Day 5….Keetmanshoop to Namibia Naukluft National Park. Today was mainly a transit day as we needed to get further into the desert to see all the wonderful dunes and life that Namibia had to offer. We did have several stops for lunch and bathroom breaks etc, and to take photos of the wild animals we saw, mainly zebra, oryx, impala. When we finally reached our accommodation for the next 2 nights, we realised we REALLY were in the desert…..hot hot hot and sand everywhere ?
My little hut in the desert (with air conditioning) 
Dinner that night was at a very swanky lodge that was linked with our slightly less swanky lodges. The meal was just amazing. We were sat outside, wonderful clear skies and the odd wild animal wandering by. My fellow travellers felt it was ok to eat the animals that we had been in awe of all day…I stuck to chicken ?
Chose your meat 
And get it BBQ’d 
Or pick your ingredients for a stir fry 
Dinner
Day 6…..Namib-Naukluft National Park
Today ended up being quite emotional for me??? I’m going to blame it on being tired!! My day started at 4:15am. We needed to be up and out, breakfast and in the queue to get into the NP by 6am. It was going to be a busy day in the desert and Norman wanted us to do the main bits before the temperature got up to 40 degrees. As a group we had agreed to do the walk/climb to Deadvlei first. Deadvlei is a white clay pan located near the more famous salt pan of Sossusvlei. We set off, and once again I was starting to struggle with my fitness and knee….blah blah blah. I again starting falling behind the rest of the group. Although it was only day 6 of knowing this group of people, some of them were really showing their kindness and support towards me. As I approached yet another sand dune that needed walking up to see Deadvlei, I made the decision that it wasn’t fair on the group to be held back by me, I felt I was ruining their experience. I told Norman I was going to turn round and go back to the truck and wait for them there. At this point, Norman said that he wasn’t going to let me give up. He sent Steve S ahead to tell the others to carry on, enjoy the pans and be back to the truck by a certain time. Norman told me that I would have such a sense of achievement if I got to the top, that he would stay by my side and it would take as long as it took. He also said we would stop as often as I needed……Not going to lie….I cried by this act of kindness…not just Norman but by my fellow travellers.
Head down, teeth gritted….I did it. Even a complete stranger congratulated me when I got to the top….My face was so red ??Norman was right. I felt brilliant
And of course what goes up must come down. Norman said sliding down the dune would be the quickest route, so myself, Pat and David did exactly that.
Norman my hero
Next stop Dune 45, so named because it is 45km from the entrance to the NP. This was definitely a step too far for me and opted out straight away. Several of the others opted out as well, because although it was only about 10:30am it was really steaming hot. Lots of respect for the gang that did walk up the Dune.
Up they go 
We stayed and fed the birds.
Norman still wasn’t finished with us…onto the Sesriem Canyon. I wasn’t allowed to get out of this one. Down I went, climbing over boulders etc helping hands from Norman and the 2 Steve’s ?. Another sense of achievement gained.
Finally back to my little hut in the desert, cold shower and a nap in the air conditioning made everything all ok again. Another lovely dinner at the main lodge and early night. Back at my hut I tried to do some long exposure shots of the night sky because it was amazing and there is no light pollution in the desert. I wasn’t very successful, and then all sorts of animals noises started and something trotted pass in the dark that I couldn’t see. I quickly returned to my room.
Day 7….. Naukluft Area to Swakopmund. Another early start as we were to do a guided desert walk with a local expert. The walk really turned out to be a drive (very relieved) and the guide was so entertaining. He told us about the language and the life the desert people used to live. Interestingly, if a member of the tribe couldn’t keep up (children included) as they moved around looking for food or water, they got left behind. I definitely would have been a goner!!
The drive continued, and we saw more great sights, animals and stopped for photo opportunity at the Tropic of Capricorn.
Finally, back by the Ocean (Atlantic) and lunch at Walvis Bay Lagoon, which was very green and had flamingo and seagulls.
Our hotel for the next 2 nights was a bit of a disappointment. My room overlooked a large sports hall and had no fresh air, just the aircon. It was also a bit out of the town, so taxis needed to get anywhere. The next day was to be a ‘day off’ and everyone was very excited by this, finally a lie-in ??
And finally, I just wanted to mention again, the kindness of people. I still feel a little emotional when I think about my time on the dunes. So much love for my ’Nomad Family’ ??