Namibia

After a four hour delay in Capetown because someone at Namibia Air forgot to pay the fuel bill 🙄 we were on our way to Windhoek and an unexpected overnight stay at a guest house. Fortunately we were able to catch a flight the next morning to the most North and East corner of Namibia where we would spend the next three days at our lodge “Serra Cafema”.

Landing at the airstrip looked like something out of Matt Damon’s movie Martian. I was apprehensive to say the least. It was without a doubt, the most barren and uninhabitable looking landscape I had ever witnessed. Just sand and rock. As we set out in the Jeep I was immersed in the atmosphere , the wind and warmth , the haunting quiet , and the smoky nut smell that is Africa. I started to feel the beauty of Namibia. The contrast of the apricot sand against the Metamorphic mountains , a dollop of aloe green where a lone bush stands defiant against the odds, the sun playfully contouring dunes with a stroke of cinnamon , my opinion was shifting.

As far as I could see it was the same. Vast distances of the same subject and pallet . My mind and imagination started to roam in ways that they had never before. Set free from a 2 x 4 screen filled with mundane minutia , a carefully curated flow of information tailored to keep my attention. I was realizing how ‘life giving’ it is to stretch my focus to a wider canvas . To take in my environment and all its secrets. Such a peaceful experience.

Eventually we started our descent into the valley, rioting down dunes and rocky escarpments , hanging on for dear life and anticipating what was to come …. Either heaven or our destination. Turned out it was a bit of both! I have never seen an oasis before but this is how I always imagined it. The glacial blue Kunene river slowly moving through swaths of swaying Pampas grass . Majestic Camelthorn trees reaching over the property like loyal butlers holding parasols for shade, and the beautiful esthetic of the camp carefully designed with a conservationists heart. And no WiFi …I might never leave!

The offering of a sunset cruise up the river to look for some croc’s eventually urged me on. After a lazy put around we pulled up onto the opposite shore (which technically was in Angola) and had a ‘sundowner’. That’s African for drinks and appetizers. I love being able to sat we popped over to Angola for a drink😉

Tomorrow we meet the locals!