Poor Hilary! She tells me that she got lost last night trying to find her way back from the toilet block. It is not surprising, the flat, featureless desert is disorientating and there are no obvious landmarks to relate to. She wandered around for about an hour, climbing fences and walking in circles....scary! I feel bad because I was sleeping and oblivious to her plight..
This morning we are going to the Sossusvlei area to climb Dune 45 and watch the sun rise so we are up early and waiting in the truck for the camp gates to open at 6am. There are a lot of safari trucks on the road, all heading in the same direction, and we cheer Ronney on when he overtakes a couple of them. A 40 minute drive and we are at the dune. We start climbing, it is still dark and far more difficult than I expected in the soft, steep sand. There are perhaps a 100 people climbing the dune and I am grateful that someone up ahead stops every now and then for a breather, giving us all the chance to rest. At the top everyone sits on the sharp ridge of the dune to watch the sun rise. I notice that a group up ahead are facing in the wrong direction so shout "Turn around!". It is amusing to watch them scramble to turn without falling off the ridge. A huge bright red sun appears from behind the mountain range and everyone gasps. The effect, however, is muted by the heavy cloud cover. Time to head down. Raewyn runs down the side of the dune . It looks like fun so I follow...wheee!..it is great fun. Jonas has our breakfast set up at the bottom of the dune and we munch happily while watching other people climb and descend it.
Ronney admits to me that he has never climbed it...he thinks it looks too hard!
Ronney admits to me that he has never climbed it...he thinks it looks too hard!
After breakfast we drive further up the valley to take a more gentle walk among the dunes, some of the highest free standing dunes in the world. The scenery is jaw-droppingly spectacular. I have never seen anything like this before. All around us are red sand dunes, the size of mountains, sunlight enhancing their planes and folds. We peer down into an ancient dried up river bed. Ronney tells us that the set of tyre marks we can see dates back to the 1950's. Vehicles are now forbidden from the valley to protect its wonderful variegated colours. Back to camp for lunch and to pack up again and we set out for our next camp, Solitaire Guest Farm.
On our way we stop at a funky outpost consisting of a bakery, a grocers shop, a petrol station, camel rides and old cars displayed as sculpture in the desert landscape. The bakery produces a "famous" apple pie and Raewyn buys enough for our desert tonight. We all stock up on goodies.
Solitaire Guest Farm is absolutely beautiful, set in the veldt and with excellent facilities. We are delighted to see a meerkat (suricate) standing on a rock peering at us as we approach but it proves to be annoying, marking its territory all around our camp with urine and trying to get into our tents. There is a springbok around camp too. It is tame but chases Judy much to her horror and our amusement.
Hilary, Gary and I head to the gorgeous, thatched roofed bar set in a very pretty desert garden. Drinks are on an honesty box system...you just help yourself and write your name on a register. I can't see that working in NZ somehow. Others of our group gradually arrive to join us and we have a great time chatting and sharing the events of the day. I put my glass down, gently, I might add, and the base snaps off which, for some reason, causes much hilarity. Another lovely camp fire dinner, including the amazingly delicious "famous" apple pie, as the bright red sun sets over the veldt. Ahhh....Africa.
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