I started off early the next morning, along the C28 gravel road towards Windhoek, a trip of just over 300 kilometers. The first few kilometers were pleasant tar road, then followed really good gravel road, but soon it turned into a sandy and very challenging gravel road. For once I had not filled at least one of the fuel bladders with extra fuel, and I soon realized that it would be touch and go with the fuel supply, with the bike using considerably more under the sandy road conditions. I saw the turnoff sign for Blutkuppe - a collection of rocks that turn blood red at sunrise and sunset, and where it is also possible to camp. A permit was needed to enter the area, so I continued towards Windhoek, hoping the road conditions would improve. They got even worse, and about 100 kilometers into the journey, I decided to turn around and head back to Swakopmund the same way I had come from. Mainly because of the fuel situation, but also because the bike was taking a real pounding on the sandy and Stoney road. I arrived back in Swakopmund early afternoon, and decided to take the 35 kilometer drive to Walvis Bay, with the Atlantic Ocean on the one side, and impressive sand dunes on the other, with the the possibility of hiring quads at several places.

Walvis Bay is not the most exciting of places - at least not in my opinion, but there is a lot of activity in the Harbour area, due to the extensive port expansion, with a new container terminal being constructed on 40 ha of land reclaimed from the sea. The terminal is expected completed by mid 2019. From the Harbour area I continued south to see the salt flats of Walvis Bay Salt Holdings. They cover an area of 4.500 ha. The production output is around 700.000 tons of salt per annum, and the company is the largest producer of solar sea salt in sub-Saharan Africa. I drove for several kilometers along the man made salt evaporation ponds, some of them snowwhite with crusty salt, others different shades of pink (see pics) due to the plankton in the water. A very interesting experience. Apart from industrial grade salt, they also produce triple-refined salt for your boiled egg! In the lagoon and wetlands area there are also thousands of flamingos worth watching. For some reason they were not too fond of my motorcycle, and generally took flight when I stopped to take photographs.

As mentioned, Walvis Bay is not the most interesting of destinations, so I decided to return to Swakopmund and spend the night there. I stopped at the Kentucky Fried Chicken for a bite to eat, and spotted the Salty Jackal Backpackers just across the road. It turned out to be a great find, and I ended up spending the night alone in a 4-bed dorm. Interesting to see how many of the hostels operate with voluntary staff - a young guy from Texas and a young French lady were in charge of the Salty Jackal. They generally get free food and lodging for their work, for the period they are at the hostel, typically 3-6 months.

The next morning I took the less challenging B2 road, the 370 kilometers to Windhoek. On one of the tourist websites the place is described as “the capital city of Namibia, Windhoek, lies in a large valley surrounded by 4 mountain ranges, at an altitude of 1.700 meters. It is a pleasant, clean and well organized city run with Germanic efficiency and an African heartbeat”. That seems a pretty accurate description, and it has certainly expanded considerably since I was last there, 20 years ago. I found a small room not far from the center of the city, where I met a Danish/Swedish couple living in Lund, Sweden. In their early seventies, they had taken a 4 week trip from South Africa to Botswana and Namibia. We spent a couple of hours chatting about our trips.

The distance between Windhoek and Keetmanshoop is 500 kilometers, a trip of some 7 hours allowing for refueling and a couple of leg stretching stops, so at the crack of dawn I was on the B1 heading south. The B1 through Rehoboth and Mariental might not be the most exciting stretch through Africa, but some how I never get bored “on the road” - on the bike I am as happy as the proverbial pig! Down through Zambia, Botswana and Namibia I could feel the temperatures increasing, as I headed for the Southern summer. It was well over 30 degrees, and the Camelbak was working overtime. In Keetmanshoop I had a bit of trouble finding a place to stay - way too expensive or fully booked - but finally I found La Rochelle, a beautiful place overlooking Keetmanshoop. The following morning I would be heading for Lüderitz.