Near Luderwitz, Namibia

Here we are at Klein Aus Vista, near Luderwitz, a pretty coastal town in Namibia.  We have covered a lot of ground since leaving Namaqualand and crossing the border into Namibia.  The scenery has been spectacular all the way, changing from the verdant flowered slopes to the vast and arid Namib Desert with hundreds of miles of barren landscape, but which is really interesting in its own way.  We have visited the Renowned Fish River Canyon, which is the second largest in the world, by volume.  Quite spectacular!  Today we have explored the ghost town of Kolmanskoppe, but photos of that will have to wait until next time.  We are getting a bit blase about all the springboks and ostriches we are seeing.  Apparently elephants come to water to drink every evening not far from where we are staying, but we are not doing a night drive.  Elephants will have to wait.

Our accommodation is in comfortable African style lodges, but with good amenities such as hot water, thank goodness.  And meals are mostly western style, as they cater very much for the European and North American tourists.  But there is always venison to eat, and I really like it.  I have also taken to Roiboos tea, and will have to take it up at home.Our group gets more and more compatible as we get to know each other.  It`s great that we are all photographers - some more experienced and with a vast stock of gear, and some with much more modest equipment.  I will do a blog about my gear sometime.  Anyway, I have found that I am not the only person in the world who is quite happy to spend an hour lying on my stomach amid sand and gravel, rocks and thorns, manoeuvreing my macro lens back and forth to photograph the minute little succulents which are barely visible in the rocky earth.  It is amazing what wonderful tiny flowers can grow in such an arid landscape.  Nor am I the only person in the world completely happy walking by myself for a couple of hours in the desert, in tune with my surroundings,  enjoying the fresh air and the warmth, alone with my thoughts and with my cameras at the ready (I carry two) for all the fascinating little outcrops of flowers, the odd lizard scurrying by, beetles darting back and forth.  This is all wonderful.

Farewell to the Namaqualand flower fields

We are kudus.  What are you.

Mountain zebras silhouetted in the evening.

Fish River Canyon

Quiver tree

A minute succulent in the desert, taken with a macro lens

Namibian mother and child

A hemsboek, which makes good venison.

Ostriches - again!  More and more

I`m always happy to get a bird in flight, but I need to look up its name