iHesitated to share these iPhone shots. All of then iTook and iEdited quickly on my iPhone before iBoard and iTook-off on my plane. But eventually iDecided to share some of the ones iLike. iHope you will like it too and the story iWrote-up about it. Here iGo. 🙂
I left a very cold and wet Cape Town on the last flight out the Sunday night before the wedding. Above the clouds this is what welcomed me.
The 2 hour flight felt too long. I was tired from the wedding I did the day before and the struggle to back it up and get some tasters on the web whilst spending time with fam and packing. I should have rested more on the flight. The next two days happened just too quickly. Very early the next morning I set off to Wolwedans. It is a 6 hour drive from Windhoek to there and I arrived just in time to be shown my tent and drop my bags. What a place!
The view made me want to lie on the deck the whole day! It was however time to take control of my mind, ask for strength and shift into a creative gear. You can be the judge if I managed. Post soon to come.
I stayed the next night at Sesriem on my way back. My aim was to shoot Dooievlei, but I had too little time to reach it having shot the previous evening and that whole morning as well. I was very disappointed about this, but realised I succeeded in what I came to Nam for and just had to plan a next trip with my family and friends to visit this mindblowing place again. I gathered myself and went for drive which resulted in these landscape shots.
Slept that night in my tent at Sesriem. I woke up at 0340 having thought I heard something. I looked around but saw nothing and I fell back to sleep again. The next morning however, this is what I found. Can you spot my problem?
Yes. Just to the right of the tent under the sink. Can you see it? Only 1 sandal left! hehe! Mr Jackals was having an early morning chew on my Teva Sandal in his hole somewhere. That’s OK, but it was the only pair of footwear I brought with me to Nam! After searching the veld for too long (and getting strange looks from my neighbours), I had to set off to catch my flight back to SA.
The plan was to have a legendary Apple strudel and Filter coffee at Moose McGregor’s Desert Bakery in Solitaire.
I had a great chat with Moose the legend baker from the desert. On the outlook he’s got everything – world reknown status, a perfect reputation and an awesome product. But speaking to Moose for a while longer, you meet a 55 year old man who has been slaving away working for others for 20 years; supporting his sister and mother from his small salary that doesn’t even allow him to travel to Windhoek (except when he has to renew his car licence every year); he and his faithful friend Titus have not had a raise in 3 years according to Moose. And now Solitaire has been bought over by a Texan Oil Tycoon who will become his new boss. Hopefully there is new hope for Moose and (not even) his desert bakery with the new change. I believe he deserves the break.
A toast to the baker of Solitaire with his traditional beer mug full of English tea (non iphone shot).
Just as I wanted to leave, I saw I had a flat tyre. As a friendly man fixed it for me at the petrol station without petrol (for 5 days and counting when I was there), I tried to capture a bit of the soul of the place called Solitaire.
As you can imagine, by this time I was quite late for my flight and had to cover more than 300kms of mostly dirt road in 3 hours to make my plane back. From the shot below you can see I did make it … and barefoot of course all the way back to Cape Town!
Everyone spoke Afrikaans to me … middag middag boet – how’s the plaas doing … with a smirk on their faces.
I didn’t mind.
I didn’t just loose my sandal in Namibia. Also a part of my heart. See you soon again land of open spaces.
I feel privileged to share the wedding captured on her beauty for you next … keep a look out for Cheuk and Mary’s Desert Wedding coming soon.