I love to be satisfied. And I love to be eager for more!

[Paradise-on-Earth]

...as the bus drove on towards Svakopmund- our destination for the next 10 days, we watched in amazement how the landscape was changing. After the rainy season, the whole country is, allegedly, almost dry and desert-like. But now we discovered what I think is savanna- with the typical trees and some grass... we enjoyed seeing first time in our life termite mounds and trees with huge amounts of single weaverbirds nests- and then also the huge creations where whole colonies of weaverbirds build 1 single nest.

We marveled at short glimpses of ostriches and even giraffes, as the bus drove by, and while I was sleeping, others saw a pack of baboons close to a village! (I'd really prefer wolves over them, as they can't climb everywhere, open doors and windows!)



We also drove a short while through blooming desert, the sight felt completely surreal and as Paradise itself...



And then, the Namib, the driest desert on Earth, slowly started to close around us. It felt so strange to not see one bit of green anymore, in the glistening harsh sunlight! Hours and hours we drove through gray-white "nothingness". It does something with the mood... It felt overwhelming, to me. But then, just as I thought the land couldn't become any more hostile for life, we saw palm trees... and then an oasis opened up: Our lodge, 3 km apart from the city of Svakopmund!



The core-group of employees of the lodge- "our girls" (including Sam, the custodian) were greeting us with a song: "You are back! You are back!" ...The hosts of the trip, Günni and Karin, a couple high in their 70'ies, come here every year again since 20 years with their Paragliding-tours. And "the girls" thanked them for helping them to stay in business in all this often rough years! It was an incredibly touching moment!

And of course we SO ENJOYED sitting under the beautiful huge palmtrees, a cold drink and some yummie bites in our hand, and feeling embraced by the amazing beauty of the place! It was truly a "Halleluja" moment!



We had seen pictures of the lodge before, but being there was something really different- especially after 5 hrs drive through the desert! I breathed in the beauty- of the thoughtful design, the amazing plants, and the so very very friendly people. Sam immediately helped Günni and Karin who had brought a huge amount of extra bags and suitcases to hold all the equipment that we could lend from them. We others adored to explore our first time (and some of us the second or third time) our own little chalet...
It felt so sweet. It felt so promising and full of hope and good expectation for all the next days!



It felt literally as a "coming home" moment. So very, very, very thankful! Safe and sound. Welcome, embraced by the Goodness of Life and Earth. It felt as having chosen from the harsh contrast what I want, and having allowed it, too...



It felt rich, and blessed and in deepest appreciation. It felt as showered with beauty! Thank you, thank you, life!!

[spiritualcookie]

What is the "grassy scene"?

It's an area (visual scenery) that looks like it has some sort-of grass-like plants on it. Although looking closer at the photo perhaps it isn't grass at all but just bare earth with some of these wildflower plants on it.

I, too, wanted to look at the flowers closer. It's mainly 2 yellow sorts, as I have figured. They both feel in a way very humble...

There is an app I use on my phone called "Plantnet" which allows you to take photos of any plant, tree or flower and it gives you the identification. I love it! No more wondering what things are - and if you find something you'd like to grow in your own garden it helps you be able to buy it when you have the name

If it was for flower-remedies, I would describe their energy as "the joy to be in a huge group that gathers it's energy as a swarm-consciousness." It felt as an amazing, very basic JOY that simply is due to being alive!

[spiritualcookie]

This oasis-like scene reminds me a little of the scenery when I visited Israel - although this place you visited is at the opposite end of Africa to Israel. So beautiful! I love the different textures against the soft pastel sky, and the flowers in the background!

[Paradise-on-Earth]

What is the "grassy scene"?

It's an area (visual scenery) that looks like it has some sort-of grass-like plants on it. Although looking closer at the photo perhaps it isn't grass at all but just bare earth with some of these wildflower plants on it.

I, too, wanted to look at the flowers closer. It's mainly 2 yellow sorts, as I have figured. They both feel in a way very humble...

There is an app I use on my phone called "Plantnet" which allows you to take photos of any plant, tree or flower and it gives you the identification. I love it! No more wondering what things are - and if you find something you'd like to grow in your own garden it helps you be able to buy it when you have the name

Thank you!
Oh, I love this apps, that recognize flowers, trees, mushrooms- or sightseeing highlights, as buildings- or foreign languages. It is all SO HELPFUL and genius!!

i couldn't decipher from the bus if it's only the flowers. In many areas (as we, later in the trip, discovered) there are grasses, too- and it is amazing how it all starts to become green only 2 days after a rainfall... Nature is awesome!!

[Paradise-on-Earth]

This oasis-like scene reminds me a little of the scenery when I visited Israel - although this place you visited is at the opposite end of Africa to Israel. So beautiful! I love the different textures against the soft pastel sky, and the flowers in the background!

I adore how much you have traveled!
On the old Forum, some years ago was a member named "Hope" who lived in Israel, and she always was stunned how green Germany is, and that we have free access to meadows and lakes and rivers... in her place, it all would be fenced in, and most of the country would be desert anyway...

I wish so much Good, Peace and Joy to her especially, and all who are involved in any way in the big contrast there.

[spiritualcookie]

in her place, it all would be fenced in, and most of the country would be desert anyway...

when I was there in the centre and North of the country it didn't feel fenced in or very desert-like - at least in the areas I visited, though I believe in the South there is more desert Where I visited, they had a surprising amount of fruit trees in the suburbs! In front of the apartment building we stayed at, there was a big loquot tree full of orange fruits, and I even saw dragonfruits growing!


a loquot tree

Some highlights and examples of greenery I saw or heard about that can be found there:

Tel Aviv


An average suburban area (similar to the one where we stayed)


Zichron Yaakov


Haifa, Bahai Gardens


Some greenery you can find out in nature and in the forests there:



cyclamens in Givat HaRakafot (Cyclamen Hill), part of the Ramot Menashe Park in the Beit She’an Valleys.


Shokeda Forest in northern Negev

[Paradise-on-Earth]

when I was there in the centre and North of the country it didn't feel fenced in or very desert-like - at least in the areas I visited, though I believe in the South there is more desert Where I visited, they had a surprising amount of fruit trees in the suburbs! In front of the apartment building we stayed at, there was a big loquot tree full of orange fruits, and I even saw dragonfruits growing!

Oh, this all looks SO beautiful! I dream of seeing the world as the Paradise it is supposed to be- (and according to Abe, it's already done)!

Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge. How wonderful, so interesting and so precious!

[Paradise-on-Earth]

...Our "first day" at the Dunes...
the group -we had all the lodge for us alone- met up each morning to share a free breakfast from the buffet. Which also was the only place and time where we could get internet! (Well, AND in front of the then closed up breakfast-room, in the night).
Every day in the morning was the briefing for the day- where we would drive to fly, which special thing (as a boat-tour or driving Dune-buggies) we planned to do, and which place for dinner the group was choosing. We always were free to do our own thing, and Wolf and I did that, at 2 occasions, but most of the time the whole group went together.

I appreciated the so comfortable breakfasts- no work, just fun, and some new unknown food. "The girls" prepared each day a special salad, from sausage or boiled eggs, that really tasted so good together with cold cuts on toast! There were thin Pfannkuchen (or Crepes), European style, that we could eat with syrup or jam. We could order eggs scrambled or sunny side up, and it was such fun to see how some of our comrades had to learn this names! And there was fresh fruit and joghurts, every day- I loved it so much!

I was so very satisfied with the delicious food, and with the jokes and fun and friendly teasing that flew through the room back and forth, with the very happy atmosphere, and this true eagerness of almost all of us, for the upcoming day!






After breakfast we mostly had 30 minutes to pack up or rest, and then we drove together- always 4 people, in one of the fleet of 5 all-wheel SUV's. Then there was a short drive through the desert to the city of Svakopmund, where we visited a supermarket to shop food and WATER for the lunchbreak.

I appreciated this calm drive every day. It was such a nice warming up! It was such fun to explore in the different supermarkets, and to pick every day a different salad, or sandwich, or fruit, or piece of cake! It was such fun to go and explore a little bit in the household-section, or the candy-corner and see the differences between what I know from my country, and what was offered here. And, I SO appreciated to see "Africas most beautiful city", with the -allegedly- German style houses. Yes, Namibia was once a colony of Germany, and many street- and house-names still speak of that, but I have to deny that the houses are "German style"! But many are very beautiful. It was such joy to take it all in!



The coast of Namibia is one of the very rare places, where the Dunes of the desert flow directly into the ocean!

I appreciated the short stretch of road so much, where we drove right at the ocean! I was so eager to drive this street on and on... it would become an (official, legal) earth-road, literally driving on the wet, hard sand besides the waves of the ocean. I would SO have loved to do that! I am a lover of all ocean-coasts. I so enjoy the closeness of the sea.




When you look closely, you can see here 2 or our 5 cars speed through deep sand to our allowed place at the Dunes! As we drive a Jeep Wrangler ourselves, we have lots of experience with off road-driving, but we never had the opportunity before to drive in deep sand. It is an art form in itself, and it only works when you let out some air of the tires, until you are left with a low pressure of 0.8- 1.2 bar. Which must be filled up after the sand-driving, to not kill the tires on the normal road!

I appreciate to have experienced this!! It was such an adventure to learn to drive under these conditions- while having 20 strong men around that are very able to push even such a heavy car out, when the driver dug it in! It felt so safe, and it even felt funny! (While it only happened 2 times). I LOVED the wild ride- as long you move, you are not stuck! I LOVED how careful the drivers were, as well... I loved the whole, intense experience!





(Wolfgang is handling his all-red strong-wind-glider here, in the middle of the pic)

Then, the group built- each day new- a small camp along the cars, with a windbreaker- fence, camping-chairs and 2 shadow-tents. And then- there was PARAGLIDING! The group was provided with 2 exquisite flying teachers, and many already where flying really good themselves, and helped the newbies, as well.

I appreciated so much to experience the helping-together. Each one did what they could! I appreciated so much to witness good teaching. Never mean, never impatient, always friendly, but sometimes intense, and very uplifting. I appreciated to witness two silverbacks, so to speak, handle a bunch of nosy youngsters! I so loved to watch all the different types of humans... each one giving their own very best, trying to be happy, and not weighing others down when they had problems. And they ALL have their own bndle of contrast to carry. I ADORED to see the good in all of them! My heart was so filled with love- for them all, even the rascals!



The first night, we went to dinner to a pretty posh place in Svakopmund- "The Tug", right at the old Jetty.
I sooo appreciated this place! The Jetty is still from 1905, and it felt so awesome to be so very very close to the sea, that I could feel the waves in my body, when they rolled in! The restaurant Tug sort of assembles an old tug-boat, it's decorated with so much love! And the food was really, really good. But I sneaked out again and again, while it got dark outside- to see and hear and smell and FEEL the breakers on the construction of the terrace, and feel the spray on my face and my hands... and smell the salty air. Ohhhh, it felt SO GOOD!!!

[Paradise-on-Earth]

When we went in the next morning to the breakfast room, I saw a Springbock far in the distance. We knew even before we came here that a herd of wild Springbocks call the golf-course around the lodge their oasis-like home, and we saw them wander by, when we arrived. We even witnessed a few of them through our bathroom-window, out in the desert! And we saw many many more of them in the coming days, it must be around 50 animals. But it was such a joy to see one of them feed on the lush grass, while we had our own breakfast!

I appreciated this "wild" animal so very much, that- while still shy, had started to trust humans in such a bold way. It felt beautiful.It felt as worlds, touching and starting to merge. It was a great, touching gift to me!



One of the things that really were totally unknown to me was meeting nut-men, beggars and parking attendants. And I loved to mostly travel in the big group with the flying teachers, that had been here year after year, who shared knowledge and their clues of how to deal with what with us in a way that no youtube-clip or article had prepared me for.

So, we learned per example, that in some areas becoming a beggar is deemed to be a job, and children get sent to certain men to learn the "job". And it feels terrible in every way. A policemen told our guide to never give to a beggar, because if begging gets them enough money, many decide to not try finding work, as it lends them less. A work that was so much more dignified is to watch over the parked cars- per example, on a supermarket parking place. These men get a small tip, each time you are shopping. But I have the question if this is really the right approach to "parking"? Coming from a country where it is rare that cars get watched -or broken into-, I would like to not feed the fear of burglary to begin with... it is such an incredible freedom and ease, to not care about that!

The last point is the natives on markets or the street vendors, that not only sell their goods (this I would think of as a plus of opportunity or even culture, and I would have loved to purchase more of the beautiful products). But they are no fair business people as I am used to, but clingy as glue, and they work with tricks. One of the vendors asked super-hyper-friendly my beloved man about his wife and children, and got out all our names out of him. When we came back from shopping, he had carved nuts with all our names (he must have had a memory as an elephant...) and of course, we "needed" to buy them. We did, without any haggling which was super silly of us- and we laughed a lot about it afterwards. But hey, we'r deeply trained Germans! Speak about culture shocks!

It wasn't that easy to not feel betrayed by the super nice and so very affectionate facade, when all it was about was making money. I appreciate the contrast around it, thinking deeper about my personal preferences, in all of it, loving even more unconditionally, understanding even deeper- while I think that we have no way to "understand" the people that earn SO much less than ourselves. I so appreciated to allow me to be angry, to feel what I REALLY wanted in the specific situation- and allow me to have good feeling boundaries. I so much appreciated Abes teaching of "caring vs not caring" in intense ways (it is all about what FEELs good to us personally, here and now! So simple!). And also, I am feeling huge relief to not be faced with all this, in my home country!




Wolf with his large, slow glider

This whole journey was first and second about Wolfgang, "flying high". And boy did he do this! The days at the dunes have been 8hrs each day for sure, and a LOT of it was flying time! Wolf said he never before flew so much, so easily, and learned so much from the teachers and the comrades- sometimes by tips, talks, but by simply watching while taking a break, as well. Even to me it felt as a very fascinating experience!

I so appreciated the respectfulness, the fun, the incredible eagerness and determination of the pilots! I ADORED seeing the teachers fly so effortless and artful. I enjoyed seeing the progress of the Newbies. I loved learning to know the gliders of each pilot, or to recognize them from far- simply by their unique ways of moving, and their energy!




At the second day, we went to dinner at the "Tiger Reef" in Svakopmund, located directly -al fresco- at the beach. The whole area doesn't get much warmer than comfortable 25°C in the day (even the sun is brutally bright and powerful). But at night it becomes chilly, so a pullover or jacket is highly recommended, and we also enjoyed the fire pits they where lighting!

I so appreciated the wonderful yummie food! I so appreciated the crackling of the fire, the sound of the waves, the smell of the air, the cries of the seagulls! I appreciated so much the bliss of having allowed this time and place to be in my life.



I so very much appreciated to see the amazing, so very very beautiful pink sunset of this day! Karin, Günnis wife, often came by and chatted a bit with me. She is such a lovely lady, I enjoyed her so very much! What a bliss this day had been! It felt so full, so rich, so satiated, so ...BLISSFUL.

[spiritualcookie]

The carved Makalani palm nuts are a very special souvenir . I don't think I've ever seen such a thing in all the places I've travelled to! I think I might have even wanted to buy such a nut myself without any tricks because they are so special! I appreciate the artistry and skill in carving it. Is it meant to be a Christmas ornament?