Sossusvlei (Sausage fly)

I’m sure most of you have seen the iconic photo of Dead Vlei (in Sossusvlei) which lies 60 clicks west of Sessriem.  Its where a bright blue cloudless sky, meets the deep red sand dunes, meets the white salt pans. And then for extra drama – the silhouette of a dead tree.  Simply said – its breath taking! When seeing it from the comfort of your home however, you don’t appreciate that the desert really is as harsh as it is beautiful.  The temperatures are no joke, and I feel everyone who visits, adjusts their daily routine to accommodate the extreme temperatures.  We opted to camp within the park, not because the campsites are super charming, but because camping within the gate means you have access to the park from 5:30AM.  Opt to camp outside the park, and the gates are not open to the public until 6:30. We felt the privilege of an extra hour was worth it.  We were not alone!  From 4:30 in the morning, the glimmer of head torches, the revving of cars getting stuck in the sandy campsite, the sounds of car alarms going off, were all signs that everyone and their uncle were ready to make the 60km drive to Sossusvlei to catch the early morning light.  If you’re not careful, you can feel the pressure of EVERYONE making this trek, and it almost starts to feel like a race. We need to get there first! But for what? There is no prize for being the first person to park (with the exception of choosing your parking spot).  Perhaps the prize is to get a photo of Dead Vlei without people in it?  Get to the pans without the influencers – posing, barefoot, doing their best to look effortlessly fabulous (when in reality it took them so damn long to get the shot (of the backs of their head) under the tree that I wanted a photo of, I gave up on the tree, and went elsewhere to get my pictures).

 

We didn’t join the race – we are in a Land Rover, there is no point in trying to be first.  Instead, we stopped and made photos of the moon coming up over the Dunes – it was magic!  Once at Deadvlei the scenery was one that took your breath away.  So stunning!  From Dead vlei we moved to Sossusvlei were we admired more dunes, and then found a shady spot to enjoy a picnic on the roof.  When the sun reached its direct overhead position, and all the shade was gone, it was our que to drive back to camp and seek refuge, going out again for Sundowners.

 

The day before, we opted to climb Dune 45 in the late afternoon, which was very picturesque.  I told Colin I wanted to make a video of him running down – and am now solely responsible for his twisted ankle.  Its ALL.MY.FAULT!! Poor guy – and the video is terrible 😊.  His mountain goat days are clearly over, and I will never put myself in a position whereby his injuries become my fault, as I have not lived this down.  At the risk of sounding flakey – the universe is looking out for him as the Air BnB we booked in Windhoek, is owned by a Physio Therapist.  Being the loving wife that I am, I had booked him in for a private session with the physio, who thankfully confirmed that he had not broken anything, but had done some damage to his ligaments.  She had given him a three-hour massage which helped a ton, and I was instructed to keep massaging his ankle (thanks for that!) and all should be ok.

 

In Windhoek Andromeda also got some well-deserved attention.  She got a full service done, and all her bushes have now been changed. Hopefully that keeps her happy for the next couple of months.

 

We didn’t do much site seeing in Windhoek.  We used our days here to service the car, use the washing machine, get Cols foot sorted, do a big shop at the decadent Spar shop, and catch up on emails, journals, and future plans.  We did enjoy a lovely dinner at the well-known Joes Bar where we met a Swiss couple who travelled for 18 months in a Land Rover, as you can imagine we instantly bonded and got on like a house on fire.  We also met up with Andre, a buddy from Serengeti days, and David & Gudrun, old family friends of the McConnells, which is always fun.

 

Namibia has been fabulous – it didn’t disappoint at all, but we are excited to get out of the dessert and looking forward to a bit of greenery.

 

Next stop: Botswana