22 Jun |
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 I obviously breezed into town in the Very Windy season; when the southerly wind whistles through the telephone wires for days on end, whipping spray off the waters of Second Lagoon. As Günther and I watched his yacht 'Sturmvogel' tug at her anchor, our chances of getting on the water for a sail to the penguin colony on Halifax Island looked bleaker by the minute. "Maybe tomorrow," he says. "Maybe the wind will drop tomorrow. Come, let's take you to see some desert." Lüderitz is no place for softies. Clinging to the edge of the Namib Desert, its toes in the icy Atlantic, this has always been a tough land for tough people. A thousand kilometres from the nearest city, it has that end-of-the-world feel like Annie Proulx’s Newfoundland town of Killick-Claw in ‘The Shipping News’. The town dates back to 1883 when Adolf Lüderitz arrived here from Germany, sparking a wave of migration that was fuelled by the discovery of diamonds in the deserts to the east. In 1909, workers laying train tracks to the interior literally stumbled across diamonds lying loose on the sand. In the town of Pomona, the legend goes that under the glow of a full moon the valley floor sparkled with the precious gems. There are still diamonds in them thar hills, but today the dunes for kilometres around are out of bounds. This is the Sperregebiet; the forbidden mining area where you can look forward to a hefty fine and probably an intimate interrogation if you're found trespassing. For a taste of the harsh, but profitable life that once flourished in the desert most visitors head for the ghost town of Kolmanskop; once the thriving hub of the local diamond mine, the village boasted a school, running water, theatre, bowling alley… even a hilltop swimming pool. It was also home to the first X-ray machine in Africa, allegedly to keep an eye on any diamonds leaving the Sperregebiet illicitly. Nowadays, however, the town's only resident is a wandering Brown Hyena who usually makes himself scarce when the tourists roll in each morning. The small museum has an interesting display on the hyena that roam the desert, scouring the coastline for wayward seals. There are worthwhile guided tours of Kolmanskop at 9.30am and 11am Monday to Saturday (grab a delicious scone at the tea-room beforehand), but it is well worth allowing yourself a few hours to explore on your own. Wandering down the rows of abandoned houses, poking your head into vacant doorways and windowless frames, it's easy to imagine the lives once lived here. Doors lie anchored with sand up to their handles, hallways wait patiently for the clatter of footsteps and opulent wallpaper – no doubt imported from Germany – now peels away like the petals of some dying flower. There may not be real ghosts in Kolmanskop, but the spirit of the town certainly lives on. Of course the real money-men wouldn't have lived out at dusty Kolmanskop. With pockets full of diamond profits the town's gem barons built magnificent homes for themselves in town, many of which still stand. As the Inspector of Mines, Hans Goerke was a powerful man in Lüderitz and Goerke Haus, his towering mansion on Am Diamantberg Street, is a fine example of the elegant Art Nouveau style which found an unlikely home on the edge of the Namib Desert. Look out for the striking stained glass windows on the stairway. The House is open daily for visitors, except when executives from De Beers, who still mine in the area, use it as their Lüderitz home away from home. Next door, it's hard to miss the imposing Lutheran Church that sits staunchly above town, gazing down at the 'buchters' (as Lüderitz locals are called) like a stern, but compassionate matron. Built in 1912 the Felsenkirche is an altogether friendlier place on the inside. Thick walls keep the wind at bay and the bright Namibian sunlight streams through the soaring stained glass windows donated by the German aristocracy of the time. To the right Martin Luther gazes down at the pews, while on the left Jesus appears to be saving a wrecked fisherman. A fitting blessing for a town whose fortune was built on diamonds and the red gold of Rock Lobster. Open for just an hour each afternoon (check the church door for times), the sound of hymns is rarely heard here now. "A minister comes once a month from Swakopmund or Windhoek, but we ring the bells every Sunday anyway," says the friendly church attendant. From the Felsenkirche it's not far to the best view in town. A few quick steps up the nearby granite boulders delivers a remarkable 360° view of the town. Sunset is the best time to be up here, when the town shows a gentler face. Red vaulted rooftops reflect the orange light from the setting sun, while distant dunes leak shadows into the desert, revealing valleys and outcrops hidden by the harsh midday glare. Off in the distance is Agate Beach, a popular spot for weekend braais and long walks on lonely sands. Until you reach the fence of the Sperregebiet, of course. From the barbed wire fence the Namib dunes begin marching northwards, and don't stop until they reach Angola. To the south-west of town the hills are a rocky moonscape, but this diamond-free area is open to the public to explore and makes for an excellent day trip. Take Bismarck Street out of town and onto the well-marked 65-kilometre route to Diaz Point and back. Follow the road past Radford Bay, named for an English trader who lived here in the mid-1800s, to Second Lagoon – known as one of the country's best bird-watching spots. You'll find Curly Sandpipers, Grey lapwings, flamingos and myriad waders here at various times of the year. Further on, Grossebucht (Big Bay) is home to a breeding colony of the endangered Damara Tern, so whatever you do don't drive off-road! Past Kleiner Fjord, Knochen Bucht and Guano Bay brings you to the main attraction: Diaz Point, where a replica cross marks the spot where Bartolomeu Dias erected a padrão on his homeward voyage to Portugal in 1488 after rounding the Cape of Good Hope. Monuments aside, there's a wind-swept campsite here if you are roughing it, or simply seek refuge from the wind in the Diaz Point Coffee Shop where you're sure to get a warm welcome from Joan and her three dogs. Great carrot cake aside, it's a fun spot to take a breather and eavesdrop on some local gossip. You can also hire bikes to explore the Point, or challenge the kids on the makeshift mini-golf course. The sun is setting as Günther and I start making our way back to town. We pull off on the edge of a broad bay, the small breakers whipped away by the southerly wind. On the beach a herd of Springbok graze off the few hardy grasses that survive here, backlit against the sunset. Their delicate hooves throw up plumes of dust as I try to sneak closer. "My boat is named after this bay," says Günther wistfully. "Perhaps the wind will drop tomorrow and we can go sailing. Maybe tomorrow." TRAVEL TIPS
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