From the clear blue desert skies, we traveled to the Namibian coast. Not to say that there are not clear blue desert skies on the coast, but in the 5 days we stayed there, we experienced what they call the coastal fog which lifts around 3 o’clock on a good day!

 A dull, thick blanket of fog consumed the beach, buildings and dunes. At first, we didn’t think much of it – especially since we’d been on the road and had had our fair share of camping, dirt and drinking wine out of metal mugs. It was time for a break;  to settle down for a few days in a cottage on Long Beach near Swakopmund. To shake off a thick layer of white dust, to load the washing machine, scrub the kids down in a hot bath and to sleep on a bed with blankets and a feather pillow.

But after the 3^rd day of fog, I started to wonder how on earth do people live here?! While there are a heap of awesome activities like sand boarding, quad bike rides, camel rides, desert trails, seal tours, shipwrecks, museums and the freshest, best cooked seafood I’ve had in years – I couldn’t quite see past the fog! While I know it’s a beautiful thing for the desert, giving life to creatures that live in a place devoid of rain, I missed those blue skies and the views I couldn’t see but knew were there.

In the distance, a closed recreational park lies dormant, with a giant Super tube appearing momentarily like a lonely castle in the clouds. I believe it’s not always foggy. The Namibian coast experiences fog for about 200 days a year, and then every now and again around Summertime, it turns from a grey and heavy landscape, to a hot and clear, eccentric Summer destination; with brightly painted beach cottages, German architecture, pink flamingoes and a tsunami of sand dunes as a backdrop. If you go there in Winter, (as we did) on a good day the sun beats back the dreary fog. It sheds its heavy attire and slips into a Summer frock and for a short time, dances to a Summer tune. Until the clock strikes 5! Then it rolls back in, and the illusive Swakopmund sun becomes a distant memory once more.