Room 10

Room 10

Room 10

Room 10

Butler Siegfried in an evening view of lodge

The lodge at night

Ranger on ATV (All-terrain vehicle)

The wine cellar (where I was frequently placed at mealtimes)

Evening dining

Lodge view

Lodge reception and restaurant area

Lodge villas at sunset

Dining outside under stars

The lodge villas' lights

Barely visible in the distance - the approaching Atlantic Ocean

In the distance - the South Atlantic ocean

Approaching the Lange Wand

A flyby at 'Lange Wand' (Long Wall), having just flown over 100km or so of endless red dunes

Directly over the Lange Wand where the high 'wall' of sand (between 100 and 200 metres in height) meets the cold, clear Atlantic Ocean

Lange Wand and wing tip

Flying over the Namib dunes

Dead Vlei (meaning: dead, lifeless, no water here ...) from the air

Dead Vlei from the air

Sossusvlei (meaning: a gathering of water) from the air

Flying over the 52 red dunes of Sossusvlei National Park

200-300 metre-high dune from above. One of the 52 giant dunes of Sossusvlei

Nadeet Education Centre, approx 75km from the Lodge

Nadeet accommodation (tents)

The Founder and Director - Viktoria Keding, a fabulous lady who set up and runs the whole Nadeet Centre, educating visiting Namibian children about the desert environment, natural resources, sustainability and conservation

Solar panels powering cookpots

The main classroom and eating area

The shower! Yes, everyone is rationed to one bucket of water per shower!

I met some of the children who were visiting there

These children are from schools around Namibia, who spend a week at NaDeet on a school trip

Always time for posing ...

The afternoon I arrived they were all making bricks from newspaper and water

Mixing the newspaper with water

Putting the mixture in the 'brick machine'

Allowing the bricks to dry in the sun (not difficult as it was January and the hottest time of year - 40 degree heat being normal

Arranging the bricks to dry out

Finished bricks

Drying in the sun

An experiment

An experiment

Night time. After a tasty dinner, it was my turn to teach a bit of astronomy, with the aid of images

Someone asking a question (hopefully I had the answer ...)

Children listening ...

Then outside for a bit of real astronomy. Saturn was visible, however there were quite a few clouds. It was extremely hot, even at night

Next morning we viewed the Sun through the special Solar Filter

Viewing the Sun

Back at the lodge at the telescope with some guests

Say cheese ...

Saturn taken with my Nikon Coolpix 4300 hand-held at the telescope eyepiece

The same with Jupiter and its four large moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto

Jupiter's cloud bands

Footprint (mine). This image was featured in Amateur Photography magazine

Entering Dead Vlei

Dead Vlei

Dead tree at Dead Vlei

I was then sent over to Bateleur Lodge in the Kruger Park, South Africa, as an experiment in Astronomy, and had the opportunity to go out on the game drives in the bush. On my first outing, we saw this cheetah

... and this one, who was finishing off a gourmet meal of a little antelope before she relaxed high up a tree. I took this photo and called it 'Supermodel'

Out on a drive we came across some buffalo

A very peaceful scene at sunset

Buffalo

Locking horns

A Solifuge (Sun) Spider sitting across an A4 sheet of paper. I had spent most of the night chasing this thing around me room after it ran up my leg whilst I was in bed. Not fun at 2am. Anyway, I eventually managed to catch it under a glass, whereupon it would be released by a ranger in the morning. It's also known as 'The Kalahari Ferrari' because although it's not poisonous, it runs like the wind!

One early morning drive brought us to some lions

Basking in the morning sun

... or dozing

... with one eye on the intruders

Mother and youngster suckling

Looking around

... and resting

I learned that it is a matriarchal society, dominated by the 'head' female, then younger females, whilst the males skulk around the perimeter

We encountered a whole host of hyena one early morning, following a night's hunting, just relaxing in the morning light

A very cute baby hyena

... full of life and curiosity

Some less favourable activities

Relieving himself ...

They were intrigued by the landrover's rubber tyres. Very peaceful and calm, not shy and very curious

Sniffing and nibbling the rubber tyres

Lots of continual bonding

Striding toward us

A young female

Fully alert

Beautiful coat

Several minutes later, the matriarch appeared with a 'I'll take no nonsense' look and demeanour

We also encountered this rhino mum and baby

Rhino mum

One evening we encountered some elephants - including this gorgeous baby elephant

Another matriarchal society

African elephant

Elephant greeting one morning

Elephant bum ... say no more

I love this image I took - I call it 'Elephant Map'. The lines, texture and contours look like a rugged terrain, contrasted by the delicate, soft lashes, and the general sense of dignity this elephant exuded

Be my friend!

A cluster of warthog bottoms!

Wildebeest - or 'Gnus' !!

Zebra scratching an itch