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We are today leaving Swakopmund and have a all day drive to Sesriem. Nearly 500km on the desert. The morning is quiet ok as we still have the breeze from the Atlantic ocean. But soon we understand that we are making our way into land, and leave the sea side. We are going from 20-24 degrees to 45-50 degrees! We are crossing today the "Tropic of Capricorn". We will arrive at our campsite around 4 pm. Lucky for us: there is a swimming pool! Wouhou! Only problem...: the water is so green that you cannot see the bottom! I promise you that, when desperate, you jump on any water colour! The whole group went, unless... me of course! I preferred a cold shower!!
At 5 pm we went to see a small canyon and had diner with the sunset. We will rest well tonight as next day wake up call is 4am for the best morning of our trip!
It's 4h40 am. We are waiting at the gate of Namib-Naukluft National Park. We are so excited as we are entering on the oldest desert in the world and the highest sand dunes on earth. There is 65 dunes (dunes on this desert do not move) and we are climbing dune 45, bare feet for some, in socks for others, and with walking shoes for the ones that want to suffer (!!), for viewing the sunrise. Some will reach the first plateau, like Cyril (!), others will go up to the top, like me (!).
I have to say that at 5h30am, with not even a cup of coffee first, climbing a dune composed of sand, and thinking that if you don't hurry up you may miss the sunrise, is pretty challenging; I never felt my heart pumping so much! But when you arrive there and the sun start rising... Oh MY GOD! Tears come to your eyes! It's just magnificent... Then, some went back done carefully to get breakfast (like Cyril!!!), and some decided to run done the side dune (like me!!). You can only do that when you experienced previously sand boarding! After that you can do anything on dunes!

After full breakfast we jumped on a 4x4 direction Sossusvlei to meet Franz, an incredible local with a passion for the desert and what live in it. It was by far the best guide we ever had. We had the challenge to keep up with him on the desert. It's 9h30, we are, some of us bare feet, as we are exited to follow our guide dressing code, and speed! But then, after 10 minutes walk, he explained us that the sand is composed of iron and that at 10am the sand is around a nice and comfortable 20 degrees, and that around 12, when 50 degrees on the air, the sand will be around 80 degrees. My face went green! And the guide started to laugh like mad! What we didn't know, it's that he was going to explain us how and where to walk to keep cool! He taught us so many things that it would be very difficult to write them down. But we can now find our way on the desert (no stars, and no compass involve of course, as the sand is composed of iron; compass go crazy!), recognise animals, or insect print, find them; we know how to eat, drink, sleep (without sleeping bag) as well.




We taught at this moment very much at our dear Oncle Pierre, and how proud he would be!! We finalised the walk on one of the most incredible landscape ever seen. We were waiting for this moment with Cyril so badly. This was what Namibia mint for both of us before coming to Africa: "the dead Sossusvlei", with trees over 900 years old. It look like the end of the earth.