NAMIBIA 090912: Sossusvlei on 090112

About noon on August 31, we finished our Tok Tokkie Trek, showered, had some tea and cakes, and then loaded up to drive to the Namib Desert Lodge which was to be our home for two nights while we explored the sensual abstractions of the big red sand dunes of Sossusvlei. I could not take my eyes off these wondrous dunes because they have the shape of other appealing organic forms I love = sails filled with wind, boat hulls, and airplanes. . . I guess because they too are shaped by or must interact with a flowing element = in the case of these dunes, the onshore wind.

First I need to share with you my first Namibian cat photograph that will whet your appetite for my fabulous iPhone wide angle images of lions (drum roll please): a marmalade tabby in a tree in the lodge garden. Well, OK, the Blogger program has decided that the kitty-in-the-tree will not be the first picture, but I am certain that you can identify it wherever it appears.

OK, on to more serious matters. I took 48 dune pictures, but I am sharing only only three here because, when I "should" have been writing to YOU I was playing with 4-year old Wilhelm Van Wyk, an adorable and imaginative young fellow who speaks both Afrikaans and English. More giggles, fewer pictures.

The dunes rise to 1230 feet above the level of the access road and are found along 2/3 of the Namibian coast [though not all are orange-red like these] in varying widths. Here at Sossusvlei the pan is about 30 miles form the coast.

It is thought that the sands in these dunes originated in the watershed of the watershed of the Orange River 3-5 million years ago and were washed out to sea, carried north in the Benguela Current, and blown inland by onshore winds. The Orange River drains a large area including eastern South Africa and the Kalahari desert. After Orlando told us this, I got to thinking, as I trudged over the dunes of the Tok Tokkie trek, that the sand I was treading could have come all the way from the area where my friend Paula and her children farm, and this idea made me shake my head in wonder.

We made slow progress along the 35 mile road between the dunes because we had to stop often for photographs. At the end of the two wheel drive vehicle road, there is a picnic area and 4WD vehicles to take you across the sand to the actual Sossus Vlei (pan in Afrikaans) itself.

We ate our box lunches that came in ACTUAL BOXES and climbed aboard for a ride in the slippery sand. This little pan is like the huge one that we were to visit in Etosha. It is the white salty area in the images with the tree on the left side. When there is a rainy period, water flows out of the pan and the whole area comes alive with green trees and grasses and flowering bushes.

We left the pan and returned to the 2WD road, We took fewer pictures this time, but enjoyed the colors of the dunes that were brought out by the evening's golden light. It looks like this is the last image in this post,

You may have noticed that we did not follow the advice of the guide books that the only way to appreciate the height of the dunes is to climb them. We thought that we had done enough "dune appreciation" already in Tok Tokkie and headed back to the lodge for a light meal of good South African wine and good Namibian beer with munchies.

Tomorrow we fly to Victoria Falls airport in Zimbabwe and will spend three days in the Imbabala Lodge on the Zambesi River where the borders of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia meet in the town of Kazungula. We will be in a humid riverine environment in contrast to the beautiful desert that has been our home for two fascinating weeks.

I am Not sure when I'll meet up with WiFi again, but when I do I'll continue to tell you of our NAMZIMSA adventures.

HUgs, Marian

NAMIBIA 090912 More Tok Tokkie

Hello from the Nubuamis Equestrian Center at Brakwater, just north of Windhoek

We are here for a day of resting and reorganizing before we fly to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, tomorrow to meet Paula's daughter Titia. We have been in WiFi-free areas of western and northern Namibia, so I'll try to catch you up on what we have been doing.

I'll start with a little more about the Tok Tokkie trek. The best part of the hike over dunes and a mountain pass was to be outdoors and to sleep under the stars. OF course, dealing with sand was a feature of the two days, and to illustrate, I've included a picture of me dumping some of the red stuff out of my shoe and a picture of the terrain to remind you where we were walking.

We slept on cots in a heavy canvas bag with a duvet into which we snuggled with our hot water bottle and, on the second night, the poncho that was provided at dinner. Since our campsite was messier, I've included a picture of Roy and Charlotte in their "bedroom." We also ate al fresco, but we did not have to sit on a rock to eat or make our own meal. Two assistants to Chris took down our campsite after we left, drove to the next camping place and set up the camp, then cooked and served our meals, a bit like our teahouse trek inNepal. The "dining" picture is breakfast at out first camping site. Dick is on the right at the end of the table in the green T-shirt.

Along the way Chris explained the features that allow animals and plants to flourish in the intense desert environment, a place I found challenging to hike in = the temperature at our midday rest stop was 36 centigrade or 95-96 Fahrenheit, generally a temperature that sends me to the swimming pool rather than for a hike. In the picture you can see Chris in the foreground and on the other side of the shade tent Roy, Charlotte, and Dick at our afternoon siesta stop.

OUr last stop on this hike was at an environmental education camp where young people can learn about such basics as how much water they use to take a shower or flush the toilet and how much waste they create. They also demonstrated two kinds of solar cookers and how they make "firewood" out of old newspapers. Good knowledge for anyone.

We are all well and had an especially fabulous 3 days at national Park, the best wildlife viewing venue Dick and I have experienced.

I'll try sending this and if I succeed, 'll try another post after lunch.

Lots of love to all, Marian and Dick and Charlotte and Roy