We ditched our cute Toyotas for a speedboat today, all just to spot dolphins, seals, pelicans and… a whale. Munching on fresh oysters with some local cherry liquor, I went full photo-maniac mode. Also discovered that whatever a whale breathes out smells… let’s say “interesting”, and not in a good way. A perfect break after those exhausting off-road stretches up north.
The next day we hit Sandwich Bay, one of the few places on Earth where the giant dunes of the Namib Desert crash straight into the Atlantic Ocean. Seeing vertical walls of sand meet the water is just unreal. There's no normal road to get there, the only way in is along the beach, over super soft sand. If you want to keep driving along the narrowest part of the shoreline, right under the massive dunes, you have to time it perfectly with the tides, otherwise the incoming tide can cut off your escape route. If that happens, the car is done for. No rescue. It just disappears from the world of moving vehicles forever.
And yeah… the place is absolutely mind-blowing and seriously tricky to drive. Since our cars are rentals, we didn't push any further, way too risky. But hey, it's tempting…
So, going deeper toward the Namib, there's this cute place called Solitaire on the way. It's basically the only gas station for miles, plus a tiny airstrip and some super cool, rusty car wrecks that give it a unique vibe.
And then there's McGregor's Bakery, famous for its equally famous Apfelstrudel. The bakery was started by a Scottish guy who moved to the Namib Desert back in the 90s and settled right here in Solitaire. Moose McGregor always said he loved this place. He was super charismatic and travelers adored him, his friendly energy made everyone feel welcome. He passed away in 2014.
Why is his apple pie so legendary? No idea, but one thing's for sure, it's really good. Highly recommended :-)
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