Wow! Thanks, that was really informative in a kind of nerdy, humerous way. It makes alot of sense too.

Jan

(getting very excited indeed)

Oh yes, fantastic, I remember seeing that sign for it when we were on the bus. For years I had dreamt of going there, and had only see the Namib Naukluft Park sign on TV.

Because it was all I had ever dreamt about, the only place I had ever really wanted to go to, when I finally saw that sign in real life, it sent shivers down my spine.

It was everything and more I had ever thought it would be, if I could have stayed awake 24/7 and been able to turn my head a full circle, I would have done so as not to miss the colours/smells of that place.

We climbed Dune 45 in the Namib, I couldnt make it all the way up as my asthma was bad, but Mr PP went all the way up. I sat halfway on that dune watching the sunrise and I remember wanting to call my sister or just call anyone and say 'I am on Dune 45'

I was in tears when that sun rose, will never ever forget it. When Mr PP showed me his video footage of him getting all the way up to the top, it appears I wasnt the only one a bit tearful either.

I have a small black melted stone - just an ordinary stone, there were millions of them, I picked it up when we climbed that Dune and it is my most treasured possession.

Also I have 2 pieces of quartz I found on the ground on the Gemsberg Pass(sp?), our guide was laughing when I picked it up, wanting to know why I liked it so much.

Did you see the dead trees - the ones that have been dead for over 900 years? Oh dear, you have started my 'Namibia sickness' now.

My dream holiday, my best holiday and I will not rest until I can go back there.

The last trip I did to Namibia was in the early 90s. It was at a time in my life when I needed some solitude to take stock of things and think of the future and the way ahead. I had an ex girlfriend who'd moved to Swakopmund and besides my time in the millitary and a short period of work there I hadn't seen much of that country so Namibia was the place I chose. I just packed my car with camping equipment, food, water and beer and hit the road. I didn't go much further north than Windhoek and instead headed west from there to Swakopmund. An interesting place with loads of German colonial heritage. It was a hive of activity at the train station restaurant which seemed to have very few trains, got to know quite a few people there through my ex. A tough cookie she was. One day she dragged two huge plastic containers out of her garage put them in my car boot and filled them with water. Grabbed her sleeping bag and basic toileties and announced that we were going out into the desert for a couple of days. On our way out of town we stopped off for some barbeque meat, wood, more beers, ice and other food and headed off down a narrow and little used sand track. I was driving a two wheel drive vehicle but she knew all the the places where I needed to excellerate and not stop under any circumstances. At one point an ostrich got in our way and sought escape along the same track that we were heading along... It was quite a sight . We "pursued" it for a couple of miles before it pulled over. Thankfully it ran pretty fast and kept safely ahead! There were a few places that we were able to stop along the way where there were old WW1 tank tracks and piles of empty food tins where there had been a German millitary encampments. In total we must have travelled about 20 miles along the sand track until we reached a dry riverbed with a kind of-wide platformed watch tower alongside it and basic things like logs for seats, a barbeque, shade cloth and a bar-like construction. It was an amazing place in the middle of nowhere. Walking along the river bed it narrowed and became cliff-sided. Very scenic and peaceful. We spent a good couple of days there exploring, etc. Lots of wildlife too. We slept under the stars on the platformed watch tower . After that we visited Spitzkop with it's amazing bushman rock paintings .

After a few more days I headed out into the Namib Naukluft Park. Miles of driving without seeing another car, person or sign of civilisation. Pulling up for an impromptu barbeque and then chilling out, taking in all the scenery. Then there was Sossusvlei: the amazing red/orange sand dunes (I've also been up dune 45 ), Kolmanskop: the ghost town and lots more. It was a great trip!

I wanted to do it again this year en-route to Australia with my family but including Etosha and in the south a hike down the Fish River Canyon but the plans have changed so it looks like we'll have to go next year instead

It's definately a great place for an adventure

Don't you just love some of our colonial romantic choices....in a manner of speaking..

I know what you mean. Several of my exes back then had tough pioneer linage. Yet the woman I ended up marrying is completely different .

Here are some of my piccies

Someone was insisting that the cheetah must have been drugged but it wasnt. They had been kept as pets and reared from cubs and brought to this lodge as they couldnt be released into the wild and they were not drugged at all.

There is Dune 45 as well.

Such graceful creatures!

Great pics! There's a few cheetah sanctuaries in Namibia, 'would love to visit one of those too. How long were you there for?

Back to the flies... I don't remember them being too much of a problem in Namibia.

We could only get two weeks off work but figured that would be better than nothing.

We went to Amani Lodge to see their cheetah. If you go to my blog and click on the Namibia link on the left hand side, our holiday video is there.

By far the worst fly experience I ever had was in a remote place in the central australian desert called Rainbow Valley. There is a bush there that attracts them and they are unbelievably persistent and numerous. Very beautiful spot though. The March flies in the Snowy Mountains take chunks out of you, but they are slow and easy to swat.

Sod the flies, a big fat redback has just sauntered under my sofa, I havent seen one in my livingroom before, usually just see them outside.

Ive just 'baygoned' under the sofa and hope the bastard dies.