THE NAMIB DESERT
This morning, after a poor night's sleep (we have decided to lay off the wine for awhile), we were roused at 5:45 am for a 6:30 am departure to the famous Namibian sand dunes. They were unbelievably beautiful and my pictures don't do them justice. The dunes are mostly red but some dunes are both red and white because of the white sand blown up from two dried up rivers. We stopped many times along the way to take pictures of the ever-changing dunes and admire some springbok herds.
There are two areas in the National Park that people are allowed on the dunes. We stopped at the furthest one. We could only get to it by leaving the paved road and driving on the soft sand of the dried-up river bed - one car was stuck and had been abandoned. Reminded us of driving on a snow-covered road. We were offered the option of just looking around or climbing the dunes to get to an area that occasionally has water - on the few times it actually rains here. Both Glen and Ulricht were surprised when we both made it. Glen has been here many times and this is the first time he reached this area. The other times, the temperature hovered around 40 degrees Centigrade and it was just too hot. This morning was cool - just a bit of nip in the air which reminded me of our autumn and Glen of his winter. The lake, of course, had dried up and was punctuated with 700-year-old dead trees - some of them perfect for a large Ikebana installation.
From there we drove to a Greater Kestrel nest to witness the father chasing away a pied crow, and saw the female on the nest and her two young chicks. As we headed back, we spotted an oryx lying in the shade, and several more species of bird - including three sightings of courser pairs, and a family of jackals. The scarce animals here seem to make their presence known only once the day heats up.
Once we arrived back on the Little Kulala private reserve lands, Ulricht spotted something. It was a Ruppell's Korhann, a large bird that is the exact colour of the sand it makes its home on. I don't know how he saw it, as it was so well camouflaged. It was soon joined by a female who appeared quite annoyed at her mate. She seemed to be saying: 'There you are. I turn my back for one second, and you disappear.' Reminded me of couples shopping at a mall. Once they got together, they started their frog-like bugling. Reluctantly, we left them but on the way back to the lodge, saw five more! A very special end to the morning.
Then it was back to the lodge for lunch. I am heading out again at 4 but I think Norma may pass.
This morning, after a poor night's sleep (we have decided to lay off the wine for awhile), we were roused at 5:45 am for a 6:30 am departure to the famous Namibian sand dunes. They were unbelievably beautiful and my pictures don't do them justice. The dunes are mostly red but some dunes are both red and white because of the white sand blown up from two dried up rivers. We stopped many times along the way to take pictures of the ever-changing dunes and admire some springbok herds.
There are two areas in the National Park that people are allowed on the dunes. We stopped at the furthest one. We could only get to it by leaving the paved road and driving on the soft sand of the dried-up river bed - one car was stuck and had been abandoned. Reminded us of driving on a snow-covered road. We were offered the option of just looking around or climbing the dunes to get to an area that occasionally has water - on the few times it actually rains here. Both Glen and Ulricht were surprised when we both made it. Glen has been here many times and this is the first time he reached this area. The other times, the temperature hovered around 40 degrees Centigrade and it was just too hot. This morning was cool - just a bit of nip in the air which reminded me of our autumn and Glen of his winter. The lake, of course, had dried up and was punctuated with 700-year-old dead trees - some of them perfect for a large Ikebana installation.
From there we drove to a Greater Kestrel nest to witness the father chasing away a pied crow, and saw the female on the nest and her two young chicks. As we headed back, we spotted an oryx lying in the shade, and several more species of bird - including three sightings of courser pairs, and a family of jackals. The scarce animals here seem to make their presence known only once the day heats up.
Once we arrived back on the Little Kulala private reserve lands, Ulricht spotted something. It was a Ruppell's Korhann, a large bird that is the exact colour of the sand it makes its home on. I don't know how he saw it, as it was so well camouflaged. It was soon joined by a female who appeared quite annoyed at her mate. She seemed to be saying: 'There you are. I turn my back for one second, and you disappear.' Reminded me of couples shopping at a mall. Once they got together, they started their frog-like bugling. Reluctantly, we left them but on the way back to the lodge, saw five more! A very special end to the morning.
Then it was back to the lodge for lunch. I am heading out again at 4 but I think Norma may pass.
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