Namibia – Sesriem / Sossusvlei 纳米比亚索苏维来 12/2018 Stop 23 站

19/12/2018. After a two-day stopover at Swakopmund, I drove solo southward in a 4-wheel-drive to tame this Namibia desert. As I left town, the desert almost totally engulfed me. I drove on the B2 Road toward Walvis Bay, 40 minutes away. From here on, the road C14 I was driving on was gravel that had been blanketed by sand. I very nearly tipped over driving at 100 kilometers per hour on the treacherous shifting sand. I survived that unscathed to arrive at Solitaire. This is a refueling station for vehicles and humans, literally in the middle of nowhere, so out of place in this vast, inhospitable land. Then, onward to arrive at Sesriem, a campsite about 50 kilometers from Sossusvlei, I arrived at 3 p.m.

Driving solo at this advanced age through hours of desolate land on gravel roads may seem stupid, but I found it a very personal and unique experience. It was just me and the desert. As I approached Siesrem, the landscape appeared more and more like a desert paradise, full of youthful colors. I have been through quite a few deserts. They were mostly sad and barren. This one, however, was like no other. I did not know that rocks, hills, grass, and isolated trees could be so colorful, so well coordinated. I kept driving into these beautiful pictures and soon drifted into a dreamlike state.

19/12/2018在斯瓦科普蒙德（Swakopmund）两天后我单枪匹马驾驶四轮驱动屋顶帐篷车往南跑，设法征服纳米比亚的沙漠。一离镇就仿佛给沙漠席卷， 道路和沙漠界线难分。四十分后穿过鲸湾港（Walvis Bay），勇往向前。 第一站Solitaire，只是个补给站，给车加油， 自己充电，再往前冲，直到Siesrem，抵达时已是下午三点，离索苏维来（Sossusvlei）还差五十公里。这把年龄单独驾车砂石路独闯千里荒野沙漠是勇敢还是愚蠢，脑子也没思考过， 就是想一人拥有世界的强烈欲望。这是对沙漠的单挑，这是个人问题，我与沙漠之间未了之情。快接近Siesrem时，这干旱地带越像沙漠乐园，充满颜色，快乐的颜色 – 没想到沙漠也可变得有趣，时髦。我开始进入梦幻，如痴如醉，美呆了。