OBSERVATIONS ON THE AFRICAN SUN AND AIR

It is almost impossible to describe the strength of the sun here. Despite slathering ourselves in sunscreen and wearing hats and covering up with long-sleeved shirts and pants, any exposed skin has turned brown. I wore my bathing suit to the swimming pool in the Kalahari and I swear that my legs were exposed for only five minutes and I could see a tan line that night. You don't even have to be in the sun to get burned. The reflection, even if you are in the shade, will do it for you. The air is so dry that you can almost feel any moisture in your skin being sucked out. We drink water by the gallons.

I had purchased a small travel container of Nivea cream which I had never tried before. (As we were not checking our bags, we were limited in the amount of lotions we could bring.) The Nivea cream is the thickest I have ever used but I need to apply it every time I have a chance and still my face feels dry. It soaks right in almost immediately despite being so thick. Fingers and heels crack like they do in winter in Canada with the low humidity in our homes.