Just a few days on we have done and seen so much of this amazingly varied country that this journey seems like a lifetime ago. Even before we left the Ai Aiba area we found ourselves looking at the mid-west USA with some rock formations reminiscent of Monument Valley and other such famous National Parks.
It was a long journey, and hot, but it was also the first time we had really seen roadside communities going about their daily routines as we drove by.
The National Park – still within the Erongo Mountain range provided a good opportunity for lunch as well as some photo opps before we tackled the remaining 120km to the coastal town of Swakopmund en route for Seisrem and the famous dunes at Sossusvlei and the dead trees at Deadvlei.
The mountain was in sight for ages before we got there, but we had time for just a quick stop before making our way on to Swakopmund where there were more exciting experiences with Saki as he introduced us to the living desert and drove through the dunes getting us totally confused about whether we were travelling north, south, east or west!!
OUr introduction to Swakopmund, though, was its coastline as we walked to dinner at a beachfront restaurant.
For once, the next morning involved a fairly leisurely start with a nicely varied range of breakfast options before we were picked up for the desert tour.
Once again on this part of our journey I was reminded just how much goes on in every part of the world we live in. The first thing we saw was a sidewinder snake – tiny, fast and apparently not a killer, venomous but not fatally so.
These small creatures leave a clear track but bury themselves incredibly quickly, leaving no indication of their presence, becoming very difficult to spot in the sand.
There was a chameleon, too, and lots of beetles, but the bit I really loved was driving through the dunes, up and down at quite some speed with oohs and aaaahs all around!
The dunes and the sea meet here and it was hard to know where the sky ended and the sea began. It felt like being on top of the world. And the world was empty and silent.
A great morning! Flamingos in Walvis Bay in the afternoon were less impressive, but there were a couple of good conversations with locals and the trappings of local govenment elections to keep us entertained. No complaints.
Living the Journey 
Hi Kath, thanks for sharing all this, great selection of photos again but your story line is equally interesting, seems variety is the spice of life with the range of places, creatures and people etc. you are being shown. As I said before, – not envious -really!
All the best, Mike & Jenny