Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia
Picture the world's oldest desert - massive, rolling sand dunes, baking sun. That's what we're heading for today.
First stop is the industrial town of Walvis Bay to spot some Flamingos. They don't disappoint; massive numbers of different sizes and colours. The setting is a little bleak though. Not the nicest beach we've ever seen. Beggars can't be choosers though. They come for a certain type of crustacean (the more they eat, the pinker they become) and here they are, so here we are.
Next stop is the "town" of Solitaire, population 55, founded by a European film director who "found himself" in the Namib desert. It is classified as a town due to having a general trader, bakery (mean apple pies) and an international airport. Yes, you read correctly.
We arrive at Sesriem, our destination on the edge of the Namib-Naukluft National Park. It has a petrol station and a camp site (equipped with random pool as a lot of sites have been for some reason).
Jeff has something weird going on with his elbow. It's heavily swollen, maybe a bite. He takes it easy for the night and sleeps it off.
Day 2
Sossusvlei is 64kms into the National Park. We set off early and swap our truck for a dedicated 4x4 for the remaining 8kms. We pass 2 bogged 4x4s on the way. We help one, the other is beyond help.
Sossusvlei roughly translates to "dead-end marsh". It's a salt and clay pan that rarely contains water. Our plan is to view a similar attraction, the Deadvlei first before tackling the highest sand dune accessible to man, appropriately named Big Daddy. We see specs on top of the dune. They are people.
Deadvlei is nice and eerie. A clear area of clay baroness, desperate for water. Good luck.
We eagerly attack the dune. It's a 250 metre climb. Half of our group wave the white flag after the first section. They've had enough. The rest of us continue on, looking for previous footprints to leverage with our barefeet.
Jeff arrives at the top and it's empty and quiet. Perfect to take in the views and the magnitude of the dunes and the expanses of the desert. Majestic seems to be the adjective coming up the most for this continent and it fits here again.
The rest of the group make it, including those that had originally bailed. The "you'll never be here again" mentality successfully kicked in. It was a big effort for some. The steep, soft sand walking proving a massive challenge.
Coming down was another story. We shed metres of altitude with every step. We jump, we prance, we don't want the decent to end. Every bit worth the trek up.
We lob into Sossusvlei. This is the bigger brother of deadvlei. It almost looks like an ocean. It has some dead trees that have been there since the last time it was filled with water - over 50 years ago! They add to the eerie-ness. The massive dunes and big blue sky offer an amazing backdrop. Michael "makes some photos" for his "blok".
We head back towards the more iconic "dune 45". At only 170 metres it's child's play. We race up, get our photos and fly down again. The views aren't as good in our opinion. The sand is extremely hot in the bare feet.
Back out to the campsite for lunch. We have a quick look at the Sesriem Canyon. A little taste test for the forthcoming Fish River Canyon.
We head back to camp again. Jeff and Michael have a dip in the pool. It's freezing. Michael offers up one syllable words of disgust at the cold - "No! Bah!".
Jeff does some blogging and then tries to herd some nearby springbok before sunset. He wants to see them do their happy jumping up close. He's semi-successful.
Around the camp fire we spot a Cape Fox slinking around, similar to a jackal. An oryx lazily wanders past as well. Even in the harsh desert conditions there is still plenty of wildlife. Jeff finally hears some jackals or wildcats fighting in the night. A small positive of it being too cold to sleep!