Namibia - Swakopmund

Becs looking confident
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Swakopmund is the adrenaline capital of Namibia and the three of us signed up straight away for the quadbiking, sandboarding and skydive. Andy was a little hesitant about throwing himself out of a perfectly good plane but once he read that the operator had a 100% safety record he gamely threw his North Face hat into the ring.

Before heading out into the dunes we visited the Cape Cross seal colony which is home to about 100,000+ seals, of which 60,000 are clubbed on an annual basis as a rudimentary means of population control. It was rather a surreal sight as the seals swam, sang, slept, shat and played dead. However, all is not lost, as the seals are in part recycled to make purses and hats, which are sold at the gift shop at reception.

Dropping from 10,000 ft

Showing complete control as she hurtles down the dune at 73km/h
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Swakopmund is like a German version of Blackpool without the throngs of people and titty bars. A thin layer of mist descends the town much like the streets of East London during the time of Jack the Ripper. After a cracking two hours tearing around the dunes on our quadbikes we headed into town for a bite to eat and a few drinks. Conscious of the fact that we had a full day of adrenaline activities to follow, we all went to bed (self-catering bungalows…great…no camping!), apart from Andy. He decided to stay up with George, our guide and get absolutely hammered on Stroh Rum (80% proof). Most of the night was spent in Fagin’s bar although vast patches of the night are still unaccounted for. The silver-tongued cavalier did however manage to get a young mother’s phone number.

A trip to clubland
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Unfortunately, the next day, the excess of the night before was plain to see on Andy’s face as he climbed a 90m dune 9 times in the midday sun and secreted a yellow/white substance from the pores on his face. For the rest of us the sandboarding started off well and Becs even managed to reach speeds of 73km/h lying down. She would have reached 80+km/h if she had stopped talking. By about 2pm the strain of having committed to a tandem skydive was beginning to show, as the six who were jumping barely spoke to each other and struggled to keep their lunch down.

Another riveting Namibian town
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Now, for anyone who has done a skydive you will know that it is one of the most breathtaking activities you can undertake. For those of you who have not, quite simply, you should. Apparently, jumping out over Swakopmund is rated as one of the top 5 sites in the world and it is easy to see why. On the left you see the clear, crystal, blue waters lapping against the golden sand as you steadily climb higher, whilst on the right you see the rolling dunes which have formed the backdrop of many movies such as Flight of the Phoenix and 10,000 BC. Up ahead you see a statue straight Becs rapidly trying to regain her lapsed Catholic devotion and struggling to keep the tears in.

Becs forgot her quadbike
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What adds to the implausibility of throwing yourself out of an airplane is the fact that the plane is barely big enough for four people and is held together by grey insulation tape. Anyway, before you know it you’ve reached 10,000ft the perspex roller-door is thrown back and your ears are greeted with the rush of wind as you hurtle at 220km/h to the ground with the undercarriage of the plane a rapidly fading pinpoint in the sky.

If you stop screaming long enough you can actually hold a conversation with the tandem instructor and watch as his altimeter ticks down. At approx. 6000ft you are jerked backwards and rushing wind changes to a flutter as the parachute has opened and you are floating in the sky. After a few tight spirals you steer the two of you into land and enjoy the best tasting beer of your life…even after 9 Stroh rums!

Chris - looking good!
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After watching our videos we headed for Fagin’s where the silver-tongued cavalier pursued a young filly from Yorkshire but was persuaded from taking it further when the boring married couple revealed that she had only just completed her Duke of Edinburgh.