I'm gonna climb that mountain!

This was my first trip to Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge. Indeed, I had never been south of the Equator before! And I was going to be showing people around the night sky in the middle of the Namib Desert, about which I knew nothing! For an astronomer this is not such a daunting task as, say it would be for a guide taking people through the Amazon Rainforests without ever having been there. I was well prepared with star-maps, plus I had been given a one-to-one planetarium show by Dr John Mason at the South Downs Planetarium. For the next six weeks of my life I would be seeing things I had never seen before, on the ground as well as in the sky. These pictures were taken with my humble Pentax 'Super A' 35mm film camera, which now belongs to a lady in Canada! I will let my pictures tell you the story of my first visit. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or anything you'd like to share.

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Home Sweet Home

A walk in the dunes

Hyena Footprints

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Moon setting behind mountains. Spot the quiver tree!

View from the top of Dune 22, Sossusvlei

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200 metres up on the ridge of Dune 22

Another big sandpit!

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Crow takes a bath in our hand-washing bowl!

Dune larks watch over our breakfast.

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Jutta & Goeran

Sesriem Canyon

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Young Springbok Male

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An out-of-focus Baboon! He was the dominant male, soon surrounded by his harem and babies who watched us warily and curiously.

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Melissa & me up the wrong mountain! (We meant to climb the one behind us to my left).

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Hugging a tree....

No, we didn't cause it to fall on its side - it was already like that - honest!

An upright tree.

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Desert road

Choir practise with Belinda & Maretha

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Ronney & Debbie

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I visited Maltahohe School, (the nearest town - 150km from the lodge) where I took my guitar and sang in the hot playground

Swimming lessons with the staff!

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Gervasius, me & Simon

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Ranger Vernon finds a barking gecko at night

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Ranger Marcelino gets stuck in the dunes The lower picture shows our abandoned vehicle as a speck in the distance as we were rescued!

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A staff outing to Dead Vlei

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In the shade of a 600-year-old dead tree at Dead Vlei

Melissa & me on my last day

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I gave a little concert for the staff at the staff village

Mmm...need to liven it up a little!

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That's more like it!

Ghostly Sossusvlei Dunes

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Ranger Nestor having his (one and only) guitar lesson!

A quiver tree

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Poisonous cactus

Maretha, me, Simon & teddies made by Dorette the manager's wife

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The SML soccer team! Coaching by Nestor (with the stick - he broke his foot)

The opposing goalkeeper didn't seem to have much to do....

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Sun-downers at Owl's Pan

Vincent & Vernon

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Life is harsh in the desert (Oryx)

Dead Vlei

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Staff walk through Dead Vlei

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Jafet, Zarian, Ruth & Johny walk toward Dead Vlei

Zarian & Ruth

With two old friends

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The CD!

All photos © Caroline Beevis 2018.

Website © Caroline Beevis