Welcome

I first traveled to Africa back in 2009 and the flight times alone illustrated how big this continent is, which meant there is much more to explore, and seemed the perfect place to start planning my next journey.

In 1999 a movie called Instinct came out, people either found it incredibly powerful or just did not get it. For me, it was an awakening, commenting on civilized man or "takers" by using the mountain gorillas as a platform. With only 600 left in the wild I was running out of time to see these amazing creatures in their natural environment, so Uganda quickly made my short list of destinations.

In 2000 a movie called The Cell came out, and while the message and movie itself was not all that great, the opening sequence was beautiful. A few months later I was told that it was a real place, I could not believe it, it must just be a rumor and was really a set in Hollywood. It was just too surreal to exist on Earth. But I was wrong, it is real. So The Dead Vlei in Namibia also made its way on to my list.

With the large travel distances involved I wanted to include one more destination, and Botswana was kind of in the middle of the two so it made sense to go on safari again. In 2009 I was on safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, which impressed with their vast open vistas. So Botswana would make a perfect complement offering a completely different experience in the marsh lands of the Okavango Delta.

Now all that was left was finding someone to pull this all off. This would prove to be the hardest part. No one was able to get exactly what I wanted that was anywhere near my price range, including the company I used on my first trip to Africa. Unfortunately most Americans don’t travel as much as they should, which I don’t understand? How can you expect to grow and learn when you never leave home? So after some searching I found Jay at Africa Travel Resource, based out of the U.K. Not only could he put together the exact trip I wanted, but also all within my price range.

After a doctor visit and a few booster shots I was packed and on my way to Seattle’s International Airport feeling that wonderful euphoric feeling as I boarded British Airways to start my journey. [Begin the Return to African Journey]

VIDEO: Trip Introduction

Home
Whistler

Previous Destinations
Australia
Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam)
The Alaskan Wilderness
Peru
Africa (Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya, South Africa)
Northwest Asia (Bhutan, Myanmar)
Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, South Korea)

Next Destinations
Ayahuasca in the Amazon (Peru)
Mayan Cosmology (Belize, Guatemala)
Philippines
Jordan
San Pedro in the Sacred Valley (Peru)
Mongolia
Indonesia

- phynntravels@comcast.net

Reflections

“I wanna hide the truth
I wanna shelter you
But with the beast inside
There’s nowhere we can hide

No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come”

- Imagine Dragons

There is still truth in this world. I had to return to nature in order to once again find it. It teaches us many lessons. It shows us how we are supposed to live. The answer is right there, beyond the obstacles we create all by ourselves. I remember things I long ago forgot. And there, away from everything I know, away from everything I have ever learned, I found peace and harmony. If I could only break through the world’s ego and share it, but then we all have impossible dreams. So I'll continue to wonder through this incarnation unable to imagine what dragons might lie ahead, this is my kingdom come, this is my kingdom come....

"Free yourself and see the world"
- phynntravels@comcast.net

The Long Journey to Seattle, Washington

Wow, what an amazing journey, I got to see and do things most people do not even know you can see and do. But the sad part of this adventure was starting, it was time to “go ome to my ouse” (nope, I’m not missing the letter H).

My marathon run would start at 2AM this morning. While my alarm was not set to go off until 4AM I was worried about being late, driving problems and missing planes, and could sleep no more. I showered and somehow managed to hang out until 4AM when I hit the road for my 5 hour drive back to Windhoek. Yup, got my passport. I think I once read something about not diving when it was dark out, but I had a plane to catch. I was in for a treat in that today’s drive was on tarmac, unfortunately the warmer coastal water mixing with the cold night air made for some of the creepiest fog I have ever been in. Tarmac or not I had no idea if I was on a road or not.

I somehow got to the airport and returned my rental car. I then hung out for two hours before I would board the two hour British Airways flight to Johannesburg. Yup, got my passport. I was flying British Airways all the way home so I could check my bag and worry about it again once the carousel started spinning in Seattle.

I had four hours in Johannesburg and fortunately had enough cash left over to get something to eat and drink without having to visit an ATM again. Yup, got my passport. I then boarded my 11 hour flight to London Heathrow in which I started a number of different movies, unfortunately they were all terrible and I finished none of them.

Three hours in London and I would then board my final nine hour flight to Seattle. I landed in the U.S. and went through immigrations and customs without anyone asking where I was or taking my temperature to see if I was bringing back a little Ebola. Yup, got my passport, in case anyone wants to check it? And just like that, after months of research and planning, it was over in the blink of an eye. But it was another experience of a lifetime. It would take me over two months to process it, over two months to understand and appreciate it, over two months to go through over 5,000 photos, over two months to review over 4 hours of video. And now it is just a memory, another series of lessons learn, now a part of who I am and what defines me.

VIDEO: Return to Africa - Reflections

The Ocean Meets the Dunes in Sandwich Harbour

I got up this morning and they served my breakfast right on my front porch, it was great. It was also great to see both my car and the guy outside guarding it in fairly good condition. This has been a very, very full trip and I have a very, very long journey home tomorrow. I originally considered heading up the Skeleton Coast to see the shipwrecks, however it turned out to be further than I thought so I took a more relaxing tour down to Sandwich Harbour. This is where the dunes meet the sea and there is only a limited window to get in and out due to the tides. Some flamingos as we headed out of town.


The dunes appeared in the distance. While not as impressive as Sossusvlei they were still pretty cool being right on the ocean.






While my guide was nice he did not care for black people, which you might find strange as we were in Africa. However, Namibia and South Africa are not only geographically close but their people and economy are also tied to each other. My guide reminisced about the good ole days of the apartheid when a white person could still find work in South Africa. He claimed he had to come to Namibia in order to be hired as a white person. While there might be a grain of truth buried in there someplace I’m pretty sure I saw white people working while in South Africa. I found the grains of sand more interesting.








And they were right, the ocean comes right up to the base of the dunes.




There was an older couple in the vehicle with me and while they took pictures of the birds I headed up one of the dunes.








Beautiful views, nothing but ocean on one side.








And sand dunes on the other side.






We were over staying our welcome and had to make a mad dash in order to get out before the tide came in and trapped us until the evening.






It was a nice relaxing end to the tour part of my trip and I kicked back with a beer at the guesthouse before turning in very, very early as I would be getting up very, very early.

VIDEO: Namibia - Day 18 - Sandwich Harbour

The Drive to the Funky "Beach Town" of Swakopmund

I had experienced what I came here to experience, the Dead Vlei, but as long as I put in the time and effort to get here I might as well check out what else Namibia has to offer. So today I would be driving up to Swakopmund, to what I was told was a funky beach town. The first five hours looked like this.




I then crossed the Tropic of Capricorn. This was the first sign I encountered that was complete and dust free. Along the way I would encounter a number of signs that had me getting out of the car in order to brush off the dust to confirm that I was going the right way. Sometimes the signs were broken and parts were missing, however there were always at least enough letters for me to match and confirm I was heading in the right direction.


The last hour was actually quite nice as I drove up the coast from Walvis Bay to Swakopmund.








I got to the Brigadoon Guesthouse and like the rest of my accommodations it was a perfect fit for me. I checked in and then went to check out the town. While this is a beach town it’s not a great beach town and I’m not sure why anyone would vacation here. Few restaurants and bars, and not much of a beach.




Even the shops and downtown had a lot to be desired.




The fake beach fit well with the fake Starbucks.


I never had a language problem this whole trip until I got to Swakopmund. It was not because I did not speak Afrikaans, it was because I did not speak German. For whatever reason the Germans seem to love this place and vacation here. I originally thought “Great, there must be a number of places to get a beer and bratwurst. My afternoon will be filled with activities.” I was wrong. There was a single German restaurant with a very limited beer selection and a sub-par bratwurst and sauerkraut. So I’m still at a complete loss as to why Germans vacation here. There is probably a Wikipedia entry to explain this so I’ll let you do your own research.










The local lighthouse.


After a disappointing lunch I went in search of a cure for my depression.


A Windhoek lager is just what the doctor ordered.


I returned to the Brigadoon Guesthouse where there was a guard outside keeping an eye on my car, which was nice but also concerning. What has happened in the past that he needs to be here on guard.


Even the TV illustrated how the Germans have infiltrated Swakopmund.


For dinner I headed out to the limited selection of restaurants. I found one that served oryx, however it was so heavy covered with peppercorn and garlic sauce that I have no idea what the actual meat tasted like. I'm going to need another Windhoek lager.


At least the views were acceptable.


And with that I walked back to the guesthouse and turned in for the night. How could anything live up to my Dead Vlei experience, from this point on it was just filler. I just hope the minibar had enough "filler" for this evening.

VIDEO: Namibia - Day 17 - Swakopmund

The Dead Vlei is Actually a Real Place

I got up early this morning ready to again break their recommendation about not driving when it is dark out. Once again the stars were amazing and you could even spot a few satellites passing over. While it would be scorching hot during the day it was freezing cold at night, so I put on my jacket and turned on the heat in the car. As I began my one hour drive to the Namib-Naukluft park I was violently shaking, either from the cold or from the road conditions, I’m not sure which one. At the park entrance I paid the price for a U.S. citizen to enter and then waited for them to open the gate as it is only open sunrise to sunset. It was another 30 minutes from the gate to the dunes and they started to emerge from the ground as I approached.






Along the way I stopped to get out and check the sand. It’s red because this is the oldest desert in the world, around 80 million years old, and the iron has started to oxidize.




I then came across Namibia’s most iconic image, dune 45. It’s called this because it is 45 kilometers from the entrance gate.




This area is frequently referred to as Sossusvlei, however that is incorrect. The whole area is called the Namib-Naukluft Park. Vlei means shallow lake or marsh area and in the park there are three Vlei(s), Sossusvlei, Ostrich Vlei (sometimes called Hidden Vlei), and Dead Vlei. I have no idea why there is not a space in Sossusvlei when there is one in Ostrich Vlei and Dead Vlei.




I then found some oryx and boy do they look tasty.






I had a two wheel drive and the last couple of kilometers require a four wheel drive so I would be parking and catching the shuttle. Here I would find the worst shuttle system in the world. They just kind of run whenever they feel like it, so you might be waiting in the parking lot for 30 minutes or so. But that is nothing compared to the return trip in which you could easily wait over an hour, and many of us made the long walk back. Boy with all this exercise today I can double up on my Windhoek lager tonight.


In front of me was “Big Daddy”, the tallest sand dune in the world around 330 meters or about 1100 feet.


I began the hike to the top.




About half way up I got my first glimpse of the Dead Vlei, the very reason I came to Namibia.




What was once a marsh is now nothing more then a salt pan.




I ran down the dune in to Dead Vlei and by the time I was at the bottom I was two pounds heavier then when I started. That was because this sand was so fine that no matter how tight you tied your shoes it found its way in, and a lot of it found its way in.


This place was surreal and if you told me I was abducted by aliens and they took me to their planet I would have believed you without question. No way this place exists on earth, it’s so foreign to me, so foreign to my perception, and it challenges reality. I only wish it could be captured digitally because right now you can only truly appreciate it by being here and experiencing it.


I’ve said this before but the simplest things in life have the most profound meaning. Blue skies, white ground, red dunes, and black trees, nothing more. But it’s all that is needed, you struggle to understand and are so appreciative to be here, a place you once thought was nothing more than a movie set. I wonder if Jennifer Lopez is still around here someplace.




Not many people know about this place and before I left many asked why was I going to Namibia. I can now answer them with “So I can take over 200 pictures of dead trees, oh and also search for Jennifer Lopez”. With no sign of Jenny, here are some cool pictures of dead trees.






A little over 900 years ago the sand dunes shifted and blocked the water source, the trees died and were left to scorch in the sun.






Because it is not well known there are not a lot of people here and there is an eerie silence that adds to the experience.










While the trees are not actually petrified they do not decompose because the wood is so dry.










Once again I was overcome with emotion. What started with a simple trip to the movies has manifested itself in reality.










It was quickly starting to get hot so I snapped a few more pictures before heading back.
















This is Sossusvlei and these are what the trees looked like before the water supply was cut off.




Before I left the park I also checked out Sesriem Canyon, which is nice to see if you are in the area but otherwise not worth stopping.




After the short hike through the canyon I headed back to the lodge fully satisfied with another amazing day. I filled up the car with petro as I wanted to get an early start in the morning on my six hour drive to Swakopmund. At this point it was like I never read that section about driving when it is dark out.

VIDEO: Namibia - Day 16 - Deadvlei