WALIS BAY – NAMIBIA

Bernhard Nordkamp Center

Children’s Choir

Friday, March 28, 2025, 6 AM, Temperature 64 Degrees, 88% Humidity, W – SSE @15.8 mph

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country located on the west coast of Southern Africa. We could see the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the sand dunes for which Namibia is famous from our cabin balcony. As we pulled into the harbor, John saw two tall vertical frames on a ship that he was sure were used for mining underwater diamonds. These diamonds are of a higher quality than their land-mined counterparts. We also saw a large red and white ship that looked “normal” until we passed it. It was wedge-shaped and was unusually wide across its aft beam, not a typical shape. John researched the website “Find a Ship” and discovered that it was a Norwegian research vessel, but we couldn’t find out what they were researching. It’s been fun; John has used that site several times to learn more about our neighbors in some of the commercial ports where we’ve been moored.

We had a short stay in Walvis Bay; we arrived at Noon and were scheduled to leave at 6:30, but that didn’t happen. The big attraction of the day was a performance by the Bernhard Nordkamp Center Children’s Choir at 4 PM. We had planned to take the free shuttle bus to ride in and explore the town, then return in time for the concert. However, upon looking out across the parking lot, we saw a group of about 75 of our fellow cruisers waiting! Usually, a shuttle bus is a full-size bus, but in Namibia, they sent smaller vans, maybe 16-18 people. It was going to take a while to get everyone into town (and a long wait to get back), so we decided to pass. Not leaving the ship meant we didn’t have to go through Immigration. Remember, in Cape Town, everyone on the ship had to show their passport and go through Immigration, whether they went to shore or not. Everyone also had to go through Immigration before we left Cape Town. In Namibia, you only had to go through Immigration if you went ashore (and again when you returned).

BERNHARD NORDKAMP CENTRE CHILDREN’S CHOIR

When Father Bernhard came to Namibia in 1986, he focused on the plight of children. He focused on providing a safe place for orphaned and vulnerable children and created a soup kitchen to ensure they had at least one meal a day. In 2005, Marybeth Gallagher came as a volunteer for one year; 20 years later, she is still there. She expanded the center to include sports and other activities. In 2010, Marybeth realized that overcrowded classrooms and a lack of textbooks and supplies made it difficult for the children to make good educational progress, so the program was expanded again to provide an educational program as well. When Father Nordkamp passed away in 2009, the center was renamed in his honor, and Marybeth became its director. Marybeth frequently says, BNC not only stands for the Bernhard Nordkamp Center, but also for Beautiful Namibian Children.

Holland America has a 15+ year relationship with BNC. A passenger on a World Cruise was friends with Marybeth Gallagher and asked her to come to lunch when the cruise ship came to port in Namibia. He introduced Marybeth to Henk Mensink, now the Hotel General Manager on the Zuiderdam, and the three of them discussed what HAL and its passengers could do to support the center. Since then, HAL ships have raised money and collected supplies and clothes for the children. This cruise, passengers donated items for a Silent Auction that was held several days before we arrived in Namibia. There were also donations from the ship, entertainers, and staff - a private party with the ship’s Rolling Stones Band, dancing lessons, champagne, dinners at the Specialty Restaurants, a day with the Hotel Manager Henk Mensink (he’s the one retiring this year after 31 years with HAL and 21 World Cruises – he’s well-loved and will be missed) and much more! The kids came aboard as soon as we docked. After a quick rehearsal on the World Stage, they were treated to lunch on the Lido Pool Deck, featuring hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, and Pizza from the Dive-in poolside Diner. After that, they spend an hour or so in the pool and hot tubs, enjoying the fun before the concert. They were great – a full hour of traditional African songs in a variety of dialects, many of which included dance movements as well. A student introduced each song – again, they did a great job – speaking to a large theater full of people must not have been easy. At the end, BNC was presented with a check and total donations of over $19,000 and multiple tubs of school supplies, toiletries, and clothes also donated by crew and passengers. The girl who directed the Choir is a former student who came back to organize the event. Namibia currently has a female president, Marybeth Gallagher said she expects this girl will hold that position one day!

We were scheduled to leave the port at 6:30 PM, but that didn’t happen. The fuel tanker didn’t arrive as scheduled, and it was afternoon before they started loading fuel. It was a slow process; when we went to bed at 9:30 PM, we still hadn’t left Namibia, but when we woke in the morning, we were at sea! They seem to have a more casual approach to time and schedule here. When we arrived at our first African port, Richards Bay, Immigration was an hour late boarding. Once they arrived, it went very quickly, but it disrupted the schedule for early morning Excursions. Flexibility is the name of the game – the Captain just pushed the Aboard Time back an hour so everything would “fit,” but sometimes that’s not an option due to tides and port schedules.

We’ve also had face-to-face Immigration inspections here more than we have anywhere else; sometimes, an inspection when we arrive and when we depart. HAL has collected and returned our Passports several times. We were surprised when we received our passports the last time, as they contained many “new stamps”; we were only aware of the one we paid $15 for in Pitcairn. It seems that in most places, immigration is handled by the Ship, and we’re not involved.

We currently have our passports, but they will be collected again on April 9, in preparation for our arrival in Alexandria, Egypt, on April 16th. Egyptian officials will arrive on board on April 13, while we are in Malta, and the immigration paperwork will be completed prior to April 15, at which point they will be returned to us. We will be required to carry our Passports when we’re ashore in Alexandria. We’ve tried to avoid long Excursions, but the one in Egypt will be 12 hours – if you want to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx, that’s what it takes! It’s a 3-hour bus ride from our port to Cairo!