Matthew & Jen's World Trip: Thunderstorms, Snakes and Scorpions

Our trusty vehicle

It hasn’t stopped raining. Which is a little odd - especially given that we are going through the desert. So far, we have heard that “it rains about once every 5 years like this”, “this is the most rain we have had in 30 years” and today “this is the most rain we have had in 118 years”. There is no doubt however that as we are being rained on whilst walking across desert sand dunes all of us are thinking that this is something quite unique. And quite annoying.

No doubt about it, moving from the comforts of a hotel room that is cleaned daily with our linen and towels replaced to a tent that is either being rained on or collecting significant amounts of dew, is hard.

But more about the weather later. On our first morning we set off on the truck at 8 am for a town about 1 hours drive North where we went wine tasting across 4 vineyards for the day. The pours were generous and by the end of the second vineyard people were feeling pretty happy. We stocked up with some 11 bottles acquired across the vineyards, ranging from Whites to Pinotage (a Pinot Noir and Hermitage blend) to even a Sweet Red (which is something like Port).

Lunch was welcomed by everyone and served with a glass of wine (literally filled to the brim). We caught a glimpse of the royal wedding on the television before heading off to the final two vineyards. I slept well that night - perhaps a little too well. Jen had smartened up enough to know to spit, but I couldn’t bring myself to waste it...

We continued heading North for the next 5 days (or so). The weather started off ok. It had rained during the wine tasting, but only briefly. And that night we had had a hostel bed. The next day it was even pretty warm and we pitched our tents (for the first time) in a camp ground and enjoyed a good dry night. Not so much could be said for the following days.

It was after we crossed into Namibia that the real rain began. A couple of days ago at a small pit stop a sign outside a service station recorded some rainfall stats “2009: 205mm, 2010: 135mm, Jan-Apr 2011 over 400mm” - it’s May and it is still raining. Our first night, just across the Namibian desert, was spent in a campground again. It started really raining at about 5am. On that night Jen and I had slept in the truck on a flat surface at the front known as ‘the beach’. This is a privilege extended to the group in charge of cooking for that day. So we were very pleased to be able to pack up in a dry environment. We even thought how lucky we were to be sleeping inside when it rained -because, surely it couldn’t rain that much in the desert?

The weather did make for some great colour contrast

On our second day in Namibia we headed to Fish River Canyon - the second biggest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon. But it hadn’t stopped raining, and when we first arrived we couldn’t see much further than about 100 metres for the cloud. After about an hour the cloud passed and we managed to sneak in a few great views of the canyon. That night we went ‘bush camping’ which is really a nice way of saying putting the tents up on the side of the road. It was literally a race against the clock as we could see some dreadful weather approaching. Dark clouds, lightning and thunder all heading our way. Everyone could see it approaching and it was sheer panic to erect the tents and get the fly over the top. When it arrived it absolutely poured. We all huddled under a tarp that was put up alongside the truck and waited. The weather would come in waves. It would pour down for some 10 minutes or so before the bad weather passed. We would then have a brief respite before the next wave of bad weather. But the next bad weather spell could always be seen looming. Lightning displays on the horizon heralded a sense of impending doom. However, when it wasn’t raining the clarity of the air and absence of any light pollution allowed for great stargazing.

Most of the days involved long periods of driving. When it wasn’t raining the sides of the truck would be rolled up and we could see the landscape pass along outside. However the very peculiar weather that we are experiencing and the wind of moving could make for it to be pretty cold sitting down. We have been wearing our down jackets almost every day since leaving. When it is raining the sides need to be taken down and there is very little to be seen. Time is passed either talking to your neighbour, reading or sleeping. Playing cards is possible, but very difficult due to the wind and the bumpiness of the roads.

Dune 45 (I think...)

Sossusvlei in Namibia are the famous red sand dunes where I believe parts of Star Wars were filmed. Sossusvlei was a real highlight for a number of reasons. The drive in was simply amazing. Namibia has been an incredible pretty country with a large variety of dramatic landscapes and fantastic colours. But the vast red sand dunes, carrying on for miles and miles are something else entirely. Sossusvlei itself is, I think, an Oasis in the sand dunes where water collects. There was a small lake at the bottom of the dunes feeding all sorts of life. Not too far away from this lake was an area which once had a similar lake but had long ago dried out. The ‘dead‘ area is littered with perfectly erect dead trees which we were told are over 800 years old. The wood doesn’t decompose due to the lack of moisture and organisms in the desert sands. It felt evil - especially given the bad weather we were experiencing.

Sossusvlei Oasis in the Background

The idea at the end of the day is that we would climb the ‘famous‘ dune 45 (although no one could tell us exactly why it is famous) to watch the sun set. As it was raining and overcast no sunset was visible but we still climbed to the top! Our climb was accompanied by one of the most bizarre and scary things either of us have experienced in a very long time. Not too far from the top we could hear a humming sound - a mix of the static you would hear as you tune between radio stations and the hum from a power line (carrying a large voltage). When this humming sound was accompanied by a bright white light we were positively freaked out. Jen wanted to turn around, and so did I, but being so close to the top, it only made sense to finish our ascent and take the trodden path back down. I ran to the top - I was so scared of the electric humming sound and thoughts of being struck by lightning. Reaching the top, we discovered that the humming sound could be controlled by lifting one’s hands towards the sky. The higher you would raise your arm the louder the noise. And the noise started when your arm was at about chest height! The only other person up there decided to use their camera to film the experience. I was just too scared of being struck by lightning to touch anything that carried an electric charge and even thought about ditching the camera for a few seconds.

Going down the dunes was much more fun...

800 year old dead trees - evil looking...

Fair to say we only stayed at the summit of Dune 45 for about 1 minute before hightailing it back down. Once at the bottom the humming noise had disappeared and moving ones arms towards the sky no longer had any effect. Whew. As we left Dune 45 the storm had fully arrived with lightning and thunder almost directly overhead.

We managed to drive out of the weather (at least temporarily) and our campsite was thankfully dry for a few hours. Someone found a scorpion on the way to their tent. We all rushed over, encircled it and started to take photos. It rained again that night with more spectacular thunder and lightening - we could feel the ground rumble with the thunder! The bad weather carried on all through the next day. We were told to be careful of scorpions as we packed up our tents, but everyone was so busy getting wet that no one really cared too much. Luckily no one was bitten.

That next day the sides of the truck were kept down for almost the whole day. We stopped as we passed through the Tropic of Capricorn for the obligatory photos alongside the signs. A nearby rock was housing a snake which once again was receiving a lot of attention and getting quite a few photos.

Fortunately our guides decided to ditch plans for another night of camping and we have subsequently been enjoying beds and a roof over our heads in Swakopmund, (the adventure capital of) Namibia.