Namibia chapter ten
An ATV exploration of the Namib Desert and a visit to the petrified dunes.
Back in my suite I go for a quick dip in the pool before lunch. I try to get the sand out of my ears and out of my hair with limited success.
In the main lodge I meet Mariana and Pablo, newlyweds from Mexico City. He owns Barbero in Roma Norte, and I promise to visit on my trip to CDMX. We chat about various restaurants in the city. Mariana and I both used to love Meroma, but think it’s off from its peak; Pablo maintains Maximo as his favorite, telling me that it once used to occupy the space Em now claims. I tell them my favorite discovery is Pargot. They say they’ll have to check it out.
I’m still somewhat full from the snacks Tangeny offered us in Sossusvlei and ask Wilhemina for the salad I see Mariana eating. I ask if she can ask the chef to give me half portions, she tells me she will.
I find Sabine and tell her that I’ve decided to book the 90-minute helicopter tour of the desert. I tell her I’d like to invite Wilhemina. She tells me she’ll call the company and let me know.
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Chicco picks us up in the afternoon and drives us to where the ATVs are kept in a shed. I’m joined by an older couple from the States. Chicco explains how the ATVs work, hands us helmets, and invites us to take them for a spin around the parking area so he can assess our abilities. Satisfied, he climbs onto an ATV and leads us into the desert.
Chicco shows us hyena tracks and explains the perennial bushman grass around us. He stops by the skull of an oryx and holds it up so we can appreciate how long the horns are that grow out of it.
I hang back to take photos of the landscape and also to let the others gain ground leaving more space between us. The path is well-marked and I catch up easily to the group.
Chicco stops us on a flat expanse of desert and invites us to alight. He picks up a stick draws a map in the sand. He tells us that the diamonds and the sand come from South Africa, carried down the Orange River to the ocean where the currents and waves cast them to shore. He tells us that the Atlantic Ocean is much colder than the Indian Ocean and asks us if we know why.
The currents bringing water from Antarctica, I guess, remembering my lessons on the Humboldt Current in South America. Yes, the Benguela Current, Chicco says. It’s also because the Atlantic is deeper.
He asks us if we know why the sand is red. Iron oxidation? He pulls something from his pocket and wraps it in a white handkerchief. He shows us the iron collected on either end of his magnet.
We mount our vehicles and follow Chicco on the track back to where we started. The sun sets behind us and dusk has fallen by the time we park.
Chicco invites us to walk across a nearby dune. He’ll meet us on the other side for sundowners.
It’s an easy walk over the dune and I arrive in time to help Chicco set up. I order a gin and tonic and we toast to another successful day of exploration.
At the lodge I chat with the staff. There are three local languages spoken at the lodge, though one is spoken by only three of them. Almost everyone is from the north (where most of the population lives) and so one language is shared amongst everyone. The south is where one would find people speaking clck languages.
I ask whether the chef cooks for everyone. No, there’s a staff chef. If he’s as good as the head chef, then the food must be great. And therein lines the problem, they say. One the staff chef becomes too good they’re promoted to the head chef. I ask what the staff meal is tonight; it’s porridge with beef stew.
Jo asks me how the hike up Big Daddy was. I tell her it was great, though it was windy at the top. There’s sand everywhere, and I imagine I’ll still have sand in my ears the next day. That’s how you know you’ve been in Namibia, she says.
Sabine tells me that the helicopter is booked for tomorrow afternoon. I ask Wilhemina if she’ll come and she says yes. She’s never been in a helicopter and neither have I. I’m thrilled to be able to share the experience with her.
At dinner, the chef has substituted salmon for hake since I had had salmon the day before. It’s a thoughtful gesture and I appreciate the attention to detail. After dinner the staff collects around me and brings out a delicious lemon poppy seed cake with chocolate ganache. They sing happy birthday to me and then individually come by the table with well-wishes. It’s amazing; as special a birthday celebration as one could wish.
Anna and Sebastian, newlyweds from Mexico City, sit at the table next to me and I invite them to join me for cake. I cut slices for them and for the staff. They’re about to move to Condesa and we chat about CDMX and how much it’s changed in the past four or five years.
They ask me if I’ve been to Xochimilco. I have, but they tell me there’s new activities that eschew the party atmosphere for quieter explorations of the area. I tell them that I’m definitely putting that on my list of things to do the next time I visit. We exchange contact info with the promise of seeing each other again sometime in the future.
I head up to the observatory to check in with Bruce. He has his telescopes trained on a number of objects and shows me the A3 comet, the M104 sombrero galaxy, and Centaurus A. I can’t believe that I’m able to see them, each more astonishing and beautiful than the last. When I am back in my suite I once again lie out on the patio to stare up at the sky, my soul filled with the kindness of others, my eyes drunk on the stars.
The next morning we set out just as the sun rises. Our destination is a set of petrified dunes beyond the mountains next to the lodge. Chicco tells me that there are desert-adapted zebra who call this area home; we’ll see them if we’re lucky.
The entire lodge has gone to Sossusvlei, and I’m the only one on this excursion.
Chico tells me that the Namib desert is the oldest in the world and the second largest after the Sahara. We’re driving in an open vehicle and it’s a brisk morning. I bundle up.
Coming around the mountain, we spot a herd of 16 zebra on the mountains. Chicco tells me that these mountain zebra looks more like donkeys and have white bellies with very black stripes. The plains zebra are more reddish in color. He tells me they tend to collect in the shade of the mountain as there’s moisture to be had.
At one point he stops to show me the geology of the area. The packed rocks and sand look almost like concrete.
The sun continues to rise as we drive around the rocky landscape. It’s amzing how different this area is, so close to where we were.
We see a lone oryx. It’s limping, favoring one of its back legs and I lament its fate. Chicco tells me they have a decent chance of survival, and I’m surprised that nature could be so forgiving.
Circling around towards another set of mountains we see zebra standing in a notch, debating whether to enter the valley we are in. We watch them with binoculars, a small family looking out over the plains. They decide against it and we see them disappear back behind the mountains. Chicco starts the Landcruise and as we drive around the mountain we see them picking their way along the slope.
Chicco urges the Landcruiser up a steep hill and parks us on a flat expanse above the desert plains. It’s been a windy morning and here, on this exposed piece of land, we bear the full brunt.
On calm days Chicco could set up breakfast here and we could sit down, surrounded by the space around us. Today, it’s not possible. I’ll learn that the mornings have been too windy for balloons to launch. The couple I had gone ATVing yesterday have tried to go ballooning three times in various parts of Africa; each time it’s been canceled due to conditions. Just that morning they had gone out and watched as the balloons were inflated only for their trip to be called off at the last minute. This morning their trip will also be canceled.
I tell Chicco it’s a good thing we did Sossusvlei yesterday. If the wind there is anything like it is where we are the ascent would be miserable. Chicco agrees and hopes that the people who have gone to Deadvlei aren’t ‘eating sand.’
Sometimes, he tells me, the winds are so strong, whipping up the sand in such a way that all activites are canceled and guests must remain at the lodge. I tell him that’s not such a terrible thing. The andBeyond is, well, beyond amazing in and of itself.
On the way back, Chicco shows me fairy circles that have formed in the desert. There are numerous theories on why these form, but there seems no consensus on the matter as of yet.
We drive back, the landscape shifting with the light. We spot another oryx walking alone and it stops to watch us pass. On the plains, wind whips the sand into golden veils that shimmer before they dissipate, the grains released into the air to fall back to the earth.
We see the herd of zebra, but they are far in the distance. We can see the dust they kick up with their hooves, lit by the sun. Nearing the lodge, he stops and points out the African frog, a bird so called because its call sounds like a croak. As if to demonstrate, it croaks before us.
At the lodge, it’s reported that one of the Hiluxes has a flat. I suspect it’s mine. The left rear tire looked a little low when I parked it upon arriving and I ask if it’s the one with the black top. If so, I ask if maintenance can help me change the tire before I leave.
I’m alone when we return; the rest of the guests have yet to return from their excursion. Pincella from guest relations tells me there’s no high season or low season anymore; it’s always busy. Some are only now being able to come, finally using the reservations they pushed because of Covid. Some can only book one or two nights because of availability. I’m glad I booked so far ahead and feel lucky to be able to spend four nights at the lodge.
At lunch I ask Wilhemina if she’s ready for our flight. I’m a little apprehensive but I don’t let on. I’m not sure how I’ll take to the feeling. That said, I’ve asked for doors off. I want the full experience, and I want to be able to experience and photograph the landscape unencumbered. I can barely contain my excitement. 🇳🇦
26 May 2024 – 27 May 2024
