"To Move, To Breathe, To Fly, To Float, To Gain All While You Give. To Roam The Roads of Lands Remote, To Travel Is To Live.”
-Hans Christian Andersen
09/19. And so it began - unknowingly my last adventure with someone I loved and before the world as we know it changed with a virus …
- an hour by ferry;
- a rendezvous & fast drive to Logan;
- 7.5 hour flight to Doha with an 8 hour layover to gaze upon world class museum architecture, to swim in a glorious hotel pool under the stairs; to wander a souk at night;
- then, 11 hour flight to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia;
- followed by a 6 hour drive into the night with a Mad Max 4x4 - armed with a map (unreliable GPS) and two spare tires - along sketchy roads towards a hotel - booked with some trepidation on line - where we could finally drop our bags.
Le Mirage Desert Lodge, situated adjacent to Sossusvlei in the great Namibian desert, is aptly named … Appearing in the distance like some fantasy … A castle of sand and rock. Yet, once through the impressive front gates, you know it’s real: the thick walls, the cool floors under foot; our spacious room with its large windows open to the cool evening breeze; the lush garden courtyard and pool; the impressive nighttime quiet of the surrounding desert; and importantly - the efficient staff who kept the kitchen open for our late arrival; who answered all my questions; and made the experience truly welcoming.
If you can, put the Namib Desert on your bucket list … It may be the oldest desert in the world with spectacular dunes, some tall as 300 meters (980 feet). Surely a world wonder … Especially when you make the effort to climb those dunes on foot and view them by balloon at sunrise.
- For Le Mirage Desert Lodge: #lemiragenamibia, www.mirage-lodge.com
- For Balloon trips in the Namib: #namibsky, www.namibsky.com
- For Flights & their delicious signature lime/mint drink: www.qatarairways.com
- If you can stay longer in Doha, the museums are world class: www.qm.org.qa
