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Published: February 10th 2011
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Today was an awesome day! After one of the best home cooked meals of all time last night, we slept with no AC and survived as it was nice and cool out due to some rain.
Wake up was at 5:30am and we left at 6 to start our drive to the Namib Desert. On the way there, we saw all sorts of animals. This primarily takes place early in the morning as once the heat kicks in; most of the animals hang low in the shade somewhere. The Dunes were awesome! We started at Dune 45 which is the closest to the entrance to get a 101 on the Namib Desert. This is the most climbed sand dune in the area. We then got dropped off at a ranger’s station. Here is where Ann and I were transported to another area through some crazy trails in an open vehicle. Lifeless Linda doesn’t want to have anything to do with me so she requested to be in her own vehicle. Unfortunately, as Coleman has a heart condition, he didn’t want to try and walk around in the sand dunes. Anyhow, Ann and I took a hike in to the dunes
which took about 25 minutes to get in as you constantly sink in the sand. It was so cool and a great workout (did I actually just say workout?). Ann told me last night she is 60 years old. She looks like she is in her 40’s. I think it’s because she is Chinese and she uses more skin products than anyone else in the world. She looks great! She also has more energy than me and probably a 20 year old.
The dunes were beautiful. The sand ranges from orange, to red, to white, to purple. With the help of the clouds some of the dunes look like they have black sand. Some people climb all the way to the top, while others like me sought out salt like areas that are completely strange looking. There were tons and tons of lizards and bugs all over the place. It was such a treat for the 2 hours of wondering through the sand. On the walk back to meet our open vehicle, I decided to go barefoot. I lasted about 10 minutes before my feet started to get too hot. I threw my socks on for the remainder of
the time – it was heaven! Once we got back with the others, we went back to Dune 45 to climb it. I went around the back and got stuck going up as I kept sinking. I went back to the front and got as high as I can in the 10 minutes we had left. I lied in the sand and just smiled. By this point, I was sunburnt, exhausted and smiling so much that I was simply happy to be in my own world for just a few minutes.
We headed back to where we are staying… heaven on earth if you ask me. This is by far the most beautiful nature like place I have ever been. If you ever want to feel like you are a part of nature, then you should come! It’s ridiculously beautiful. So I decided to dunk in the pool after returning home. I meet the pet Springbok. WOW. She started to follow me around and I got pretty nervous. The owner said not to be scared; however if she bothers you, you have to whack her in the head. As that isn’t my style I let her stay close behind
me. I stopped to take a picture and I turned around and WHACK. The Springbok whammed me with her horns in the gut. I was more in shock than in pain by any means. The owner came running and apologized. I jumped up on lounge chair as I was slightly freaked out. She is harmless for the most part, but because she was raised with the dogs, she likes to play. Unfortunately her horns make that near impossible. The owners did wrap the tips of the horns up years ago; otherwise I would have needed stiches today as they are super sharp. I am totally fine. My tour manager kept yelling at the Springbok every time she got to close to anyone. It listened after that. Interesting – who knew they can be trained at all! I also saw a Meerkat on the property. It turns out this is also part of the family. There are 2 Meerkats. I met the male. At first it was a cat and mouse chase. Then it slowed down as it started hunting a scorpion. I actually watched it eat the whole thing – alive. GROSS. The Meerkat smiled for the camera and went
on its merry way. What a trip!
Later in the evening, I stuck to hanging with the dogs, the birds, the bugs (minus the crazy amount of scorpions), and the frogs. Dinner was lovely. The overall day was amazing. This is certainly a beautiful part of the world that shouldn’t be missed. I am surprised to see that nothing seems all that touristy (which is a good thing for me, but not so much for these small communities).
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