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On awakening Kenneth, the first sight we saw from his bedroom window was a herd of ostrich!  As we departed Grunau at 8.45am, we were waved farewell by two little local toddlers on the side of the track.  We gave them each some of our delicious grapes, for which they were very grateful.

Our morning trek took us along the B1 heading for Keetmanshoop.  It was at this point, we took a detour to Quiver Tree Forest.  The Quiver trees’ bark is used to make quivers to hold arrows!! They need very little water in their lifetime of between 200 and 300 years.  Nearby a female cheetah had just caught a darcie , and we observed with keen interest as we stood just 15 feet away, amazed at how it consumed  it’s prey from the inside out.

As we were leaving the forest, we were entertained by a group of meercats who played and chased each other across the barren land.  At 12 noon we were back en route, this time to Luderitz.  As we embarked on this stretch of our journey, we noticed some merchants selling their wares.  A sparkle immediately came to Kenneth’s eye, when two tables of stones were spotted. He found some gems!!!! After a fabulous barter, we drove off with an extremely contented crystologist (as he likes to call himself)!  The road to Luderitz took us over the Fish River and through some wonderful mountain scenery, where the hills were being bathed in golden sand and from time to time, the hills in the distance were a glow of red.

Another fabulous sight were the Garub wild horses galloping along the sands. It inspired you with a sense of their own freedom and as you gazed on, you could feel their wildness.

We arrived at Luderitz at 3.30pm. We found our night time abode and set off for a light snack.  I had heard the Luderitz oysters were particularly delicious and so I just had to sample them....... and I was just as impressed as those who had devoured them before me!

We loaded the car with a sufficiency of petrol and water, and after Rose and I had circumnavigated the town at least twice by foot, we returned to meet our guides and others joining us for the desert trip.

I wonder what will be in store for us tomorrow?!