Namibia, Part One

Whoa – we have been here for two weeks now, and there would be so much to catch up on if I were writing a travelog.   But I’m not really, so will post a bunch of photos (which are of most interest), and string them loosely together.   

First and foremost, however, you must know that Namibia is magnificent.  Extraordinary  unspoiled vistas, environmentally conscious private reserves and hospitality industry (mostly), and just enough wildlife to keep things interesting without showing off.  Growing in popularity, so get here before too much time gets by.

Okonjima, north of the Namibian capitol of Windhoek…. we started off spry and perky:

How perky goeth before a fall!  Pretty sure we got some bad fish on only Day 3 of our adventure…..  violently sick and then out of it for two days.

I slept through our approach to Fish River Canyon (lodge is on the rim on the left of this photo, a breathtaking location)…

We missed the 3-day hike down into the canyon as originally planned while we got over our ordeal.  Once recovered, however…. what a joy to breathe, exist and especially eat again!  Life was good once more.

On to the NamibRand reserve……  The oryx, or gemsbok, is the national animal of Namibia, a really handsome critter, some of whom came for an afternoon break at our nearby watering hole.

Then on to Sossusvlei, a site famous for red sand dunes and a desolate field of dead trees.

A balloon ride over the dunes was better than expected……  will add some more photos later…..  (This one shows Henry waiting to climb out of the basket post-flight.)

Next stop was Walvis Bay on the Atlantic coast.   We stayed in a lighthouse near one of the big seal colonies…….managed to get close, visit with a local jackal, and get intimate with these spectacularly-colored pelicans.

More later!