial architecture.

The ship left Luderitz at 4pm, and within 15 minutes we were back in that bank of fog, horns blasting, temperature plummeting. Just weird.