Langstrand Beach

Last trip to the Coast 2006
Day Two – Langstrand

For breakfast we hit the hotel. It was just after they had finished the breakfast buffet but they brought it all back out and accomidated us wonderfly assuming we were guests of the hotel. they were quite stunned when we asked for a bill. (Breakfast is included if you stay in the hotel)

We could have hung around Swakopmund for the day but decided to just drive south and see what happened. We turned off just about 15 km from Swakopmund, exactly between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. What we found there was absolutely wonderful. Pristine beaches, fisherman bringing in massive fish, people diving for fresh lobster, etc. We even spotted a real live whale hanging out on the beach (inside joke, ask me)

And so we walked north along the beach watching seals swim offshore. The waves crashed in as they have for a million years. I really thought about this, these waves have been hitting this shore for so long and thus the terrain has been shaped just as such. I am fascinated with oceans and beaches.

After walking for 20 minutes or so we found this delightful little pier. I have seen it while driving to Walvis Bay many times but here we were. I could have spent the whole weekend here. There was a delightful breakwater that you could sit on and have the waves crash to shore below you.

This beautiful alternative to Swakopmund is found here.

Yes, the sun even came out to smile on us as we explored the beaches of Langstrand. What a rare and wonderful treat.

The pier actually houses a bar which looks like it has not seen a customer in many years. There was abstract talk about aquiring said bar.

The breakwater where we sat for hours watching the waves roll in, occasionally splashing high enough to get us wet. Seals were seen just below hunting fish in the shallow water. They seemed like they were having an amazing time in the water. When a wave would roll in they would often ride it like a surfer would jumping just below the crest of the wave and giving us a real show.

Check out those dunes in the background…

Beautiful shadows cast out on the pier.

Now here is the real treat. At Langstrand we found an amazing restaurant that will rival both the Tug and the Raft in Walvis Bay. No one I know has ever even heard of this restaurant. It is right upstream from the Buring Shore so it was very likely a popular spot for Brad and Angelina during their stay in Langstrand. I had a wonderful black pepper and corriander encrusted tuna steak served with chips.

Cyrlene insisted on crayfish (lobster) which was way under market prices. According to C, it was “ok, but not fresh” As a child in South Africa she would often dive for crayfish herself. Hard to compete with that kind of freshness.

Wonderful vistas from the Langstrand restaurant.

All about contrast.

Ever wonder what the ocean floor looks like? I have.

Worth mentioning. Just before heading out (and this was a stretch cause Cyrlene wanted me to call my boss so that we could stay until Monday, yes it was that great!) we watched as a group of people were enjoying a lunch on the beach. There were a few guys, a few girls, and they were all dressed to impress. As we shook our feet free of beautiful Namibian sand, they got into there car to leave. Everyone piled in to the car but the driver remained out. His navigator popped the hood and he started the car with a screwdriver by tweaking something under the hood. We laughed for quite a while about this, funny how Mr. Cool has to start his car with a screw driver.

Then I remembered my Mother’s old car back in the day. I somehow remember a butter knife being required on occasion to start the motor, and I also remember how when it rained, it poured inside the car. And when it got cold soon thereafter, we had mini skating rinks inside the car where your feet should be resting comfortably. Full circle.