Namibia

Namibia Journal Excerpts:

I have never seen anything like the Namib Desert before. It looked so barren, yet so beautiful and vast. We arrived at our first stop and all got out of the 4x4 to enjoy the scenic view. It was like a “sea” of desert – just sand, ripples of rocks and sparse brown shrubbery for miles in every direction. The bright blue sky contrasted against the darker rocks, making the effect that much more dramatic. At the site where we first stopped, there was a huge pile of jet black rocks made of iron, covering a high precipice, and when two rocks collided they produced the high-pitched sound of a wind chime. So there we were in the middle of a gorgeous desert, looking at the barren beauty stretch on for miles, while listening to natural “wind chimes” produced by jet black, iron rocks that we were hitting together. It was all quite magical. After getting back in the 4x4 we continued winding our way through the desert. We stopped a few more times to examine different types of plant life that survive in the “not-so-barren-after-all” desert.

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This country greatly exceeded my expectations. I felt as if I was in a completely different Africa than when I was in Morocco. There was a sense of calm which I didn't expect. It permeated the town, and the people exuded this joyful contentment with their lives. Between the natural beauty of the desolate deserts and the calmness of the ocean and the kindness of the people, I couldn't have asked for a better three days in this wonderful country.