25th of October, 2018.
A charming guy who was just leaving Windpomp 14 in the morning, gives me a lift to Swakopmund. I had not realized how close I was. He is an electric engineer and is working on the new camping sites they are building over there. He drop me at the same point where the taxi driver dropped me the first time I came here. The difference now is I am going in the other direction, leading to Walvis Bay.
Again, it does not take too long until two guys in a pick up stop for me. I go on the back with my backpack. At least is one of those covered backs (weird sentences together).
Once in Walvis Bay, the driver is nice and says could offer me a room but since I do not have a number to which he could call later, I just say how much I appreciate and leave to the library. The plan is check with Nick if is still OK for me to come for one more night; to find a backpackers hostel where I can drop my backpack for the day while I go around town and come back later to take it; and also to find a place to make my camping (church or open space) to where I will lead after collect my backpack.
Since the first words we exchange, Talana shows be a lovely person, always ready to help. After doing all my stuff but being enable to get an answer from Nick, I decided to ask her if I could leave my computer charging and my backpack also (but not charging, of course), while I go to town, and coming back in the evening to grab them. She is not just very welcome to me as also keep looking for an adaptor that I could use to charge the computer (not the bag, of course). And I just keeping surprised with her wonderful attitude.
I go to the museum which is just down stairs and it is free (In your face, Swakopmund!). I decide to buy some fat cakes for lunch and walk all over the town. I do not know if it is because of Talana’s great help or what, but I really like walking around Walvis Bay. I felt this nice feeling in the air. I do not know. I manage to get in the Bay without asking anything to anybody (probably this also helps) and it is beautiful! I sit in a shade and have my fat cakes with peanut butter and jam. Then I walk from one point to another of the bay, slowly and appreciating everything. It takes me about two hours, I guess, but with a lot of good surprises. To the right side, a huge pelican showing up and my first seal! It was so cute asking for fish to the fishermen who just arrived from the sea. Then going to the left (which by the way is possible because the walking area is great all over the bay), I met with two cute and friendly yellow Labrador and the pelicans! Hundreds of them. The parks are also very nice with such green grass. And the houses, wow! I know I do not understand why in the hell they need to be that big but I cannot deny how beautiful they are. At least most of them. There are still a lot of rich people who have everything but good taste.
Coming back, I face it some really good songs on the phone, like Fast Car, Free fallin’, and My girl, which makes me sing and walk in a very happy way.
At the library, me and Talana have some nice conversation again, talking about my travels and life.
Looking for the place to stay, I found a fire brigade! Finally! Let me explain: long ago, even before my travels start, when I was looking for how to travel very cheap, a lot of travelers wrote about how the fireman where very friendly when they asked for help in the fire brigade. So when I realized how most of the policeman in Africa are not nice at all, I was wondering if the fireman were also like that, but I could not find a fire brigade anywhere.
Talana offer to drive me there. She walks with me inside to make sure I will be able to stay. Since the chief is not around, she called him (and I am still wondering how can someone be so wonderful) and explain the situation. The chief, Mr. Dennis, is also a wonderful person and promptly let me stay. I would sleep in a bed, have access to the kitchen and have the whole place just for me since no fireman remain in there, just the security guard. His only regret is we did not call him earlier, so he would have fixed the Geyzer (which had been broken just this afternoon) and then I could have a warm shower. He cannot come himself to show me the place, so he send a college, another very nice gentleman, who comes with his cute daughter and shows me around. Loki bless the firemen! And Talana!
Next morning I decide not to leave until Mr. Dennis arrive and I can personally say thank you to him. He looks like a very respectful man but also very friendly. And he is the first person who writes my hitchhike sign! I ask him for a piece of cardboard and he ends doing the whole work. After that, I could not even think he would not offer to drive me out of town where I could try to get a lift. And here am I, again, being taken care for some lovely people.
He leaves me in a nice place and maybe ten minutes later the last wonderful person I will meet who lives in Walvis Bay (at least for now) stops and gives me a lift. His name is McAllister and he is going to Windhoek to visit his girlfriend. Such a friendly and peaceful guy, with nice thoughts and nice talk. We have a lot in common and it is a nice trip. He helps me to contact Nick and just around midday (much earlier than I thought) I am Windhoek again.
I want to say an special thank you for all those lovely people who helped me so much in the beautiful town of Walvis Bay. It was just for one day but it really touched me. Thank you so much to all of you 🙂
