UFO spotting on the way to Sossusvlei

I was up early looking forward to getting out of town where the simple things like turning left or turning right at an intersection would no longer challenge my understanding of the universe. Plus the earlier I got out of town the fewer people I would entertain with my driving skills. As I left Windhoek I went through a check point in which they verified my International Drivers Permit, those without a permit or local license were asked to pull over, best $15 I spent. The guard at the check point asked where I was going to which I replied “Sossus-vail” having not yet heard the correct pronunciation. He laughed and said “Sossus-flay” (actually spelled Sossusvlei) and I said yes I am. He waved me and my Nissan Xterra Crossover through. Only five short hours and I would reach my first destination, Sossusvlei.




As I left town I noticed there were a lot of hitchhikers, and as much as I could have used a navigator I did not stop.


Along the way you keep your windows closed for two reasons. One, the insurance does not cover cleaning the inside and every time I looked behind me I saw nothing but a cloud of dust. And two, it’s like a thousand degrees out there and you need the air conditioning on at all times.


I quickly learned that while I had been given directions such as “turn right here”, “turn left there”, there were no distances. So I had no idea if my right turn was 2 kilometers or 200 kilometers, which had me second guessing myself a number of times. While I enabled my phone for worldwide services I did not also enable worldwide data services, so Google maps was not an option here. And to be honest I never checked my phone so I have no idea if I even had a signal anyway.




The roads in a way were kind of like driving in snow in that they were squirrelly and loose, if you did not pay attention you would quickly end up in the ditch.


And if you did end up in the ditch good luck. I was lucky to see another driver at best once an hour, so you are going to be on your own and stuck for a while.




The road was rough and bumpy. You no longer drove on the left or right side, but drove where you thought it was most smooth. The last thing I want to do right now is change a tire or break down. At this point the knuckles on my right hand were raw due to my constant banging of them in to the door as I went to shift, forgetting this was now a left handed task.




I was also constantly looking up to the right to check my rearview mirror, unfortunately the rearview mirror was up to the left. Although I’m not sure it mattered as every time I looked back I saw nothing but a cloud of dust.


I believe there are UFOs out there yet I have never seen one or have any evidence to support such claims. As I was reviewing my video for this blog I came across this footage which clearly shows something. Something I missed during the time of filming. Otherwise I would have stopped to investigate further. It’s clearly not a reflection in my window and outside of my car as in the video you can see it follows the movements of the background and not the car. But that’s about all I can say, so like many UFO videos this one too is largely inconclusive.


I headed over Spreetshoogte Pass and the winds were insane, almost blowing me over the edge as I got out to take a few pictures.






The winds would not die down as I approached my final destination, The Desert Homestead Lodge.




Before checking in I drove to the entrance of the Namib-Naukluft park to check out the entry fees and refuel. The entry fees seemed to be based on your country of origin. They ask for your passport and then gave you a cost of entry. This was just a reconnaissance mission today as I would be entering the park tomorrow. With full knowledge in hand I went to check in at the lodge. The Desert Homestead Lodge was nice but about an hour’s drive away from Sossusvlei, which means I would need to get up very early tomorrow in order to avoid the heat of the day.


Open air shower.


Hot water.


My Homestead.


The view from my Homestead.




The wildlife, I would eat one of these in the near future.




I noticed that there were a lot of Germans here and wondered why? Was the movie The Cell a breakout hit in Germany? Were they even down here in search of Sossusvlei? I would later find out that they were not. My quest was my own. Tomorrow I would fulfill another of my dreams. It was by no means easy to get here, but it would prove to be a real place, a place so surreal that I would question its very existence on the planet Earth.

VIDEO: Namibia - Day 15 - Windhoek to Sossusvlei