14/05/2013
Sometimes one gets lucky with photography. As I wounds through the pass to the coast, I knew that it was one of those times, the ghostly shells of the
Kolmanskop houses stood like guardians scanning the horizon, behind them a sky burnt of oranges and pinks as wispy flames of cloud licked the tops of the dunes. I only had the chance for a couple of shots before the fog rolled in and I descended the pass into the now eerie town of Lüderitz.
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| The Kolmanskop guardians |
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| Road down to Lüderitz |
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| A foggy night. |
By the time I found a place to spend the night, the little camp-site on shark island, the sea fog had all but engulfed the town as if to compliment the ghost town I had just passed by. I don't see myself as a superstitious or even spiritual person, but there was something haunting about the place which conjured up thoughts of the countless souls lost at sea. Maybe it was one of those souls that begged me to stay, maybe it was that I had travelled 3000km in 6 days mostly on dust roads either way I made the decision to spend a couple of nights there and take it easy the following day.
The morning greeted me with an even thicker fog which weighed heavy in the air as I clambered over the rocks seeking a good angle to capture the mood. Finally the oyster catchers started about their daily routine which prompted me to a brief workout come yoga session on the rocks. The landscape started to reveal itself in time for breakfast and by the time I had washed up the sun was out and inviting me to explore the town.
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| A ghostly awakening. |
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| Yoga rocks. |
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| Oyster catchers up for breakfast |
It should be noted that Lüderitz is not a big town so by midday I had explored the corners and cracks which left me wanting. I had seen a picture of a shipwreck in the information center and decided it would make a good photo so I set off in search of it, taking my home down roads which were obviously meant for vehicles of a more sturdy nature. Finally I came across a shipwreck, not the one I had seen in the brochure, rather what seemed like a small fishing boat on a deserted beach. From there the afternoon took me down ever more unsuitable roads. After visiting a fjord, a lighthouse and experiencing a cold swim in the Atlantic I landed up at a little camp-site called Dias Point. It is an enchanting place run by an old lady and her daughter in-law who happened to be a budding photographer and I spent a few sun downers advising her on lenses. Her excitement at being able to try my 10-20mm made the experience ever more worth it.
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| The colourful town of Lüderitz |
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| My shipwreck |
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| Namibia's fjord |
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| A dip in the Atlantic |
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| Sun-downers at Diaz Point |
I left Lüderitz the following morning after sharing breakfast with one of the Shark Island wardens while he convinced me of the merits of him getting his lorry licence. After a couple of hours photography stop in
Kolmanskop I moved on to
Mariental.
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