This is the Swakopmund Sands Hotel where we had been staying so grabbed a quick pic before we all got into the minibus and headed off...
Along a long straight road! This is actually the salt road along the Skeleton Coast...
This is a small town that we passed. Apparently it is largely used by those of German descent as a holiday town. It is one house too short to qualify for amenities such as water and electricity to be provided but it seems that they like it that way...
We stopped here to look at this shipwreck which was one of the more recent ones… It seems amazing so close to shore and with shallow sands but it would seem that the coastal fogs and dangerous waves make it a particularly dangerous place to sail in bad weather...
A stop for coffee in the middle of nowhere...
Brandberg Mountain in the distance… apparently you can only climb it when there have been rains as you cannot carry all the water you need up it so need to find water in streams running off it...
Continuing the hunt for dioptase we stopped at one of the many roadside stalls (people do live in shacks in the middle of nowhere in this desert landscape). Beverley found tourmaline but no dioptase here. The stones are found by the people that live here and seem abundant. To advertise they would decorate the trees with the large quartz and other gemstones they found and also the women in Herero dresses would come to the roadside and spin to catch your attention...
This was our stop for lunch at Uis… Not much here and forgivably for the harsh landscape they had run out of lettuce but toasties were available...
We did see a scorpion here but thankfully it ran off...
The entrance was marked with this elephants skull
After toasties and on the road again we passed this man with his donkeys. This turned out to be the first of many as it is a common form of transport in this area...
Some small water in a river we passed...
You can see where someone lives in this place where there really is nothing to our eyes...
Neddies and donks in the river bed
We visited the Burnt Mountain where lava has burnt the soil
and the Organ Pipes are where the lava has cooled...
You can walk down into the currently dry river bed for a closer look...
This is, according to a guide, a root that is growing upwards
from this tree...
They were a fascinating formation...
Just around the corner was Twyfelfontein Country Lodge where we were to spend the night...
There was not always a lodge here and it amazed our guide how they had managed to build it right on top of a heritage site… it’s who you know and how much money you have it seems.
And this our room...
The sun is amazing on the rocks behind
We had a splash in the pool which has a pumped waterfall into it...
There are some sculptures around
The view across the plain from the bar...
Where we ate our meals. It was all buffet and the choice was amazing
For breakfast you choose your ingredients and have your eggs cooked in front of you. Woody had omelette.
This is the looking back up at the dining room
We had a look at some of the nearby carvings before heading off and they are in the next email….
xxx
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