This was definitely the most disappointing visit of the whole cruise. Still in Namibia, we arrived in Luderitz at 10.30 am and we drove through a deserted area with black basalt rock to the village of Kolmanskop Ghost Town in the former diamond mining ‘forbidden territory’ which we had chosen to explore. (The country’s largest export is now manganese).

The aerial view we had studied made it look as if it might be quite romantic to ake a dive into the past. Founded in 1908 during a diamond rush, it once thrived with amenities like a hospital, school, and casino. However, the decline in diamond sales after World War 1 and richer finds in Oranjemund, led to its downfall. We had the opportunity to wander through the crumbling buildings and see the magnificent homes, now turning to dust which had served as a backdrop for films like The King is Alive and Dust Devil.

When we arrived at the Ghost Town, we were told that we would be left there to wander through the deserved town for over two hours. Everything was covered in shifting sand and the wind was making it very unpleasant. Whether it was the right decision, or not, we’ll never know, because when we spoke to other passengers in the evening, they said it was quite interesting.

However, our driver was kind enough to bring us straight back to town via the Lutheran Church. We noticed that, apart from the main street, the side roads in the town are all sand. As we’d been off the internet for most of our African cruise, we went to a little café and caught up while we enjoyed a cup of coffee with two other passengers.

The ship set off at 6.00 pm for another day at sea before arriving at our final destination in Cape Town. Di and I set to work to pack up all our belongings and put our cases outside our cabin for collection by the crew.