Sossusvlei
October 25, 2000
Sunrise at Dune 45
A little after 4:30 AM (ugh!) we climbed into the bus and headed off to Dune 45,
where we were to watch the rise from the top.
Once again, I found the climb tough going, but eventually we all made it to the top. Sunrise was a little cloudy
that morning, but still amazing. We all relaxed
at the top of the dunes, taking pictures.
Fortunately, getting down was easier than getting up (thanks to Sir Issac Newton): the slope down one side of the dunes was nice and steep, and
ended on bare ground rather than sand. After so much sand crawling, some bare earth
would feel rather good: so I gathered my things and jumped down the dunes in a series of
huge steps!
Now THAT was fun! Heck, everyone thought it was fun!
Down at the bottom of the dune were a bunch of rocks
forming the number "45". So does this mean there is some poor guy
who has to walk around and number each dune??? I wouldn't want his
job... :-)
Dune 17
Ok, that's enough of the dunes! We drove to another spot for the climb up Dune
17, reputed to be the tallest dune in Namibia! By this time I was pretty winded, so
I decided to pass. While the others went to see the dunes, I decided to take
the trail down to Sossusvlei.
The Path to Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei is a huge flat pan, usually dry as a bone. It is reputed to be a very
beautiful sight, and I wanted to take a look. There was a regular shuttle
service (for a few Namibian $$) to and from Sossusvlei. 
The path was only a kilometer or so away, though, so I decided to
walk it.
Big mistake.
The path was clear, but it was mostly part of a dried
riverbed, and very sandy: much like walking the dunes. It wasn't as hard, but it
was definitely slow going! (Think of walking along the beach up in the dunes).
So unfortunately, it became clear that even if I made it there, I wouldn't be
able to get back in time. So I had to turn back. Drat!
When I got back, I actually had to wait anyway for the rest of the group: so I ended up
spending my time looking at strange gourds and messing
with the darkling beetles.
Oh well: can't win them all!
Sesriem Canyon
On the way back from Dune 17, we made another stop at Sesriem
Canyon. This was one of many steep canyons which contained water only during the
rainy season: most of the rest of the time it contained only brackish puddles. 
As it turned out, this small canyon had quite a history behind it!
Back in the days when the British were governing South Africa, a group of colonists had
got fed up with British rule, and decided to head north and form a community of their own.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be a Bad Idea(™), as the regions north of
their settlement were smack in the middle of the Namib Desert.
Nearly dead from the heat and thirst, they finally stumbled upon this small canyon,
which was running full of water at the time. Unfortunately, the depth and steepness
of the canyon prevented anyone from getting to the water. So what they did was tie
six leather thongs together to reach the water. From this derives the name:
"Ses" being the Afrikaans word for "six", and "riem" meaning
"thong".
Neat, eh?
Needless to say, access to the canyon has improved since then: a series of steps has
been carved into the canyon side to allow easy access. The sides of the canyon are lined with holes (presumably birds nests). The
water was at a low point when we visited: nothing but a smelly
puddle covered with bird feathers!
Our Last Sunset!
Back at camp, we relaxed for a while before heading out to one last minor dune climb. Rested by now, I joined in to climb the smaller section and watch the
sunset.
The sunset was amazing, as the colors of the local
mountains kept changing as the sun got lower on the
horizon. Beautiful! Antonio and Chris, as usual, went running way up the dunes to better enjoy the view. Most of
us stayed in a lower section.
I noticed, however, that Susanna didn't join us: she seemed to be a bit down about
something. I talked to her a bit: hopefully cheered her up!
Another group also showed up to watch, and had brought along some champagne to
celebrate! They certainly enjoyed themselves: getting tipsy and rolling around in
the sand!
Our last sunset being over, we headed back to camp.
The drive back to Windhoek awaited us in the morning...
