May
1st,
2011 (February 2011) – Sossusvlei. It looks and sounds like a
nonsense word. The more I say it the more ridiculous it becomes. The
‘-vlei’ rhymes with ‘way’. Need remedial help? Go here.
I did. It is a name worthy of Dr. Seuss himself and would blend
marvelously in the pages of one of his books. Roughly
translated ‘Sossusvlei’ signifies something along the lines of
‘dead end marsh’. Rarely does the Tsauchab River accumulate
sufficient capacity and thrust to inundate the area but it does
occur. Thankfully, we were fortunate enough to be
present at such a time.
Another
early rise. Another cup of Nescafe Espresso. I can almost smell the
instant coffee now. Unfortunately, the park staffers were late
arrivals so we missed the sunrise but we still made it to the
temporary lakes of Sossusvlei in time for the color spectacle.
I was hoping we would have the place to ourselves but, alas, those
with their own 4wds beat us to the punch. Fiddlesticks. No matter, it
was still a sight to behold and worth every moment spent absorbing
it.
After
negotiating the lagoons I made my way up the nearest dune. The most
visually appealing route turned out to be the least expedient and
sapped a fair amount of my strength. Dune slogging may be the perfect
cardio workout although the apparatus may a bit difficult to come by.
Once atop my sandy perch I soon forgot the effort it took to arrive
there. What a view. My awe soon turned to laughter, however, when I
noticed some unfortunates following my footsteps through the sand.
They must have assumed I’d taken the easiest route. You know what
happens when you assume. They never made it. Poor bastards.
I
used my last opportunity to skip down the side of a dune wisely. With
video camera in hand I bounced my way groundward with childish
exuberance all the while singing my adaptation Tom Petty’s
song, Running Down a
Dream
Dune.
There are worse ways to spend a morning.
