Eventually the weather improved and we ventured back to Luderitz to visit the Diamond ghost town of Keetmanshoop. The town grew up in the height of the diamond trading times at the turn of the century. As new mining methods took hold and the residents moved further towards Luderitz, the town's houses were just left to the elements. Today the houses still stand but are gradually being engulfed by the desert dunes that surround them. After visiting the doctors the blood tests produced a negative result for malaria, which was a great relief. Perhaps it was an absence of red wine in Rich's blood stream after all. Either way Rich was in the clear, feeling much better, and the weather was gradually improving...it was time to hit the dunes. As a group we decided to take a guided tour into the desert with Piet from Klein Aus Vista. The route took us through the Namib Naukluft park where the excessive rains had meant that the sand dunes had a greenish tinge. It was beautiful to see the dunes at dawn as oryx and antelope grazed in the grass below. The day's driving was great fun. The boys were all competitive to see who's vehicle could get to the top of the highest dune. We were all shown up by petrol Toyota Prado with a high rev count that managed to get to the top easily. Our heavier Landies and Toyotas, however, struggled to make it to the top (Tim, we know this will make you chuckle!). After numerous attempts the lads had to give up their pride and headed for an alternative route. A cold beer at the summit and a smacker from the wives made the dune defeat more palatable. The final part of the day included driving up sheer slip faces and hitting high dunes at speed. The Toyota Prado managed to get stuck a number of times at the top (hurrah!). As this was our final dune ascent Rich powered on and managed to jump the dune, much to the disbelief of others. Biggles might be a thirteen year old Land Rover but, true to his name, he certainly can fly! After such a wet and disappointing few days at Sossusvlei we were pleased to have had such a fun day.