in the Namib

Animal count: baboons, springbok, ostriches, dassies, gemsboks, turkeys, chickens, geese, kudu, wild horses of Aus, cows, sheep, goats, porcupine, African pole cat, ground squirrel

The word "Namib" means "vast dry plain", and its character is so singular it's no wonder the country based its name upon the word in 1990. (I forget just how young Namibia country is!)

Moving north, we passed the diamond territory (strictly keep out everyone!)  and the landscape changed constantly and yet remained the same - dessicated and desolate.  It is like travelling on the moon.  At one point we hiked out along the ridge of the second largest canyon in the world, the Fish River Canyon, and learned that a canyon is formed by water and a gorge is formed by tectonic plates.  We have nine teachers on this tour, so I'm not the only one keen on knowing these factual tidbits.

Fish River canyon

I doubt if you could walk this close to the edge at home

For such a forlorn land, the roads were extremely good, with some of them even paved. Until, that is, we got cloe to the Namib itself.

Drifters' desert camp is both luxurious and spartan. Small flat areas (big enough for 1 tent) are surounded by low stone walls and covered with stick rooves.  There is a large communal space with a sink and counter on one side and an open fire pit in the middle. There is a small stone structure that houses gender-separate facilities, one flush toilet and one warm water shower plus a sink in the middle.  All are open to the skies and strategically to the landscape without fear of being seen.  There is also a pool, which is a round of 4 feet deep and 10 feet across that has even colder water than the cold water pool at Fish River.

one of many Gemsboks seen

our little camp of sticks

 We decided to use our tent only as a ground sheet and sleep under the stars (and the stick roof), which are magnificent (not so much the stick roof.  You've seen one once you've seen them all).  Individual gallaxies within the Milky way are clearly seen, starlight bright enough to outline the black silhouettes of rocky outcrops over the savannah.

We had been prepared for biting cold, as cold at least as the Karoo, maybe colder. We have silk liners for our sleeping bags, we have wool socks and gloves and a hat, we have multiple layers of clothing, we have a hot water bottle (with a fetching faux-leopard fur covering). But inside we got a balmy evening of maybe 8-10 degrees. Temperature is the clincher when deciding between tent or no tent. That and wild animals.  There are leopards in the area, but we are not likely to be the target.  Gemsbok and springbok are herbivores, and African pole cats are so darn gosh cute we might be tempted to just bring it inside the sleeping back with us.



Namibian sand dune

Martin cooling off in the inevitable desert breeze

Our desert experience continued with game walks, walks on our own, game drives, and dunes.  And no one does dunes like Namibia does dunes.  We grumbled about having to awake at 4am to get to them, but seeing the drama of the rising sun touching on these huge sandy dunes and making long shadows that curve and slice was worth it.  The sand is heavy though.  Some grains are black, and magnetized.  After climbing the edge of one, we tried to slide our way down the side, but it was impossible to get any real shushing and it instead was a sort of sloppy run down, sand filling our shoes. 

In Swakopmund, one can sandboard or sandski, which is another of Namibia's bids for tourism dollars.   You can also quad bike on the dunes, fish for tuna, go for whale and dolphin watching, and skydive.  And us?  You probably won't believe this, but we have signed up for sky diving.  Us. sky diving.

Watch this space!