Swakop

I slept much better in a proper bed and got up at 6.30am to do a 'desert tour' of the Namibian sand dunes. I had a nice cooked breakfast at the hostel before meeting our guide for the morning wildlife tour, Buzz, with my fellow travellers Irish Brian, Oscar, Simon, Monica and Annette.. Buzz was a young man who had studied wildlife since childhood and had a vast knowledge of the local African wildlife. He proved to be an excellent guide. As we headed out to the sand dunes beyond the edge of town, Buzz pointed out approximately 200,000
cormorants flying out to sea in a long line miles long to search for fish.
We turned off the main road into a reserved area of the national park. We passed an area of horse bones that were buried during the first world war when Namibia was a colony of Germany. There was no food for the horses because of a drought and an attempt to bring food and water to the horses by rail failed because the sand dunes covered the rail line. The horses became I'll with human transmit table flu and were shot and buried by local people as a result. The wind had then uncovered their bones from the sand. We drove on and passed a turn bird and wild gerbil tracks. Buzz explained how many of Namibia's animal species are endemic and unique to Namibia. He talked about the delicate lychen fields in the desert that build up over many years and are easily damaged - wheel tracks over 40 years old can still be seen through the lychen. The area is now more heavily protected. Then Buzz saw the tracks of a Peringuey's adder and managed to locate. It was a small (Buzz explained that animals are small in the desert to need less food and water) but beautiful snake and was quite angry to be disturbed. It had a very poisonous bite that could make one seriously unwell. The adder feeds by dangling its tail like an insect to attract lizards before striking at over 300 kilometres per hour. We watched it and took photographs for several minutes before allowing it to return to its original baskimg position. Buzz then tracked an adder which had buried itself to the point of invisibility with only the top of its head showing in the sand. Next Buzz found a beautiful Namaqua chameleon which changed from a dark blue to white before our eyes in order to regulate its temperature. Buzz fed it small insects so that we could see it catch them with its elongated tongue. It also had the chameleons strange independently rotating eyes. It was a fascinating creature to watch up close. Buzz talked about the older large sand dunes that move several metres each year with the wind and threaten to block the path of a nearby river that has run dry with a drought lasting for the past seven years. The sand dunes have been bleached yellow by the sun. This contrasted with lower, newer dunes made from sea sands that have oxidized to a deep red colour. The combination of these sands made for interesting changes in tone and colour in the dunes. As we drove on through the dunes, Buzz noticed a movement of sand down a sand dune bank and put his hand in the sand below to pull out a small shovel snouted lizard. This lizard had a mark on his tail where he had lost it and it had regrown. It was a dominant male which was evidenced by having all, except one of, his fingers and toes. Males fight for the right to mate with the females and bite off each other's toes in the process. This then restricts their speed of movement as they rely on their specialised toes to propel themselves at high speed through the sand. Again, we watched the lizard for several minutes before he was allowed to scurry away and dig himself back into the sand to protect himself from the hot desert sun. He also captured a beetle that had grooves on it's back where the water from the sea mists that come in over the desert collect at its tail and are transported by the wind over its back and into its mouth. It is also the only species of this beetle without wings to help conserve its water. It is 60 per cent water and is the best thing to eat if a person is stranded in the desert. We drove on to where Buzz located the burrow of a nocturnal, web footed gecko. Buzz carefully dug it out of its burrow in the sand. He explained that the sand remains at a fairly constant and cooler temperature at about 16cm below the sand surface. The gecko was a strange looking creature with coloured translucent skin and large eyes. It had to be kept in the shade so as not to damage its nocturnal adapted eyes. Buzz also showed us some of the desert plant life such as the dollar plant with round hydro-phobic leaves that drip water down to the roots. The plant also grows small fruit that dry, unravel and blow like wagon wheels across the sand dunes. Buzz poured water on a dry fruit to show how desert rains cause the fruit to transform back into its original shape when it gets wet and will then germinate. It was amazing to see the fruit reconstituting itself before our eyes when water was added. He also showed us the nara? bush which is part of the cucumber/squash family and grows small, spherical, melon like fruit which is bitter to eat. As we continued. Buzz lent out his hand from the vehicle window where a small bird, a chat, came and fed from his hand. Buzz had previously rescued this bird with a broken wing so they had a close relationship. Buzz tried to find the elusive scorpion tracks, but was unable to find a scorpion on this occasion. He said that scorpions are like the leopards of the insect world because they are nocturnal and hard to find in the daytime. They floresce when a torch is shone on them at night and are therefore easier to locate then. Our desert tour was then brought to a close and we returned to the hostel. It had been a fascinating experience of the unique Namibian wildlife and I learned a lot from Buzz's extensive knowledge and passion for wildlife.
I went for lunch at a lovely cafe with Irish Brian and we had a nice conversation about our experiences on the journey so far and how such a trip opens one up to new experiences, personal changes and previously buried emotions. I had experienced another epiphany of sorts on the return from the desert tour, where I deeply felt the spirit and density of life all around me in Namibia. After lunch we walked to the sea with it's big waves rolling in and hundreds of miles of unbroken beach. Another example of the immensity of nature all around us. We walked back up to the town to do some shopping and then returned to the hostel where I wrote up my experiences of the day. I went out for a meal in the evening and ate sushi for the first time in a sushi restaurant and really enjoyed it. The night air was very cool and I needed a jacket to stay warm. I enjoyed the cool ocean air after all the heat we have experienced in Botswana and Namibia. When I got back to hostel. I retired early to my dorm room to get an early night before an early start the following day.Read more