Living in Namibia has definitely allowed me to relate more and more to those passages in the Bible referring to the dry and weary land. Namibia is mostly a vast desert, stretching as far as the eye can see. It’s incredible to realize how big this country actually is! I have roughly measured this country in hours… it’s about 16 hours tall and 6 hours wide. (That’s driving about 100km/hr—about 62m/hr.)

Even with its harsh climate, Namibia is beautiful! Each section of the country offers such a different experience. You have the coast and dunes of Swakopmund, the villages in Rundu, the canyon in the south, the urban environment of Windhoek, the safari plains of Etosha, and the desert scenery in Sossusvlei… which was our next stop.

I had been to Sossusvlei once before (remember my blown tires and burned out clutch?!). Thankfully, this time around was a lot less problematic. We stayed at the Namib Desert Lodge, a neat place but unfortunately quite far from the gates of Sossusvlei. We had to wake up super early Monday morning in order to get to the dunes in time for sunrise. The early morning was well worth it! The sun colored the dunes with rich pinks and oranges. The springbok, ostriches, and oryx were all out having their breakfast.

We rode one of the safari vehicles into the sandy area and trekked across the desert to Dead Vlei. This area has dead acacia trees that are perhaps as old as 500 years. It was one of the most incredible sights I’ve ever seen. I loved roaming around the trees, feeling like I was in some crazy movie where people get accidentally teleported to a strange planet.