6am up and out of the door, driving for the dunes before it got too hot.
We were one of the first ones in the park
and made our way to big daddy - either the tallest dune in the world or certainly in the top ten. Having climbed it back in January I left K to climb with the volunteers (a speedy bunch).
"It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out; it's the grain of sand in your shoe." - Robert W. Service
[In this case I think its definitely the dune]
Instead I took some pics around dead vlei, the famous salt pan of dead trees at the bottom of the dune.
I also spotted a near perfect hyena print, which I was delighted with
and also got a driving lesson on how to drive in sand, and that was a great morning well spent for me!
After a buffet lunch for the dune climbers to refuel we headed back to the winery for a good dinner and a sleep before the epic drive over to Walvis Bay.
We hoped for a lie in, but once the maths had been done we needed to leave about 8am to have any hope of being on schedule. There were a couple of dodgy gravel roads and a nasty pass to traverse before we could get to the coast, so off we headed. This was by far the longest, hardest drive of the trip. The winding pass wound up and down and the road was on angles that in places would lead you to an abyss below. Slow and steady was the way forward...
"Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?" - George Carlin
...and eventually we came out on a nice flat stretch of road that went on forever (a bit too long!). As we pulled into Walvis Bay and hoped to see the flamingoes we were greeted by a sandstorm. Clearly someone had overheard me mock the insurance offer of sandstorm cover! We spoke to the lady at the tourist office who assured stationary or driven slowly the car would be fine. We grabbed lunch and abandoned the outdoors before limping our way a half hour up the road to Swakop and leaving the flamingoes for another day.
It doesn't look too bad here, but on the desert road in it was pretty scary.
We stayed in the lovely guesthouse I stayed in at Easter for a couple of nights and almost repeated what I did last time. The weather was very windy and not great, so no toe dipping in the water. We had some lovely meals in the Tug, Jetty and 22degrees south and a massage from the great little massage place (the one I thought had stolen my watch last time, but hadnt and I found it in the turn up of my jeans when I got back to the farm and had to eat humble pie and send a big tip!). The next day we did get over to see the flamingoes and had a lovely long walk on the lagoon edge.
K at the lagoon at walvis bay
Me in the Jetty - such a nice restaurant!
After a final bit of bartering on the market we started the drive back to the farm. I still had a couple of days off so we spent a few days relaxing and lounging by the pool at the lodge and eating scrummy lodge food!
"Being around people with whom you feel a connection, on many levels, not just a professional one, is very relaxing. Your ears are more open to someone who is not a cantankerous bastard."- Jacqueline Bisset
On one of those last days we went out on a cheetah walk with a couple of other guests and enjoyed spending time watching her stretch her legs in the bush
On the last night, as I live on a farm and never get the chance to dress up, we decided to put on our best outfits for dinner, unfortunately there was no one else around so we had to so a together selfie, so you can't really see the clothes, but for once I did look like a girl and it was fun!
The end came around all too soon and on 25th I dropped K at the airport and waved a teary goodbye!
"It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure."- Ernie Harwell
"You and I will meet again, When we're least expecting it, One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face, I won't say goodbye my friend, For you and I will meet again." - Tom Petty
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