After the morning’s boat cruise (see Attack of the Pelicans post), we did some 4-wheeling over the sand dunes in the afternoon.  Namibia is well known for the vast dunes, and this was our chance to see them up close and personal.  We were glad for an experienced professional driver, as the above image shows the kind of dunes we climbed and descended through.

Before we headed into the sand though, we were presented with the most luxurious lunch you can imagine.  It looked like a wedding scene from a classic early 20th century movie.  After starting with champagne and fresh oysters on the half shell (right), we sat down at an elegant white table cloth table (left) and were fed a gourmet meal you would normally only expect to find in a 5-star restaurant.

Wow, Squiver (the tour group that set all this up) really knows how to keep things interesting!

A large storm passed through the area the day before we arrived.  We were lucky, both from having missed the storm itself, and for seeing the pristine dunes with all footprints (and car tracks) eradicated by the storm’s wind.

The wall of sand was too tall to be able to remain stable against the surf, resulting in numerous “sandfalls” (bottom).

We were driven over parts of the sand dunes, and were encouraged to climb other parts (upper left).  The dunes themselves ran right up to the beach (bottom), with the surf constantly eating away at the pile, only to be rebuilt again by the strong winds of the region.

There are very few animals to found on the dunes, yet life always seem to survive in the harshest environment. We did see a couple of jackals looking for dead fish that came in with the tide (left).  The shore’s edge was also the home to another flock of flamingos.

Last night (the day before the boat and sand dune trips), we stayed up late to take some starscape photos.  My camera tripod blew over and was damaged, but Evelyn was in a more sheltered location and got the above image of the arch at Spitzkoppe with the Milky Way behind it.