Namibia, Part I

Namibia is such a spectacular country, on so many levels. One of the attractions is that it is the second most sparsely-populated country in the world (after Greenland). That fact becomes apparent as you drive through the vast expanses of countryside.

This country is also a geologist’s dream. Many phases of its development over eons are apparent on the surface……

Lots of minerals and gems have been mined here… including many kinds of gemstones, diamonds, copper and amethyst, the purple form of quartz. Tertius has a friend who mines amethyst in the Goboboseb Mountains, who gave us a sampling of the mining process…..

Of course, some people can find special specimens without all of that hassle….. like buying from a street vendor in the coast town of Swakopmund…

Or picking some special pieces up on the beach…..

Finding a salt crystal offering on the side of the road….

Or even purchasing a gorgeous piece of the semi-precious stone called pietersite, almost exclusively found in a specific area of Namibia……

It’s also very dry here….. apparently not a very welcoming environment for life. And yet the welwitschia, the national plant of Namibia, is well-suited to the dry terrain. Not a particularly attractive part of the landscape….. Tertius explains here, however, that this plant may well be two thousand years old! Age triumphs over beauty!

And here are the male welwitschia parts, ready to start a new generation in the desert.

And still nature compensates in other amazing ways…..

Cape seals proliferate along the coast in small colonies and large….. as many as 10,000!

Sometimes people ”interfere” with the lack of water…. At this pandemic-abandoned lodge, birds were frustrated at not having access to the water in the plunge pool. Enterprising humans (Ty, Tertius and our guide, Jake) found a way to help them out….

After a generous rainy season earlier this year, the NamibRand reserve in the central part of the country was lush and colorful….. the bare round areas in the landscape are called fairy circles. No one knows for sure why they exist here….. theories of termite infestations or poisonous plants abound. But they remain a mystery.

Not dense with wildlife, the area includes some quite handsome residents — among others, the gemsbok, also known as oryx.

(Sorry for the long time between posts…. much has been happening but internet service has not permitted any posting. Tertius has also done some terrific drone videos…. but not available just yet. Hopefully we’ll get more opportunities to update soon, but if not, please bear with us!)