SWA now Namibia

Trip from Cape Town in South Africa, driving though the Namib Desert to Windhoek and Swakopmund. South West Africa now Namibia. Originally converted from slide. Reworked 2016. This rock formation collapsed in 1988. The Finger of God was quite a detour from our trip across the Namib desert in 1980, but it was worth it. Located near Asab in South-West Africa, now Namibia. 'A spoiled geological monument is the so-called Mukarob or Finger of God, a weather-resistant remnant of a sandstone pinnacle that was left standing on its own as erosion slowly cut back the surrounding Weissrand Escarpment of the Karoo Supergroup in southern Namibia. The Mukarob consisted of a large head of sandstone supported by a narrow neck of soft, fragmented mudstone. The head was almost 12m high and weighed about 450t. On 8 December 1988 the Mukarob collapsed, possibly due to a destructive earthquake that had occurred the previous day in Armenia, but which was recorded strongly on the seismograph in Windhoek (Miller et al., 1990)' Geological Atlas of Africa By Prof. Dr. Thomas Schlüter, UNESCO Nairobi Office Reference added in 2016

Trip from Cape Town in South Africa, driving though the Namib Desert to Windhoek and Swakopmund. South West Africa now Namibia. The Fish River Canyon is the largest canyon in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 100 miles (160 km) long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 meters deep. The Fish River is the longest interior river in Namibia. It cuts deep into the plateau which is today dry, stony and sparsely covered with hardy drought-resistant plants. The river flows intermittently, usually flooding in late summer; the rest of the year it becomes a chain of long narrow pools. At the lower end of the Fish River Canyon, the hot springs resort of Ai-Ais is situated. Wikipedia Converted from Slide.

We crossed the Namib Desert in a Mercedes(without air-conditioning) and lost hub caps and the undercarriage was sandblasted. It was a truly amazing journey. We saw a few animals including gemsbok, springbok, not to mention a cheetah. It was really parched at the time as there had been a long drought. We spent New Year's Eve 1980 at the Hardap Dam where we were entertained by some other guests singing the Afrikaans song 'Sarie Marais', an unforgettable experience. Top right is my Mum looking out over the Fish River Canyon, which is also the backdrop. Photos converted from 1980 slides. Sunday challenge... Impact/event For this week's challenge: something, someone or an event that impacted your life in some way. I will comment in the group later in the week. I have acquired a ghastly virus, feeling dire :-)

We saw this enormous birds' nest on our journey through the Namib Desert. We travelled from Cape Town to Windhoek and Swakopmund in South West Africa (now Namibia since 1990). Converted from Slide. Video Social weaver birds nest in a tree in Africa - David Attenborough - BBC wildlife www.playrific.com/z/7988 Converted from slide

Mum at Fish River Canyon. One of our most memorable holidays. Trip from Cape Town in South Africa, driving though the Namib Desert to Windhoek and Swakopmund. South West Africa now Namibia. The Fish River Canyon is the largest canyon in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 100 miles (160 km) long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 meters deep. The Fish River is the longest interior river in Namibia. It cuts deep into the plateau which is today dry, stony and sparsely covered with hardy drought-resistant plants. The river flows intermittently, usually flooding in late summer; the rest of the year it becomes a chain of long narrow pools. At the lower end of the Fish River Canyon, the hot springs resort of Ai-Ais is situated. Wikipedia Converted from Slide.

South West Africa now Namibia. Trip from Cape Town in South Africa, we drove though the Namib Desert to Windhoek and Swakopmund in a Mercedes(without air-conditioning), lost hub caps and the undercarriage was sandblasted. It was a truly amazing journey. Situated approximately 260 km from Upington in the far northern Cape and 904 km from Johannesburg. Kalahari Gemsbok National park is the South African section of the greater Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park bordering Gemsbok National park of Botswana. The two parks combined form the largest protected area in southern Africa cutting through the dry area of Kalahari Desert for stretch of more than 35,000km² in red sand dunes, sparse desert vegetation and the dry river beds of Nossob and Auob river where the wildlife congregates for the dry season. The rivers are said to flow only about once per century. However, water flows underground and provides life for grass and camelthorn trees growing in the river beds. The rivers may flow briefly after large thunderstorms. The park has abundant, varied wildlife. It is home to large mammalian predators such as lions, cheetahs, African leopards, and hyenas. Migratory herds of large herbivores such as blue wildebeest, springbok, eland, and red hartebeest also live and move seasonally within the park, providing sustenance for the predators. More than 200 species of bird can be found in the park, including vulturesand raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and secretary birds.[2] Since 2005, the protected area is considered a Lion Conservation Unit and a lion stronghold in Southern Africa. Converted from slide. Reworked in 2019 Sunday challenge - rework archive photo not previously posted

Trip from Cape Town in South Africa, driving though the Namib Desert to Windhoek and Swakopmund. South West Africa now Namibia. The Fish River Canyon is the largest canyon in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 100 miles (160 km) long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 meters deep. The Fish River is the longest interior river in Namibia. It cuts deep into the plateau which is today dry, stony and sparsely covered with hardy drought-resistant plants. The river flows intermittently, usually flooding in late summer; the rest of the year it becomes a chain of long narrow pools. At the lower end of the Fish River Canyon, the hot springs resort of Ai-Ais is situated. Wikipedia Converted from Slide. Reworked 2019