As always, the images and any videos in this posting are best viewed on the web page. View the complete set of blog posts here.

This post will cover two days. We were in Walvis Bay for 26 hours total. Having said that, this will be yet another long post.

April 7: The first image was taken from the sliding door of our stateroom. The second was taken during our approach to the port.

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This is our only stop in Namibia, a country that gained its independence in 1990 from South Africa. Namibia has a population of 3 million people, so while it is geographically large, its density is low. Our tour guide today was a fifth-generation Namibian with Swiss ancestry. She said that the unemployment rate was about 30% and that most roads, other than the main highways, are gravel. The main industries are agriculture, mining, fishing, and tourism. Oil fields have been discovered, and the government is working hard to develop this industry. Could be an economic game-changer for the country.

The tour started at the port in Walvis Bay, and we drove about 30 minutes on a smooth highway to Swakopmund. Walvis Bay, a city of about 115,000 people, is the largest coastal city and a major port in Namibia. It looked clean and modern. We didn’t spend any time here, driving through the city to get on the highway to Swakopmund. Immediately, the Namib Desert was visible, starting at the beach and extending inland. The geography is unique in that deserts rarely exist adjacent to oceans. Near the coast, the land was relatively flat, but, of course, sandy. As we travelled north to Swakopmund, we began to see reddish/tan sand dunes of varying heights in this “Skeleton Coast” area. Very beautiful. We also saw different sporting activities on the dunes, such as four-wheelers and hang gliding.

Swakopmund is a historic German settlement that has retained many of the early colonial buildings. We visited the train station (photos 4 and 5 below) and drove through the downtown area.

We visited the Swakopmund Museum, which is located near the beach in the downtown area. The museum had many natural history exhibits and told the story of German colonialism. There was a theater playing a documentary film about the history of German settlement, as well as several exhibits describing the horrific way Germans treated the local Nama and other indigenous peoples. (See photos one and two below.) While the museum was a bit dated and low-tech, the exhibits presented solid information. A few exhibits caught our attention: 1) the petrified remains of a Welwitschia plant, a plant species found in the Namib desert that can live for thousands of years; and 2) a complete, well-preserved elephant’s skull. This species of African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) is adapted to live in the northern Namib Desert, particularly in the Kunene region of Namibia. Other animals have adapted to live in the Namib Desert, such as certain lions, antelopes, and birds. Notice how the museum informational signs are in English and German.

After the tour, we had time to walk around town. The Swakopmund Lighthouse was visible everywhere we walked, see the third image below. The beach had lots of tourists and was surrounded by hotels and restaurants.

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The evening of the first day ended with a pop-up dinner event. From Viking: “Al Fresco Dinner in Namibian Desert – It is with great pleasure that we invite you to join us for an Al Fresco dinner under the stars, where the magic of the Namibian desert comes alive, filled with cultural flair, culinary delights, and mesmerizing performances. Shortly before sunset, we depart on a drive to a secret location where you will enjoy a full dinner buffet served under the Namibian star-studded skies! With views of arid lunar-like landscapes amidst the vast desert plains, this is the most awe­ inspiring venue nature has on offer.
As the sun begins to set, the evening celebrations begin. Enjoy freshly-prepared dishes, tune to the rhythm of the Namibian Marimba band; marvel at the skilled fire dancers, and get enchanted by authentic African themes and glowing lanterns; all beneath an astonishing star-surrounded canopy.“

Bob: This event turned out to be one of the absolute highlights of the cruise to date. An invitation was delivered to our staterooms a couple of days ago. We really had no idea what it was. Never two that would pass up a free event, we quickly RSVPd. Early in the evening, we boarded a bus and drove for 30-45 minutes out to the middle of nowhere. No buildings, no signs of civilization. We then saw the tents and the event site. Naturally, there were many Viking staff members to greet us. We had a locally catered meal served buffet style. There were tables set up in the tents. The desert surroundings were surreal. Sand and dunes as far as the eye could see. Viking rented space in the Dorob National Park, hired someone to set up tents days earlier, hosted the event, and then took everything back down in the following days. Pretty amazing.

Cheryl: For the last few days, Cornelia, the cruise director, had been telling us about this special surprise event Viking planned in Namibia. It was not on the itinerary, and the staff were excited as well and were careful not to “spill the beans”. We didn’t know what to expect, but I can tell you that this surpassed any preconceived ideas I had. It was an incredible and beautiful experience. The venue was a series of tents literally in the middle of the desert, surrounded by reddish sand dunes in the Dorob National Park. Cornelia took our photo with these Namibian women below in their colorful traditional clothing and hats. We were among the first groups of people to arrive and had some time to hike around the dunes before sunset. The ambiance was carefully curated, too: Marimba music, dancers with flamed batons, Namibian-themed food, such as grilled meats, lots of comfy couches to sit on during cocktail hour. Many Viking staff in their red jackets were around to greet us, help out, and enjoy themselves.

Food and beverages. Kara at the buffet. (My Coke Zeros not shown.) My Namibian beer, Tafel, was enjoyable. Also, I had to try the South African wine by Nederburg Winery.

Photos of us. The fourth image is with the ship’s captain. The last image is a video.

The next three photographs were taken by Carmen, one of our favorite Viking staff members who works at Manfredi’s, among other locations. We have gotten to know her very well during the trip. She is a terrific person. It looks like Cheryl is actually posing in the last image.

The event included music and dancers. The Marimba Band was performing as we entered the tent areas. The fire dancers performed after the sun set. All three images are videos.

There were many Viking staff members at the event. Carmen, Steve, Jenne, and Eve, some of our favorites, were able to attend. It was almost like a night off for them as the local catering team did not need their help, so they were able to enjoy roaming the event and interact more informally with guests. It was fun to see them in a more relaxed setting. The first photo below shows many of the senior staff on Viking. The gentleman on the left is Marcel David, the hotel general manager. His wife, Cornelia, the cruise director, is somewhere in the group. The second photo shows Carmen and a colleague. The third photo includes Steve (far right), one of the most outgoing Viking staff members, and a really fun guy. He took a special liking to me because his mother and I have the same name, spelled the same way.

Returning to the ship from the event, a long line of staff greeted us as we boarded the ship. There was a chocolate-themed event on the pool deck with even more tasty treats and beverages, and the Viking Band was performing. Our new friends, Jenny and Neil Caithness, two enrichment speakers, swung by to say hello. The staff who attended the desert dinner event with us, sadly, had to return to work! Notice the effects of the cool desert evening as many people, including me, are wearing long sleeves. Cheryl: For the first time, I tried South African pinotage from the Kanonkop Winery, the first to develop pinotage grapes and produce this product.

On top of the fantastic event, we had a gorgeous sunset again today. These photos were taken as we were leaving for the special desert event.

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April 8: After such a terrific event last night, we now resume our normally scheduled programming.

The following image was taken from the sliding door of our stateroom.

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I was thinking about the terrific event we attended last night and wondered why Viking would host it. It was a very expensive function: the food, setup, staff expenses, and transportation. Cheryl and I talked about it and concluded it was some of the best live marketing Viking could provide. On the ship today, everyone was talking about how great the night was, and now we are sharing it with you. A true win-win for Viking: we had an excellent evening, and they get the best promotion possible: cruisers who attended telling everyone how fantastic the dinner was. An excellent experience.

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We did not have an organized Viking event today and needed to be back on board by around noon, so we walked to the Walvis Bay Marina, shopped, took the shuttle to the local mall to find a pharmacy and a snack, and were back on board around 12:30 for a 2:00 departure. The photos below show the Walvis Bay Marina area.

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Enrichment – “Behind the Scenes.” Gain a fascinating insight into the lives of servants in the past, from those in the vast Royal Household to maids of all work – Jennifer Caithness

This talk was added at the last minute as a result of not making the port yesterday. The topic was not exactly relevant to our current geographical location, but it was interesting, and I think many people appreciated it.

Life in service in England, particularly during the 19th and early 20th centuries, was defined by long hours (often 6am–10pm), rigorous physical labor, and a strict hierarchical structure, serving as a vital, though often undervalued, support system for the wealthy. Servants lived “below stairs” in restricted, often crowded quarters, adhering to rigid rules, including limited free time (usually Sunday afternoons) and rarely receiving visitors. Key Aspects of Service Life:
– Daily Routine: Days began early (often 5–6 am) with tasks like cleaning fireplaces, hauling coal, scrubbing floors, and preparing meals.
– Hierarchy: Households were highly organized, with head servants (butler, housekeeper) managing subordinates (housemaids, kitchen maids).
– Hardship & Stability: While the work was demanding and sometimes abusive, for many, it provided essential food, lodging, and wages, especially in the 1840s-80s.
– Uniformity & Rules: Servants wore specific, often black, uniforms with aprons and were expected to be inconspicuous, often called by bells.
– Social Limitations: Private life was extremely limited, with minimal time off and restricted contact with the outside world.
– Community: Despite the hardships, servants often formed close bonds and camaraderie with one another.

Jennifer referenced the Downton Abbey television program (which is highlighted prominently in Viking digital media. They showed all three movies during the cruise.) While a life of service could be very difficult, many servants, particularly the head butler and housekeepers, had respected positions of prominence. She mentioned that the era ended after WW1, when many men and women returned from the war, had factory job alternatives, no longer wanted to work in such authoritarian conditions, and economic shifts and the decline of large country estates made maintaining live-in staff unsustainable. She also highlighted a book by Hannah Cullwick that documented a life in service with great detail.

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Enrichment – “The Race to the Moon—Apollo & Russia.” Look back on the space race and how the US became the first to land men on the moon – David Burgess

The Arimis mission had just orbited the moon yesterday, so David gave a presentation on the NASA Apollo program focusing on missions 8 and 11.

He gave a summary of the early space race, noting the early USSR accomplishments and the Mercury and Gemini missions. He covered the Apollo 1 fire and how it ultimately saved the program, as the corrections made to the Apollo vehicles significantly improved both safety and reliability. David reviewed the importance of the Apollo 8 mission, which validated many key mission capabilities well ahead of schedule, and William Anders captured the famous Earthrise image. He then covered the 11th mission. NASA was concerned about Russian interference, given the recent launch of their Luna 15 mission. Frank Borman, the Apollo 8 commander, communicated with Russian contacts he had developed over the years to confirm the Russians had no ulterior motives. David covered the computer problems during landing, the 1202 and 1201 warning codes. The computing power of the Apollo guidance system is roughly equivalent to a modern, programmable TI-84 calculator or the chip inside a $55 wall charger.

This was a very good overview of the Apollo program. I chatted with David after his talk, and we agreed that the NASA missions from 1955 to 1970 and the Manhattan Project were two of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century. (Note: The Apollo period was a different time for sure. In the fifth image, flight director Gene Kranz is shown smoking in the control room. That would not be allowed today.)

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Enrichment – “The Age of Dinosaurs and the Origin of Birds.” Journey through prehistoric times to explore how dinosaurs evolved into modern birds – Dr. Neil Caithness

Neil started his talk off with a quiz again. Question 1: Were the last of the woolly mammoths closer in time to the building of Giza, or to the Moon landing? Answer: Building of Giza ~2000 BCE. Question 2: Did dinosaurs walk on grass? Answer: (A qualified) No! The Earliest grasslands appear long after the age of dinosaurs ended. Note: grasses existed, but not as grasslands. Question 3: Which came first, birds or flowers? Answer: Birds. Birds predate flowering plants by about 20-30 million years.

He then made the case that current birds are direct descendants of dinosaurs. From the internet, and very consistent with Neil’s talk:
“Yes, birds evolved from dinosaurs. Scientific consensus holds that modern birds are a type of specialized theropod dinosaur, descending from small, feathered, two-legged carnivores that lived during the Mesozoic era. Birds are considered “living dinosaurs” and are the only lineage that survived the mass extinction event 66 million years ago.
– Key Evolutionary Links & Facts
– Ancestors: Birds evolved from maniraptoran theropods, a group including Velociraptor, roughly 160 million years ago.
– Feathers: Many dinosaur species had feathers long before they were used for flight, likely for warmth or display.
– The Transition: Archaeopteryx, found in the 1860s, is a famous transitional fossil showcasing both dinosaurian features (teeth, long tail) and bird-like features (wings, feathers).
– Survivors: While most dinosaurs were wiped out 66 million years ago, small, bird-like dinosaurs survived, eventually evolving into modern birds.
– Modern Dinosaurs: Birds are not just descendants; cladistically, they are dinosaurs, similar to how humans are classified as mammals.
– Differences
– Over time, birds evolved specialized features, such as losing their teeth to develop beaks, having fewer fingers, and fusing bones for flight.“

There was a tie to North Dakota (Cheryl and I were both born and raised there) in his talk: “Tanis is a controversial and heavily studied paleontological site in southwestern North Dakota that preserves a dramatic fossil record. Excavations suggest the site was buried alive by a massive surge of water and debris within hours of the Chicxulub asteroid impact 66 million years ago.” It turns out that artifacts of the asteroid collision made it all the way to North Dakota, 1900 miles away. The story of how the dinosaur extinction asteroid theory evolved is fascinating. (Neil told us he added more information about the Tanis line to his presentation after he met us and we had a discussion about it.)

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Enrichment – “Portuguese Imperialism and Angolan Independence.” Appreciate Angola’s long struggle for self-determination – lan MacLachlan

This talk was an overview of one of our next destinations, Angola, and a brief summary of Portuguese colonialization.

Angola has a population of 40 million, and the official language is Portuguese, although many speak native Bantu dialects, and is primarily Christian. The country has vast underdeveloped oil resources. It continues to suffer the after effects of José Eduardo dos Santos corrupt dictatorship, where he enriched his family, primarily his daughter Isabel, the richest woman in Africa. The current president, João Lourenço, has worked to eliminate Angolan corruption with mixed results. Today, Angelo has an incredibly rich/poor divide and a 38% infrant mortality rate.

The following is from the internet and is consistent with Ian’s talk: “Portuguese colonization of Angola spanned from 1484 to 1975, primarily functioning as a massive slave-trading enterprise for over 300 years, with significant ties to Brazil. Settling initially on the coast in 1575 (Luanda) and 1617 (Benguela), Portugal established control over the interior in the 20th century before granting independence in 1975.

• Key Aspects of Portuguese Angola
  • Establishment & Early Presence: Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão landed in 1482, finding the Kongo Kingdom. In 1575, Paulo Dias de Novais founded Luanda, establishing a permanent presence that focused on the coast.
  • The Slave Trade: Angola was, for 300 years, a primary source of slaves for Brazil and the New World. Between 1580 and 1820, more than one million people were exported from the region. Half of the slaves went to Brazil, and four percent came to North America. It was called the “middle passage”.
  • Colonial Expansion: While initial control was limited to coastal areas, the Portuguese gradually expanded inland, securing administrative control over the entire territory only in the early 20th century.
  • Independence Movement & War: The Angolan War of Independence began in 1961, with three main nationalist movements fighting for control.
  • End of Rule: Following the 1974 “Carnation Revolution” in Lisbon, which overthrew Portugal’s dictatorship, the new government withdrew from Angola, granting independence in 1975.
• Legacy of Colonization
  • The 400-year presence left a lasting, profound impact on the nation.
  • Culture & Language: The Portuguese language became, and still is, the official language of Angola.
  • Societal Structure: The long, intense, and often violent colonization has resulted in a deep cultural influence.
  • Post-Independence: Following the abrupt departure of the Portuguese in 1975, Angola immediately fell into a long, brutal civil war.”

The talk focused a great deal on Angola’s slave trade, as it was a huge part of the Atlantic triangular route between Africa, South and North America, and Europe. Angola contributed a vast number of slaves to the Americas. Ian also noted that, compared to other African countries, Angola gained independence later due to Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar’s desire to retain all colonies.

The country faces increasing political instability: “Angola’s 2026–2027 political outlook is marked by rising instability, with the ruling MPLA party facing declining popularity ahead of the 2027 elections. While President João Lourenço maintains control, public frustration over inflation, high poverty, and fuel subsidy cuts has increased, leading to protests. The opposition, primarily UNITA, is gaining traction among urban youth.” Isabel dos Santos may be elected the next president; unbelievable.

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End of Post.