Dunes and Desert

Yesterday we arrived in Swakompund, which brings luxuries such as Internet, ATM’s, restaurants and we are even sleeping in a hostel for two nights to give us a break from camping. 

On Monday we left Cape Town and travelled north. We set up camp for the first time and then a few of us went for a wine tasting that consisted of tasting 6 wines from the local area. It was fun and most of the wines were very good. We headed back to our camp for dinner and then to bed for our first night in the tents. 

Tuesday we continued north to the Orange River, on the border of South Africa and Namibia. We set up camp there and had lunch, and then we had the rest of the afternoon free. I relaxed in the sun and read my book while Cody chatted to Whycliff, one of our tour guides. We had dinner at camp and headed to bed. 

Wednesday we crossed the border in to Namibia and travelled to our camp, near the Fish River Canyon. We set up camp there and had lunch. After lunch the group headed out to the Fish River Canyon. Unfortunately Cody wasn’t feeling too well, so he stayed at camp. Fish River Canyon is the largest canyon in Africa and one of the largest in the world. We went for a short walk along the rim of the canyon and then had drinks and dinner while watching the sun set at the canyon. We headed back to camp and headed to bed. 

Thursday we drove to the Namib Desert and set up camp. Then we went on a short walk, exploring Sesriem Canyon. Then it was time for dinner and cleanup and bed. 

Friday was a good day. We were up early and drove to Dune 45. We climbed along the crest of the dune, up and up and up. We climbed in bare feet, and at first the sand was really cold as it was still dark out. It was hard climbing through the sand, you took little steps and it felt like being on one of those exercise steppers where you keep climbing and climbing. Eventually we made it to the top of the dune as the sun rose in the desert. It was amazing and beautiful. After some photos, we began heading back down the dune, which was much funner. Some people ran down the side of the dune, but we headed back along the crest of the dune. At the bottom, our guide Whycliff had breakfast ready for us (eggs and bacon and beans). We had breakfast there and then headed off again for the next part of the day. 

We drove to Sossusvlei and then loaded up on to smaller 4x4 trucks that would take us deeper in to the dessert to the Dead Sossusvlei. They dropped us in the dessert, but from there we still had to hike about 20 minutes in the heat, though more sand to reach the Dead Sossusvlei. Finally we reached the area which is a dry clay pan, with dead trees and surrounded by huge dunes. It doesn’t sound very nice, but it was a stunning place. We wandered around, taking photos, and then it was time to hike back to the trucks. The walk out in the heat was even worse, but we made it. Cody enjoyed the 4x4 drives through the sand back to our waiting truck. From there we headed back to our campsite from the previous night, where we took down our tents and made lunch. 

Then we packed up and continued on to our next campsite. Along the way we stopped at a little ‘town’ called Sollitaire, which had several old cars, abandoned and rusty. 

When we arrived we set up our tents and had time for a quick drink in the bar before heading out in to the desert with a Boersman guide. He was a member of a traditional tribe and he was amazing fellow who told us about how they found water in the desert, showed us spider burrows, and told us of the time he was bitten by a cobra and sucked the venom out using a plant found in the area. The sun set and we headed back to our camp for dinner, clean up and bed. 

The days have been full and we have moved campsites every day so far, which means taking the tents down every morning and setting them up every night. There are 22 people (including us) in our group, plus our two guides. We all pitch in around camp to do things like unload the chairs and tables for mealtimes, help Whycliff with chopping food and preparation at mealtimes, dishes, and packing the tents and mattresses in to the truck. All of this work keeps us pretty busy, especially when we are moving every day. Most of the campsites have had bars and pools so far, but we have had little time to enjoy the facilities as we are so busy! It will be nice to have a short break here in Swakopmund where we get to sleep in real beds and eat at restaurants instead of preparing our own food. The accommodation in Swakopmund is in hostel dorm rooms, but Cody and I have upgraded to have our own room. 

When we arrived in Swakopmund we had time for a shower and then headed out for a township tour (essentially the poor area). It was really interesting, in total there are about 24000 people living in the township area. There are about 7000 people living in the poorest part of it, where the houses have no electricity and no water. About 10 people live in a house, and two houses will share a toilet. While we were there Cody was even brave enough to eat a caterpillar! 

Today we are heading out sandboarding this morning, and in the afternoon Cody is going quading while I will probably relax at the hotel, or wander through some shops. 

The next chance we will get to update will probably be in Windhoek (on Friday), but the internet is not great here, so don’t panic if you don’t hear from us! 

Miss you all!