Mr. O's Tour: Namibia and my sister Helen and bro-in-law Hartmut in Swakopmund

The final match vs Wynberg for Term 2 on a, for once, bright and sun filled day where the SACS 1st XV outplayed Wynberg to record a Triple Crown for the first time in years. Now for the second Triple Crown in Term 3!

Namib desert from the air on my flight to Walvis to lay some ghosts of my military past and to visit my sister Helen and her husband, Hartmut for the first time in Swakopmund, Namibia

Sand, sand and more sand in this stunning and majestic desert.

Hills and a sand plateau from above.

Flying parallel to the coastline north of Oranjemund. I tried to spy Bogenfels, but too high and even though I followed the road, I could not find it. Last there in 1999.

Magnificent hill formations close to Walvis Bay.

Helen and Hartmuts eclectic apartment. Sunny and bright, when it shines through the ever present coastal fog!

Hartmut 'emailing'. I love this 'kitchen'. So different and refreshing from the usual clean and clinical look. Here it is the natural and homely look. Love it!

Swakop river bed. Not much flow at present, but full of amazing shrubbery and also birds and small animals, apart from a fleet of 'tame' Camels that are not great for the fragile environment, but bring tourist money.

Tiny photobomb shadow as I try to capture these unusual shrubs/bushes.

Camels unfortunately compact the soil and leave permanent trails until, hopefully, the river flows.

Off into the desert with Hartmut and a friend to go and download from the very remote movement sensitive camera's at waterholes with boreholes powered by windmills and solar panels. These are to track mainly the Lappet Faced Vultures which they tag with bright yellow, numbered wing tags. Of course all sorts of other intesresting brds and animlas can be recorded as well.

In this flat, dry almost grassless flatland, there are Gemsbok, Springbok, Mountain Zebra, 'Vlak varke, jackals. These are the bigger game, lots of them. I was astounded at the numbers in such dry, parched territory.

Gemsbok track.

Mountain Zebra track.

Jackal track.

Miskruier/Dung Beetle. They hang around the water, but, alas, many drown. I saved a few, but I do not think they will survive long. Food for others I guess!

So, in the middle of nowhere, a giant tree, ancient in its gnarled trunk and branches.

What great stories this tree could tell, if only it could. Just stunning in its antiquity.

...and under this tree, miles from anywhere, Ant Lions! Can you believe it. A small ecosystem visited occasionally by birds with an Ant colony to feed the Ant Lions. Nature in its glory. The universe is just amazing.

Thorns from this majestic ancient.

Vlakvark/ Wild pig/boar of some kind, also know as the 'Top Gear Pig' as a result of running, fast too, with its short tail at full mast, vertical.

Does the wind blow in Swakopmund?

The refurbished Pier out into the seriously cold Atlantic Ocean.

Looking back along the Pier to the restaurant constructed around the Bridge structure of an old Tug.

New construction along the seafront for those who can afford it.

Back toward the old town of Swakopmund with its still strong German influence. I love it.

Driving down to Sandwich Harbour we stopped to deflate Hartmuts 4x4 Toyota tyres for the beach run and came accross an interesting mix of spoor all crossing the tracks at one point. Brown Hyena.

Springbok.

Hartmut doing the careful deflating of tyres.

The point where the spoor crossed the track.

Mouse spoor maybe?

Tracks from one of the many varieties of Lark. Hartmut knew each sub-species on sight. For me, all LBJ's!

And on we went through the dunes parallel to the coast.

Gerbil spoor.

Down onto the beach at low tide for the run to Sandwich Harbour Lagoon.

Not much space between water and dunes.

Garnet sand that has leached from the dunes. Purple sand. I have some.

The salt water lagoon at Sandwich harbour. Isolated, but alive with many varieties of waterfowl, sea birds and seedeaters as well as all the LBJ's as well. Lots of Lesser and Greater Flamingos.

Trusty 4x4.

The sad remains of the once fresh water lagoon near Sandwich Harbour, now just an encroaching dune that has swallowed the fresh water as it was sucked away for Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.

All that is left of the German Meat Packing Factory, now also swallowed up by the ever encroaching dunes.

Back down the beach. Silent and ghostly.

I tried to climb the soft, steep dune and soon got stymied for the first time by my snapped Achillies which has restricted the articulation of my right foot. The sand is very soft, powderlike and I could have gone straight up, but not being able to lift the front of my foot fully meant that I was not digging into the soft sand deep enough and jso ust slipping back. Got about a third of the way for this shot from just above the factory roof.

More dunes and ocean.

Track getting narrow as we head home.

From whence we came.

Interesting soft rock shelf at the base of the dunes.

Sand waterfall. Beautiful in its simplicity.

In Walvis Bay just outside what had been my Army Base, now an upscale Housing extate. The ghosts were laid here. The Camp has gone. I am happy.

More lesser Famingo's eating the Algae from seepage.

Another ghost to lay. The infamous Dune 7! I let the sand run gently through my fingers and let those ghosts slip away silently and perhaps reluctantly, but they had to go.

And the dune goes on.

I just love this shower in H and H's apartment. Stones from the desert instead of tiles. I love it.

And this is the base. Feels like being out in the desert.

Helen's new volunteer from Germany for the Horse Safari's and Helen's wonderul, unusual and very human hound who goes by many names!

Flamingos on the beach lagoon in Swakopmund.

Larger so that you can see the large, whate Pelicans on the opposite bank.

Pelican spoor.

The HUGE sports centre in Swakopmund.

Walking a bunch of SPCA dogs in the dunes. They were so happy and so full of life and bounce. Helen talking gently to a miscreant and with another demanding attention. They constanly need affirmation and are so in need of love.