So, finally we were heading north from Aus, which we had now visited 4 times, and will visit twice more, if all goes to plan. We had had to change our plans, having stayed in Lüderitz the previous night, and would have to return to Lüderitz to return the rental 4x4 and pick up our car. We were not going to be able to get to Sesriem camp that night, however Allison at Cardboard Box travel did a great job finding a place for us en route to Namib Naukluft Lodge, which was booked for the subsequent two days, and also a room in a separate lodge for the next two, so that we would be spending the same time in the Namib Naukluft / Sossusvlei area, although we would be seeing these in the reverse order to the original plan, and would not be camping since the rental 4x4 we had found was not set up for this. Our story for this post can be divided into four themes:
Así que, finalmente nos dirigimos al norte de Aus, que ya habíamos visitado 4 veces, y visitaremos dos veces más, si todo va como lo planeamos. Tuvimos que cambiar nuestros planes, habiendo estado en Lüderitz la noche anterior, y tendremos que volver a Lüderitz para devolver el 4x4 de alquiler y recoger nuestro coche. No íbamos a ser capaces de llegar a Sesriem campamento esa noche, sin embargo Allison de Carboard Box Travel hizo un gran trabajo en encontrar un lugar para nosotros en el camino a Namib Naukluft Lodge, que estaba reservado para los dos días siguientes, y también una habitación en una cabaña distinta para los próximos dos, de modo que a pesar de los cambios pasaremos el mismo tiempo en el Namib Naukluft / Sossusvlei zona, aunque estaremos viendo éstos en el orden inverso al plan original, y no estaremos acampando, porque la 4x4 de alquiler no está habilitada para esto. Nuestra historia para este post se puede dividir en cuatro temas:
Namib Naukluft Lodge: we then travelled north to this lodge, which is set among kopjes at the edge of the desert. It became clear that for most (if not all) visitors it is a place from which to visit Sossusvlei, and so it seemed to create consternation when we asked the staff for suggestions for things to do other than go to Sossusvlei, which we planned to do later. However Sven, son of the owner of the property, gave us some good suggestions: we went to see the petrified dunes, a little further south, which can be reached from Namib Desert Lodge. The staff there were most welcoming and we undertook a 5 Km walk, along the base of the petrified dunes, and then up the escarpment and on up to an amazing viewpoint on top of a “living dune”, from which we could see gemsbok grazing in the valley below, unusually green after recent rains. We enjoyed the “Sunset Drive”, to the Marble Mountains, seeing gemsbok, springbok, and giraffe on the way, and enjoying a conversation with Michael, from the Ovambo region, whose village we hope to visit later. We also visited Solitaire, a fuel stop/general store/garage/bakery/café/Cheetah Conservancy, and then explored the roads leading to the north and then east of the Naukluft mountains, on our way to the “Elegant Desert Lodge”, our next stop. The people at Namib Naukluft Lodge were friendly, helpful, and interested in our trip, as well as offering a setting on the edge of the desert where we were able to enjoy more than the “standard” tourist offer. 
Sossusvlei: this is one of the key draws for visitors, a long river valley leading out into the Namib Desert through tall dunes, iconic for Namibia. We visited the area twice, to take advantage of the lighting at different times of day. First in the late afternoon, with the sinking sun illuminating the dunes from the west. The following morning we rose early to arrive at the park entrance at sunrise, joining a large number of visitors in what is clearly the local rush hour: a long line of 4x4s, vans, buses, and long-haul overland trucks waiting to head west to the end of the excellent tar road to visit the key dunes and vleis. We then saw the dunes illuminated from the east, and later in the day, in the flat light of midday, so that we saw a surprising range of colours and shades, giving the sense of seeing different topography at each different time of day. The Dead Vlei, with 800 year old dead trees caught in the hard salt clay, against a backdrop of high dunes, is unforgettable. 
Sossusvlei: este es uno de los principales atractivos para los visitantes, un largo valle fluvial que desemboca en el desierto de Namib a través de altas dunas, emblemáticas de Namibia. Visitamos la zona dos veces, para aprovechar la iluminación en diferentes momentos del día. Primero en la tarde, con el sol bajando iluminando las dunas desde el oeste. A la mañana siguiente nos levantamos temprano para llegar a la entrada del parque al amanecer, y unirnos a un gran número de visitantes en la que claramente es la hora pico local: una larga línea de 4x4, furgonetas, autobuses, y camiones de turismo que esperan para dirigirse hacia el oeste, a través de la excelente carretera para visitar las dunas y vleis indicadas. Entonces vimos las dunas iluminadas desde el este, y más tarde en el día, a la luz plana del mediodía, de modo que vimos una sorprendente gama de colores y sombras, dando la sensación de ver diferentes topografías en cada momento del día. El Vlei Muerto, con arboles muertos con 800 años de antiguedad atrapados en la arcilla de sal dura, en un fondo de altas dunas, es inolvidable.
Breakdowns/breakdowns: these few days included several situations which illustrate the challenges of driving in the area, as well as the fact that, at least in this region, help is always at hand, although it may take some time to resolve the problems involved:
A Minibus – we came upon a minibus stranded at the side of the road. Its wheel studs had broken off, and the wheel was also torn apart. A group of young people was sitting at the roadside, in high temperatures, dehydrating while awaiting a solution, which was reportedly on the way, A couple had stopped to help, and between our two vehicles we took the group to Duwisib Castle, to await help.
A Tour truck – another group was stranded at the roadside, their truck having run out of diesel. We took the driver to his lodge to pick up fuel.
A Rental car – a pair of young guys were investigating a leak from the radiator of their rented car, and considering means to fix this to allow them to return to Windhoek. Marce offered potential temporary fixes, however in the end they elected to follow the instructions of the rental company and wait for a replacement car. The driver’s side window had also been shattered by a stone thrown upo by a passing vehicle. It should be noted that the car was highly inappropriate for the conditions, being a small low sedan with highway tyres, so it was in fact surprising that they had had experienced only these problems so far.
A Rental 4x4 – on the way to Sossusvlei a rental 4x4 experienced a loose wheel, which upon investigation turned out to be loose wheel nuts, resulting in loss of one stud and nut. The wheel was removed and the remaining studs and nuts appeared to be in good condition, so replacing the wheel, tightening the remaining 5 of the 6 wheel nuts, and checking these frequently thereafter seemed to suffice to allow the journey to continue (note that this was our own rental vehicle...!).
Averías / averías: en estos pocos días se incluyeron varias situaciones que ilustran los retos de conducir en la zona, así como el hecho de que, al menos en esta región, siempre hay ayuda, aunque puede tomar algún tiempo resolver los problemas involucrados :
1) Un minibús - nos encontramos con un minibús varado en el lado de la carretera. Sus clavos de rueda se habían roto, y la rueda también se desgarró. Un grupo de jóvenes estaba sentado a la orilla del camino, en altas temperaturas, deshidratándose mientras esperaban una solución, que según se informa estaba en camino; con el vehículo de una pareja que se había detenido y el nuestro llevamos al grupo al castillo de Duwisib, a esperar ayuda.
2) Un camión de turismo - otro grupo estaba varado en la carretera, su camión se había quedado sin gasóleo. Llevamos al conductor a su Lodge para recoger combustible.
3) Un coche de alquiler - un par de chicos jóvenes estaban investigando una fuga del radiador de su coche alquilado, y considerando los medios para arreglar esto para permitirles regresar a Windhoek. Marce ofreció arreglos temporales potenciales, sin embargo al final eligieron seguir las instrucciones de la compañía de alquiler y esperar un automóvil de reemplazo. La ventana lateral del conductor también había sido destrozada por una piedra lanzada por un vehículo que pasaba. Cabe señalar que el coche era altamente inapropiado para las condiciones, siendo un pequeño sedán bajo con neumáticos de carretera, por lo que era de hecho sorprendente que sólo hubiesen experimentado estos problemas hasta el momento. Cuando volvimos al Lodge al final del día ellos aún estaban esperando...
4) Un alquiler de 4x4 - en el camino a Sossusvlei un 4x4 de alquiler experimentó una rueda suelta, que tras la investigación resultó que todas las tuercas estaban sueltas, y un clavo se había perdido,. Cuando fue retirada la rueda los restantes clavos y tuercas restantes parecían estar en buenas condiciones, por lo que la rueda fue reinstalada, y demando verificaciones verificándolas frecuentes para permitir continuar el viaje (en este caso era nuestro propio vehículo de alquiler ...!).
So, after exploring the area, we are ready to return to Lüderitz to pick up our own car again.
Así que, después de explorar la zona, estamos listos para volver a Lüderitz para recoger nuestro propio coche.
Abrazos,
Alan & Marce
Photos may be used for non-commercial purposes with credit to alanymarce@gmail.com / Las fotos pueden ser usadas para propósitos no comerciales con crédito a alanymarce@gmail.com
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