The day before the last day- we woke up again in a small Paradise. The "Sossusvlei Lodge" is plopped down right into the desert as well, and assembles, -just as Rössmund Lodge before- a beautifully kept Oasis.
I was amazed by the artful designs. I am amazed how all of this is done, and kept. Where do they get all the water? How do they run their business, where do they get their workers? Where do they get the amazing ultra fresh fruit, and all the wonderful meat) How do they keep up their energy in the middle of a huge desert?
I am in awe about this entrepreneurship!
I am in awe about this thinking-big. I am in awe about this chuzpe. I am in awe about how much the work and creativity of people open up the world to "normal" humans. I am so thankful for all of it!! I am so thankful that someone builds streets, and cars and trucks, who are able to connect us!! I am so thankful for all of those who invest their money, so that something extraordinary can become. I am so thankful for the incredible ease, in which we just could go there and get it all!
It feels like magic, when you compare it to what was 100years ago!
After a wonderful breakfast al fresco on the terrace, with amazing bits from the buffet, we took off to the see the largest dunes of the world, and met another lonesome ostrich....
I felt such appreciation for the whole journey. If not for the idea and work of others, I would have never know about the beauty! Without the playful ideas of Günni and Karen, our whole group would have not experienced any of this.
"Without others, you would not be who you are" (Abe)
We were so lucky to have the dunes "all to our own"! Several members of our group started to immediately climb the very first dune that we stopped at (Kudos to them!) and one of them had a drone and gifted all of us with amazing photos. Again, I am in such appreciation for the generosity with which others share. I so enjoyed to see from birds-eye-view over the landscape! I also so enjoyed seeing the sights with my own eyes, feeling the dry air on my skin, the ease and comfort with which I got here.
...The other goal of the day was reaching the spot from where you could hike a mile or so to see the very famous "Deadvlei" with it's black, dead, 900years old trees. So, we drove further, on a deep-sand-piste, and felt very lucky to have had so much training with driving through deep sand already. It is forbidden to enter the park with another car other than a 4x4, and for good reasons. I so appreciated to get the fun of bouncing as a flummy while our driver steered the car through the washboards and deep sandpits with high speed... it felt so adventurous and crazy! I loved every second of it!
As in the park, there where so many more trees where, obviously, animals did not only find shelter but food as well. We saw more wild oryx than ever before, really, and it was so nice to see them and the Springboks not shy, seemingly- at all... well, they kept a distance, but they didn't really hide, either. It felt so peaceful and thankful.
And then, finally, we reached the spot from where the further path was only reachable by foot. I got carefully parked underneath huge Acacias, -endlessly thorns above me, and all over the ground, so I really wanted to stay inside the car, all windows rolled down, warm blissful wind moving through. And then I waited with my nice novel, for some blissful, lazy hours! While, I got a very nice visitor!
It all felt so easy and effortless! I felt special... being able to enjoy this incredibly exotic place, all for myself, having seemingly all time of the world... it was bliss. It was peace. It was a time of deepest, deepest thankfulness. THANK YOU THANK YOU Life!!!
I then felt so very thankful to see the amazing pictures that my husband brought back from the Deadvlei. It felt almost as if I, myself, would have been there, too!
I didn't feel deprived at all. "I had been there" in this bliss. I was so fulfilled! I felt showered with bliss and goodness and satisfaction. What a wonderful energy!
...back "home", we tried out the pool (and ordered some mocktail that was such a delight in 40°C! And we soooo enjoyed the AMAZING amount of butterflies that flew, danced and tumbled around us! We made some short videos even to capture them, but they are too small to really be seen. Maybe you can imagine that all the tiny white specks are indeed butterflies within a sweet, fragrant air?
...and then, again, it was time for dinner. This time I want to take time and -space to rampage about the buffet and the setting and the food! (and to thank you travel-mates, as google, too, to have provided some of the pictures that I was too lazy to take!) I so enjoyed the laziness
and the incredible luxury, to just take it all in... the beauty, the exquisiteness, the moment, the place...
There was a buffet full to the brim with starters... and I SO love starters. Nothing of any of it was from this place. There were oysters and mussles and crabs and fantastic other sea-food and chicken salads and vegetable salads, assorted olives and cured meats... What an endeavor to bring it all here and teach all the people in the kitchens to deal with it. What fun that must be! What an energy! What courage and audacity! I felt in awe about it!
...one whole station with breads, side-dishes, salads, side-vegetables and sauces... I felt touched by the generosity and inspiration that was offered at every unique station! ABUNDANCE in it's very best way!
...and, most thrilling to *me*, then there was an awesome BBQ-station with more different game than I had encountered on all of the trip, before! We could choose all we can eat zebra, elen, oryx, kudu- but also Game-Bratwurst, pork and beef. The offer seems to vary, depending on which meet is available at the day. I heard guests gush over ostrich, warthog and springbok-meat, as well! I personally thought that the zebra was quite dry, even cooked rare. Others agreed, and others again said it was the best meat they ever ate! My favourite one was the oryx, while all of the meats of this huge antilope-breeds felt quite in the same ballpark, and it was REALLY all very good. Quite alike to good beef, a hint of a bit more on the "wild" side, to me. And, still nothing- compared with the tenderness and sweetness of springbok!
I felt embraced by nature itself, and all the people who had their hands on, on making this dream of mine come true. It was delicious! It was so rich. It was soooo TASTY!
...and then, there was an amazingly varied buffet just for deserts. As this day was February the 14., Valentines Day, they had a special eye for the topic, and I enjoyed each single dessert, decorated with so much "LOVE"!
The day had been a feast in so many ways, already. This night had been a feast of food- and already a bit of saying "good bye. It felt a bit surreal. It was so extremely beautiful. It was so extremely different from all our normal life.
I was so very, very very thankful for having experienced it! Thank you, thank you life- again, once more, once more!
little fox (or jakal?), hoping for gifts- beyond the knee-high wall between "inside" and "outside" of the terrace
the terrace, seen from the view of the fox
I read a book on how to cultivate healthy eye habits (to reverse a high prescription in me - which worked!) - and you're literally doing things by the book! 
myself as well!! I am EAGER to explore Southafrika, Kenia and Tansania! they must be fascinating. And, of course, Egypt! Namibia was, as beautiful as it can be, -for us- too much harsh desert and too many thorns! 
