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Sossusvlei Dunes Day 4 - 5 OverlandDec 21, 2005
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Glorious african sunset
Made it to the top of Dune 45!
Sliding down the dunes
Day 4 - 5 on our overland tour - We've arrived in the desert. Nothing but sand dunes around our campsite, and the intense desert sun beat heavily on our backs. We were fortunate to have a small pool at our campsite. Everyone rushed to take a dip in the pool to cool off from the 49 degree Celsius heat. It was a bit strange to be in the middle of the desert in a swimming pool! The sun slowly began to make its descent so we quickly dried off to take an afternoon stroll in the cool air to find a small dune to watch the sunset. Mika could tell that Africa was about to bless us with a magnificent one, like many we've seen in postcards and photos. Blazing reds and oranges streaked across the sky; gnarly trees and bushes went into shadow as the sun went down. Only now, it was better because we were there to witness it ourselves and to take our own photos to capture the memory. The African sun is a fierce thing when it sits high in the sky and it can sizzle the skin right off your bones if you are not careful, but it does provide those beneath it with the most spectacular sunsets on the planet. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets we've ever seen in our lives. But the best was yet to come.
We slept outside again under the stars. Eight of us huddled together to protect ourselves from the jackals that roam the campsite. Charlotte, one of our tour guides made us paper bag lanterns to put around our sleeping space. We slept under the open sky while the candles burned themselves out.
The next day was another early start. Rise and shine at 4:00 in the morning to make our way out to Dune 45 to catch the sunrise. Our truck drove off-road through the sand to make it to the beautiful sand dunes an hour away from our campsite. The hike up the peak of Dune 45 was tough. For every step we took, the loose sand slipped us back. The sand, in fact, felt more like liquid than sand. When you picked the sand up, it poured from your hand like silk thread does from a spider. If you kicked it, the sand flowed over other sand like a ripple on a pond. Progress was slow, but we made it to the top only minutes before the sun crept above the crest of the adjacent dunes. We felt like we were on another planet. We found it hard to believe we were really there watching the sunrise. It was a great start to Mark's birthday! Not everyone can say that they watched the sun rise over the African dunes for their birthday. Sand dunes as far as the eye can see. We felt like little ants in this big desert. The sun created shadows on one side while scorching the other. They sky, blue as those from Greece, topped off the scenery. We set up our tripod on the top of the dune and started snapping. Mika felt much like a National Geographic photographer. We hope our photos do justice to the actual beauty. We had fun slipping and sliding in the sand, but by 8:00 AM in the morning, the intense sun chased us back down from the dunes. We still had to prepare ourselves for the desert walk with the Bushman to learn about the animal life in the desert and learn how they survive in such a harsh environment. The walk was HOT, HOT, HOT! We were slathered in sunscreen and covered head to toe to protect our skin. Most of us also had a hat, sunglasses, hiking shoes, and 2 - 3 liters of water. Bushman, our guide, is the only person who successfully walked across this desert to reach the ocean in 89 days. He showed up in shorts, with NO water, and bare feet! Growing up in Namibia, he knew the desert like the back of his hands. Still, we couldn't believe he was about to guide us through the desert for 3 hours under the scorching sun without any apparent protection. Bushman was amazing! He recognized tracks that we thought were mere random sand patterns created by the wind. He captured lizards, beetles, and talked about how each species of animal were specialized to survive in the desert. He taught us about the way the dunes slope depending on the seasons and how to use this information to navigate through the desert. He also led our hike to the flats where once the rains came and trees grew. Trees that have now been dead for over 900 years but are unable to decompose due to the arid environment. A banana peel takes 30 years to decompose here! The desert only receives 20 mm of precipitation per year. The highlight of the hike, however, was when Bushman showed us the trap door spider. Bushman carefully lifted the trap door off the critter's hole and began to trickle sand down their hole. The spider was so annoyed at this intrusion that it climbed up, grabbed the door, and slammed it shut to be rid of us. All of us screamed for joy over the spider's performance! The simple things in life are what Africa has to offer, simple yet fulfilling!
