The Sussovlei Area of Namibia

Late Thursday

There is little as black as the desert at night—my deepest darkest experience being in the desert outside of Jaisalmere, near India’s western border with Pakistan. Like there, the Milky Way divides the huge domed sky. Stars twinkle with an astounding intensity and the strange sounds of nocturnal desert creatures can barely be heard due to the soft billowing wind that cools us down.

Plus, I forgot to mention that part of coming here is driving down a steep escarpment to the plain. Clearly, the ocean was once here where everything of interest is situated. Driving down the escarpment made one check one’s seat belt.

Friday

Great sleep in silence of the empty landscape, then up at 3:45 because I have a wake up call at 4:00. (I have never, ever, ever in my life needed an alarm.) At 4:30, there is a snack; I take nothing. At 5:00 we depart. I am now with Rodney who is guiding two young women from Japan. The four of us arrive first at Dune 45; the girls decide to climb it so how could I not?

Like Tanzania, the landscape takes your breath away—literally. Something here affects my asthma badly so I am sucking on my inhaler every four hours. But the shapes, shadows and colours cannot be done justice in a photo.

Then we went to Namibia’s version of Death Valley: Dead Vlei. Then to Sesrim Canyon where you swim in the rainy season.

Let me tell you about climbing Dune 45 with asthma when it is 26°. -------------

Now let me tell you about climbing out of Dead Vlei when it is 39°.______________

I have an electric cooler in my room for drinks. It has frozen diet coke in it. First I put it on the bed and roll it back and forth to cool the sheets. Then I pour a glass and lie down and visualize the arctic. Am I glad I came? Absolutely! The scenery is every cliché I could type. The sand is red and the way the wind shapes the dunes has always made Namibia’s desert dunes far, far more interesting to me than those of any other.

Notes from the road:

1. Roads are built like slow rolling  roller coasters so that the troughs catch and keep the rain  water, so there are “trees” on either side of the road in the troughs. And on the road, you see signs with a tree on them (shade) 1K.
2. The air has a strong smell of sage in the morning—really strong.
3. The southern star, so brilliant and demanding of your eye in the morning, this close to Christmas, can’t help but make you think of Bethlehem—especially here in the desert.
4. A porcupine was crossing the road. Why?
5. Approaching an oasis, you see both the trees and their perfect reflection in the mirage. The mirages also make the road disappear.
6. (Try clicking on the photos to enlarge them.)

Dusk (above and below). 

Oryx. This stunningly lovely animal begs the question: How the hell do you survive and grow to be that big living in the desert?

My whole life I wanted to take a photo like this of morning light and this is without any filter or any mucking about in Photoshop. 

Dune 45. See the top? 

The shapes and colours just astound, as you can see I hope. 

Climbing is hard work; you slip down a little with each step. I found walking in the steps of a guide who had climbed up perhaps an hour earlier made it easier. 

 This is looking a LONG way down. 300 meters.

 I climbed up a ridge, but I ran down this slope, turned left at the bottom and went down a lot further then walked along the hard gravel floor of the desert. The dunes sit on the bedrock desert. The desert is grey, the dunes are red.

 Summit!

 Death Vlei.

Marabush fruit provide water and food in the desert.

The canyon from above and below.