We drove further north into the stark wilds of Namibia, past folded sand dunes and vast sprawling deserts, some areas glittering in the sunlight with sparkling minerals. Eventually some dramatic mountains jutted sharply up high from the flat plains. I was madly photographing these distant sharply shadowed monoliths from the bus window until Johnny said that we were going there next. I eased off a bit with the clicking.
Before we arrived at these fabulous mountains, known as Spitzkoppe, the bus stopped at a small gem market on the side of the road. The poor desert people gather these semi-precious stones and flog them off to the travellers for a pittance. The rocks were beautiful, and yes we bought some, but my main fascination were the giant crickets that were strolling around everywhere. Gorgeous!
Only too soon we re-boarded the bus and closed in on the distant rocky mountains.
As we approached the rocky monoliths they appeared to rise higher and higher out of the desert. One major dagger-like piece reared higher than the other more rounded mountains. They were obviously ancient granite that had been exposed by erosion from the surrounding very-different geology which harbored those glittering gems. The local people had multiple wobbly timber roadside stalls selling beautiful rocks to the passers-by.
Another set of bush timber stalls we stopped at was run by a tribe who were covered in ochre and had the most amazing hair dos on the women. Georgie bought a bracelet and took multiple photos of the gorgeous children. At this place were the incredible huge crickets as well.
Once we arrived at the mountains some of us went with a local guide to see the San (or Bushmen) paintings. We wandered around this almost mystical environment for a while, clicking madly at this fantastically photogenic scenery. The huge smooth granite tors contrasted so much with the surrounding varied and undulating desert floor.
