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Bulletin 58 |
The Landscapes... |
28 March 2009 |
| A welcome rain settles over the mountains of the Namib. |
| Though both images depict a quiet tranquil atmosphere, the truth is very different indeed. The mine at Langer Heinrich unfortunately has already ruined the views behind this point and the peace and quiet is definitely a thing of the past. Vehicles and all manner of motorised noises can be heard as early as 5 in the morning! So much for maintaining a natural heritage!!! |
| Having had enough of the mines we decided to discard our plans and head into the southern part of the Namib Park. As we got to Ganab the sky suddenly clouded over and a rain cloud headed straight for us. I kept shooting until the first drops started to fall on me. Cameras were hurriedly packed into the "Beast" and we settled down to wait out the rain. The car rocking violently as we listened to a Terry Pratchett audio novel! |
| The sunset was amazing after the rain had moved on to the west! Normally not the most photogenic area as Ganab is flat and rather featureless. |
| The Namib after good rains! During the dry season this vista can be quite desolate. Completely devoid of vegetation and bleached grey under the baking sun. |
| This is probably one of my favourite places to camp. It just feels ancient and radiates a calm that needs to be experienced. This was also the place where I found the rarely seen Western Keeled Snake (More on that in the next bulletin) |
| The Kuiseb flowing through the canyon. |
| The low bridge spanning the Kuiseb! Debris and tree trunks had smashed into the side, in some cases breaking away the concrete retainers. |
| Apricot dunes, green plains and crisp mountains. This was heaven after a day spent driving, eating Moos' apple pie and rescuing a drowning bird in the canyon. |
| The view shortly before dinner!!! |
| Dead Vlei was a must after three years since my last visit! As good as ever and there were fewer tourists around as the 4 x 4 access route had been closed due to flooding. We had raced through the 5 k's in 45 minutes. This with all my camera gear 20 kg, my tripod anoterh 8 kg's through mud and water. Not a single tourist who had set out at the same time made an appearance. I slept well that night!!! |
| By ten the 4 x 4 access had been opened again and the hordes started coming over the dunes. Wave after wave after wave.....(OK I am exaggerating) |
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| The last image before heading out! |
| Rain falls in the Namib! One side had clear blue skys while the other seemed to strain under a churning stormy sky. The downpour, once it reached my position was violent to say the least. Looking at this image I can still smell (and hear) the rain approaching. |
| The calm after the rain is always magical in this part of the world. |
| And so the rain moved on... |
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