A foggy morning in Walvis Bay, which apparently is normal this time of year.
We were looking forward to our excursion today, titled "Where the dunes meet the Atlantic Ocean".
Our 4x4 for the day. It carried the driver and 4 passengers. The vehicle is very similar to the Toyota 4-Runners we have previously owned. This version is called "Fortuner" and is sold in what Toyota referrs to as "emerging markets."
It was neat that our vehicle had a map of Namibia on the hood. I guess if your GPS fails??
Our driver/guide Jacque. Jacque and the other driver/guides looked like a cross between an American cowboy and an Australian bushman. Jacque said he has been a guide for many years and now is simi-retired. As you might guess from his shirt, his hobby while not driving tourists in the desert is driving for fun in the desert and dunes.
As we walked down the pier to meet our driver, I observed these large white "sacks". Jacque confirmed these were large bags of salt, ready for shipment.
Our first stop was in the Walvis Bay Lagoon at Flamingo Bay, where we were yesterday. Although it was foggy, there were not only Flamingos to be seen but also Pelicans.
We proceeded out of town heading south along the coast. We soon came to one of Walvis Bay and Namibia's major industries, salt mining.
Namibia's salt mining industry, particularly at Walvis Bay, is a major export sector, with Walvis Bay Salt Holdings (WBSH) being the largest solar sea salt producer in sub-Saharan Africa, producing over 1 million tons annually by processing over100 million cubic meters of saltwater.
The next several miles took us through the evaporation ponds of the area.
The saltwater channel which is used to supply the evaporation ponds.
I found the process very interesting, but you may not and are certainly free to skip this explanation if it is of no interest to you...
Seawater, which is the only raw material used, is pumped at a rate of 240m3 per minute, from the natural Lagoon into a new manmade lagoon within the old existing Walvis Bay lagoon and salt pan. A dam wall was built from the existing Lagoon all the way to the other side of the Pelican Point Peninsula and a further 3 dams along the existing salt pan were flooded, comprising a total area of almost 2000ha.
These 4 pre-evaporation ponds are used to increase the salt content from 2.9% to 3.5%. As the Lagoon is a Ramsar appointed wetland and the most important for Namibia, the dams had to comply strictly with the International Ramsar Wetland protection policy. Islands for roosting and sleeping had to be made and enough food must be generated to sustain the rich birdlife. At 3.5 % salinity, all plankton, algae, and small animal life continue.
From here the water is pumped into concentration ponds where the brine salt salinity increases to 25% at which point it is pumped into square crystallization ponds each with a surface area of 20ha. The salt then crystalizes to form a layer of salt crystals.
To enhance production more modern technology was applied with the main aim of increasing evaporation. The quicker the ponds evaporate, by wind and sun, the sooner one can harvest. Once the salt crystals have grown to the required depth, of between 10-15cm, the salt is harvested by mechanical harvesters. Salt is dropped into a huge bin and by conveyor belt taken to the wash plant. The salt undergoes a process of washing, using fresh seawater mixed with gypsum as a washing medium. Impurities like Calcium Sulphate, Magnesium, and Potassium ion concentration, that are not suitable for chemical-grade salt, stick to the gypsum brine solution and is called Bitters, due to its bitter taste, and pumped back into the ocean. The two black pipes can be seen along the road to Paaltjies, pumping fresh water into the fresh seawater pond and the other pipe the Bitters back to the ocean. The salt is washed and dried at a rate of 220tons per hour, and then by conveyor belt stockpiled outside for further draining and drying.
The salt is transported by truck at a rate of 3000 tons a day through Walvis Bay to its own bulk storage site in the Walvis Bay Harbour. To avoid contamination the salt is transported by a conveyor belt and spout trimmed into the ships hold in the Walvis Bay Dockside. Loading can take place 24hours a day 7 days a week as and when the ships are available.
The pinkish color is due to Halobacterium salinarum and other halophilic (salt-loving) bacteria that can impart a pink or red color to the water or salt crusts. The pink color is due to the presence of carotenoid pigments, which are synthesized in response to high salt concentrations.
This is a Google map of the salt mining area. This map shows about 200 square miles. Here you can clearly see the evaporation ponds.
Kay holding a lump of raw salt picked up from along the channel.
A few miles beyond the salt mining operation we reached the boundary to the Namib Naukluft Park.
The park extends 370 miles south to Lüderitz. With an overall area of 19,216 square miles, the Namib-Naukluft National Park was at the time of its last expansion the largest game park in Africa and the fourth largest in the world
Jacque explained this boundary used to delineate the German possession from the British. Once we crossed the board we would have been in German territory.
During World War I, the British, through the Union of South Africa, invaded and occupied German South West Africa (now Namibia), resulting in the territory being transferred to the Union of South Africa after the war, which then ruled it under a League of Nations mandate.
We enjoyed miles of desolate desert and coast with no permanent roads. Many of the tracks we traveled would be wiped out during high tide. Jacque explained that many cars were lost each year due to miscalculation of the tides or ignorance of the drivers.
Jacque pointed out that the coarse sand was made up of many minerals beside silicon and quartz. Namibia's massive mineral and gem deposits are leached from the mountains, washed down the rivers into the ocean and then carried northward by the currents to be deposited on the beaches. This was the best I could do with my lens and Lightroom to magnify the sand, but you get the idea of the varied composition of the beach sand.
The description of our tour included a "snack or beverage". This usually means a soft drink, nuts or chips.
When our group, which consisted of 8 vehicles 32 travelers and 8 guides all came together in this little protected area, I thought it was just to get the lecture on the vegetation.
Instead, the guides began to set up tables, a portable sink and even a portable "loo" for the ladies. The men were told they had facilities in nature with "many choices with scenic views."
This is just one table of two with an incredible assortment of food and drinks available. We were offered beer, soft drinks, sparkling wine, juice and water, in addition to chips and nuts.
The local beer "Tafel" was much better, at least to me, than the previous local beer "Windhoek" I had a few days ago.
The food was superb. In fact, I think it was the best "excursion meal" I have had during this cruise. It wasn't an extensive buffet in a fancy resort like some we have had, but it was authentic local food with great flavor and variety.
The portable "loo". I think it was certainly appreciated by the ladies.
This is a common fellow in the Namibia desert. A shovel-snouted lizard or sand diving lizard. The shovel-snouted lizard has a special organ that stores water collected from morning mists. This and other adaptations help it tolerate temperatures as high as 111°F. They grow to about 5 inches long from head to tail.
Nara melon plants are not classified as desert plants despite their growing location. Naras rely on underground water, and as such, bear deep water seeking roots. A member of the cucumber family, nara melons are an ancient species with fossil evidence dating back 40 million years. It was most likely responsible for the survival of Stone Age tribes into modern times. The plant is leafless, an adaption no doubt evolved to protect the plant from losing water through leaf evaporation. Densely tangled, the shrub has sharp spines growing on grooved stems. All parts of the plant are photosynthetic and green, including the flowers. The fruit at first is green, then once the size of a baby’s head, turns orange-yellow with many cream-colored seeds lodged in the pulp. The fruit is high in protein and iron and contains 84% water by weight.
Pink tinted (by bacteria) evaporation pool.
The large area of evaporation pools causes the clouds to have a pink cast from their reflection.
From three to four miles away, we can see the Viking Sky in the distance.
We returned to the ship about 15 minutes before the "all aboard" time of 1:00 PM. We then had to go directly to the Star Theater to have a face to face with Namibia Immigration to officially leave the country.
We now have two sea-days to reach our next port of Launda, Angola.
