After the adrenaline and activity of Swakopmund we were due a relaxing stop and our next destination was just that.

We had a short shop stop on the edge of Swakopmund before we were on our way shortly after 8. The drive took us through the mainly featureless expanse of the Namib desert, a hot, dry and hostile environment. The name Namib means "vast place" which seemed very apt to me. This coupled together with the fact very few people inhabit the area gave a great feeling of isolation with very little to disrupt the horizon in any direction.

We stopped a couple of times along the way to take photos of this unique scenery and to learn more about the desert trees and how they survive in such harsh conditions. We also made a stop as we reached and subsequently traversed the Tropic of Capricorn, marked at the roadside by a sign.

Arriving at our camp, in the middle of the desert, at around 1pm we made ourselves some cous-cous salad for lunch and tried to enjoy eating in the sparse shade that was available. Needless to say it was a very hot day and the rest of the afternoon was spent doing very little in the shade chatting and taking in the spectacular desert plains.

We reconvened around the kitchen for a dinner of fish and sweet potato taking full advantage of the light afforded to us by our new torch purchased in Swakopmund, invaluable in this place with no electricity for miles.

The following day, we had a lot to do so were ready in the truck early and on the road at 6.