Day 5 Namib desert

Our day started with a forgettable breakfast at the Seeheim. 

We crossed the disused train tracks and we were buoyed up by Swise’s promise of the best Apple Pie in Namibia, in a town called Bethanie. 

A German missionary called Schmelen tried his best here for a few years, in 1814, until he went home, discouraged by the lack of cooperation from the Red Nation tribes that lived in the area. The oldest building in the area is the church built by him.

A historic agreement whereby Luderitz bought land from the local chief was signed at a house in Bethanie. He later sold it on, claiming he had bought a much larger piece of ground due to the difference in the definition of a German mile and a South African mile.

The town of Luderitz on the west coast is called after him.

Namibia was known as Namaland after the Nama people who live there. Its name was changed to German South West Africa when it was taken over by the Germans. It gained full independence in 1990, some very recent history.

In any event, the apple pie was delicious and the surroundings – a beautifully tended garden with cacti, succulents and trees for shade, made it a pleasant stopover.

On the road to our destination, we spotted a Pale Chanting Goshawk, doing what the bird book said he does – sitting on top of a telegraph pole.Ostriches were seen along the edge of the road. 

We had our first glimpse of an antelope, however, as we settled into our chalets, right on the edge of the desert at the Desert Lodge.

In front of the chalets was a watering hole, where Oryx had just returned after the winter. The first night, we saw only a single one. Next morning, I spotted six.

Some wildebeest or Gnu gathered further down the long sandy drive to the Desert Lodge.

It was all about sand here. It builds up, blown by the desert winds that come up from the rapid cooling and heating of the air every night and day. The contrast was extreme and definitely made us understand how rocks would shatter with the differing temperatures.

Every day, sand piles against the door, around the swimming pool, into machinery, the battle goes on with sweeping being a major task. 

In the morning, I noticed hoof marks around the pool where animals had come for water the night before. We spotted wild dogs close by and we were warned to keep the zips on our bags closed at all times because of the number of scorpions.

Our guides made us dinner and we washed up and settled down for the night. Our accomodation was modern and comfortable. The sky was spectacular with the moon waning on the wrong side. In the southern Hemisphere, it wanes to the left. We saw little slivers coming off the left every night, so you could hold the moon in your right hand while it’s waning.