Is there a sun in Swakopmund?

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.