Keetmanshoop and Sossusvlei

To Sossusvlei, 17 september
In the morning we set out for the long journey to Sossusvlei. But before that we visit the well known Quivertree Forest. These trees have gotten their name because Bushmen people used the branches to make quivers for their arrows. There are indeed quit a lot of trees standing together on the estate of a farmer, but to call that a forest is perhaps a bit to much.

This farmer has a couple of cages with leopards but I don't even want to photograph those. In our opinion leopards should live free. The Quivertree Forest is a bit disappointing to us so we go take a look at Giant's Playground. These are rock formations that also can't captivate us very long, so we start our journey to Sossusvlei.

Gradually we think that it might have been better to take the tarred road via Mariental in stead of this gravel road via Helmeringhausen. But it is too late to change plans so we move on.

It is a seemingly endless road that won't make headway. Hans drives about 60 to 75 miles per hour over these roads, which I don't like at all. That speed seems to be no problem but if you might have to use the breaks unexpected or have to make way for something, than you might find yourself in big trouble. On certain stretches lies a four inch thick layer of loose gravel.

But than again: why should we have to make a sudden stop here? We never saw such desertion before. Really terrible. And in contrast to the beautiful desert landscapes of for instance Australia or America, this one is absolutely boring. It is not for nothing that Namibia is said to be the emptiest country of Africa.

In Maltahohe we meet a little life. We think that we can shop for groceries here but we find ourselves mistaken. On the map Maltahohe is a large dot, but when we enter it appears to be absolutely nothing. It is a terrible disconsolate little desert town, with one store that contains just some dusted and dented cans of food. With some fantasy we can make a half meal out if it so we buy some. At the local tourist office we meet a terribly depressed man, who is convinced that world war three has broken out. Since we have to get our information out of conversations like this, it doesn't cheer us, although we do not share his pessimism completely.

It is best to leave soon, so further we go in the direction of Sossusvlei. In stead of driving north we now go west so we are making headway now.

Late in the afternoon we arrive in Sesriem, the "town" near Sossusvlei. It is not worth mentioning since there is just a tourist office, a campsite and a lodge. The campsite is full, the lodge too expensive, so we drive a little back over the road where we came from, to another campsite. There we can put our tents under a sort of roof of cloth. We don't now exactly what it's good for, but we do it anyway.

When we're finished with the tent, dusk is growing and than sort of large crickets appear. They have the size of a human hand and are completely armored. They make an amount of noise that fits such a large insect. They're quit creepy and I don't feel like sit and eat in the dark at the light of a gas-lamp surrounded by these creeps. Beside it is cooling down considerable at night in the desert, although it doesn't freeze anymore.

We make a fast decision to take a look at the Sossusvlei Lodge to see if they have something to eat. There it appears that they are not used to have dinner guests that are not staying at the lodge. We dumbfound the waiter a bit with our logic that we will simply pay for our food (which of course is normal, but meals are included in the lodge rates, so probably there is no specific price for dinner).

It is absolutely marvelous. They serve a buffet by which a cook is preparing the food, as we know it (in The Netherlands) from a Japanese restaurant. Another cook barbecues meat on a grill. There is an overwhelming choice and the meat consists, among others, of ostrich-steak and springbok. For a moment I doubt, since at this moment there is springbok drinking water from the night lit waterhole. Than I consider that springboks are in Namibia as common as cows are in the Netherlands. I tack about and enjoy the first meat of game that I eat in my life. And what kind of game.....springbok, and it tastes very good too. We stuff ourselves completely and pay less than US$ 15 per person, including drinks and entrées and desserts, that are also buffet-style.
We will definitely come back tomorrow! Those cans we bought in Maltahohe sure can wait a while.

In Sossusvlei, 18 september
Sossusvlei seems to be the prettiest at sunrise and sunset, so as soon as the gates open we drive inside. A vlei seems to be a wet area, or something like a basin that contains water after a rain shower, but at this moment it is nothing like that. It is dry as dust.

The weather is great although this early in the morning it is still fairly cold. But that will soon change when the sun is trying its best. The real Sossusvlei is situated at the end of a long road along huge sand-dunes. It is beautiful, a desert by the book, of red sand.

Before it gets too hot, we climb the well-known Dune 45. The purpose is to climb along the crest of the dune and at some places it is fairly heavy, because of the steepness and loose sand. But on top we are rewarded with a magnificent view. When we're back down again the sun has climbed higher and the shadows are gone. De dunes now have a somewhat pale orange color.

We decide to go back to Sesriem to see the Sesriem-canyon. At first we can't find it and nor is there much to it, compared to the canyons that we know from the USA. Since it is really hot right now, we decide to go back to the campsite to idle.

Halfway in the afternoon we drive back to Sossusvlei. The last mile or so to Dead Vlei can allow be driven by 4WD, and to do that we have to go with a group on a small truck. We don't feel like that and decide to walk. After all, it is just a little further than one mile.

It appears to be about the toughest mile of our lives, therefore we never reach Dead Vlei. The combination of sun, heat and very deep loose sand makes that we barely move forward.

We climb a dune to see if we still have to go very far. That appears to be the case but the view from that dune is so pretty, that we sit down for about half an hour and leave it by that. Here we are, as if we're alone in the world. We look out over one of the most beautiful desert landscapes in the world. Far away in the distance the small trucks drive up and down to Dead Vlei but we don't even hear their sounds because of the distance.

How beautiful and peaceful it is up here. And suddenly a bizarre thought catches me. At this moment, behind those dunes, a world war might be broken out that we don't know of. And we sit here and enjoy this most beautiful, grand and peaceful landscape. This paradox makes that I feel like I am landed in paradise. And I consider that, if later it turns out that something terrible is going on in the Netherlands, we just stay here, for as long as necessary.

If we still want to watch the well known shadows of the setting sun, than it is about time to leave. The crest of the dune has taken its trenchant form in that half hour we sat here. It surprises us that such a dune recovers itself so quickly and that obviously there is a certain balance in the form of a dune.

On the way back the setting sun casts long shadows on the dunes which produces a beautiful effect. I can't stop photographing. After dark we naturally go to the Sossusvlei Lodge again. The buffet is exactly the same as yesterday but “why change a winning team?”

Next: The coast