We started our next leg of our trip, now leaving the coastal area and goign for the Namib Desert. On our way to from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay we got a first impression of a desert storm. The sign simply says "Sand", but the wind was blowing the sand quickly across the street...

...and pretty soon we understood why Avis wanted us to sign their "Limitation of Liability" clauses, saying: "Sandblasting - Should customers be traveling in the vicinity of the coastal areas, special care must be taken with regard to weather conditions, as sandstorms do occur. Any sandblasting damages what so ever will be charged to the customer's Credit Card or Voucher." A-Ha.

But before you really go for the desert, we recommend a quick stop at Walvis Bay. They have a lagoon called "Pelican Point", and while we did not spot any pelicans there (they seemed to be all gone to Swakopmund), we found plenty of Flamingos there. I would have expected that the strong wind would topple them over, but they managed to stand upright without any problems! :-)

The strong wind prevented us from taking a relaxed walk along the promenade, but it was still an awesome experience to see dozens of flamingos at Walvis Bay.

A single photo of the "Greater Flamingo" at Walvis Bay. Flamingo feathers are usually tinged in a rosy pink colour, which is due to colored materials called "carotenoids" in the tiny shrimps that they feed on. If they don't eat the shrimps, their feathers turn pale. I guess this flamingo did not have a lot of shrimps lately.

Another photo of the flamingos at Walvis Bay. In the back you can clearly see the houses at the waterfront of the town.

Now we were heading east on the C14. Our first stop was the Vogelfederberg (mountain of bird feathers). It is situated directly at the road, about 50 km east of Walvis Bay, but you will need a permit to access it. We had one purchased in Winhoek, so we entered the parking lot and climbed the short way up to the base of the mountain. You'll find a BBQ place ("braai") there, so if you are planning a picnic, this might be a good place. In any case, the view is stunning.

One of the many awesome views along the C14. Well, after the Walvis Bay airport, the C14 is a gravel road again. After our adventure with the flat tyre (which we replaced in Swakopmund) we were not too happy about this, and later that day we =really= wished we would have gone for a 4x4.

Another beautiful photo of the C14 east of Walvis Bay - the trees in the middle of the photo actually mark a river that is dry most of the time. However, once it starts to rain, it fills enough to let the trees survive. When the road crosses such dry rivers, you should pay attention to the so-called "dips". The road goes down quickly and goes up on the other end again. If you are too fast, your (sedan) car might be seriously damaged.