The dunes in the Namib-Naukluft Park

Namibia
Next stop: Dune 45

Perfect swing against blue sky. The dunes in the Namib-Naukluft Park,
where the number 45 are probably the most photographed mountains of
sand on the planet.

In the "Desert Express" slowly through Namibia. The country surprised
- not only by its enormous size.

Ottilie has built its sales stand directly on the platform. Your offer
is quite clear. It includes two plastic pots with lollipops, a jar
full of candies and licorice with a gummy bear. The shopkeeper waits
in vain for customers. The waiting room in the small station of
Windhoek is barren and empty. This is one of Namibia's capital 250 000
officially and unofficially even more than half a million inhabitants.
In this country, almost no one takes the train, they say. Except for a
few tourists.

The climb from the regular and special trains used. But the nearly
four dozen visitors from Europe who were carted up in two buses that
have no interest in Ottilie's improvised kiosk.

Nervously, they go on the "Desert Express" along which they have
booked for a twelve-day tour of the southwest African country.
Frantically, they compare the names of the cars with the label of
their Kofferschildchen. "Meerkat", "Springbok", "Oryx" and "Kokerboom"
are the four sleeping cars, which include six compartments, each with
three beds, private shower, sink, toilet, air conditioning and safe.
Also on the trip also go a salon, a bistro and a conference car,
smoking is allowed in the. A car is for the attendants, and baggage
for a generator. Forget not: the rolling restaurant is named after the
Welwetschia mirabilis, an archaic plant occurring only here.

Eventually, the train rumbles off, hold briefly, it continues to roll
and take leisurely ride. The rhythmic pounding of the wheels, the
tramp of the locomotive, the chatter of the bed hinges, groaning
softly wood paneling of the compartment - sounds like the tune from
now on our journey. In the dining car is already very busy. Finally,
the guests since the early morning on the legs, and long before the
journey had been made them extraordinary culinary specialties in view:
Carpaccio of springbok, zebra steaks, steak of ostrich fillets of the
Oryx, the kudu and eland antelope . These can be served in George, the
local bartender, fine wines from South Africa or in accordance with
German beer purity law of Namibian production.

Despite all the amenities - the "Desert Express" is not a luxury
train. And the program the next few days is anything but a recreation
tour. All the more astonishing, who has decided to participate: mostly
retirees, many of them already in an advanced age, retired teachers,
doctors at the old part, but also artisans and workers. Many of them
probably have not expected that on this trip almost every day at six
in the alarm clock rings and periodic excursions into the natural hot
dusty considerable physical exertions are to be accepted. For all
eventualities but Horst Bunte, the ship's doctor, there.

The "Desert Express" is not an express train. With more than 50, but
usually much less kilometers per hour, he puffs on the Namibian bumpy
track, so that will be returned at the end of the trip just 2264
kilometers of track. Much more would be hardly possible, because the
entire railway network in Namibia comprises little more than 3,000
kilometers. Probably for this reason the ride is often interrupted by
extensive downtime. At night insured, the tour guide at the start, the
wheels sometimes quietly, so that guests can sleep in peace.

Who still zutut no eye can always enjoy the cloudless sky, look for
the "Southern Cross" on the lookout, the magnificent, gentle look of
moonlit landscapes. Also during the day is the one time in the "Jewel
of the Desert," the other, less misleading name of "Desert Express",
not long. How to attract a cinema screen steppes, past mountains, dry
river valleys, and a few dirt road, barely trafficked asphalt roads to
the panoramic windows. Namibia's landscapes seem empty and deserted as
many villages. With two inhabitants per square kilometer, the country
is one of the most sparsely populated of the earth. On an area more
than twice as large as Germany is home to just over two million
people.

In order to get direct contact with the Namibian reality, have to
leave the cocoon of his train compartment. This provides an
opportunity the next morning. Near the border with South Africa, we
reach Hoolog, a former water authority. Two buses are waiting. They
bring us in about an hour after Hobas also little more than one
station with toilets and a souvenir shop. "Do not forget a sun hat and
sun cream! Drinking water and always beautiful! "Inge exhorts us, our
tour guide. Without haste her group walked to the edge of the Fish
River Canyon. The 160 km long, up to 27 kilometers wide and 500 feet
deep gorge in places, the world's second largest after the Grand
Canyon erosion valley, is one of the greatest natural wonders of
Africa.

After a detour to the Quiver Tree Forest near Keetmanshoop, it goes in
the first train back north. Then take the bus from Mariental hours the
Namib Desert. Where the Tsauchab River in the rust-red sand dry ears
and, eyeless moles dig through the loose ground and stretch in the
morning the fog drinkers beetles at one end stand the rump in the air
in order to pour the dew drops straight down her back in her mouth,
spend we have two nights in the luxurious Sossusvlei Lodge.

During the evening desert picnics, at the sight of the immense starry
firmament Namibian, even silenced those gentlemen from the group, who
often complain about something else. In the morning, but then they
complain again going through the cool wind and the dust that whirl at
the open jeeps driving through the Namib, the oldest desert in the
world. While today's excursion leads to one of the most famous and
probably the most photographed dune planet. Like a sand island, she
rises from the bone-dry plain, her comb rassiermesserscharfer draws a
perfect swing against the deep blue sky. Only her name sounds too
prosaic: Dune 45 - a term that derives from the fact that the
brick-red, 300-meter high sand hills in the "large body of water", the
literal translation of Sossusvlei, has simplicity numbered.

The next day again many hours by bus ahead of us. "Thirsty? Hungry?
Sleepy? "Ask the signs on the edge of the runway, which point to
service stations and accommodation. The hot desert scattered farms in
the humpbacked "Rostock" or "Silesia", the highest elevations
Vogelfederberg and Gamsberg Pass. They offer rings, the South African
with Austrian roots, an opportunity for a detailed history lesson on
board. That Namibia from 1884 to 1915 under the German "protectorate"
was the colonial masters and 1904-1908 by the bloody suppression of
the Herero and Nama uprisings substantial debt was charging their
guests knew well before the trip. However, they are puzzled about how
much has survived from this anything but glorious past to the present.

Especially the coastal town of Swakopmund with its architecture
recalls, his business and the common everyday language of the former
"German South West Africa". Remains finite at one of the otherwise
tightly organized by days of travel a little time to move away from
the troops themselves and between pharmacies, butcher shops and
bookstores - to represent the seat of a long stiff legs - all with
German names. So then stroll every couple, every single travelers for
by the Bismarck, the lime and the Luderitz road to end up on a cold
beer at the "Swakopmund Brauhaus", has been converted into a luxury
hotel Wilhelmine station or in the "Wernesgrüner pub" einzukehren. One
in five of the 25 000 residents in the southern seaside resort of the
former empire is of German descent.

Gradually approaches the highlight of any trip to Namibia. Across the
Erongo Mountains and the Otavi highlands is coming to meet the Chinese
Diesel their load to the Etosha National Park, the largest game
reserve in the country, which extends over almost 23 000 square
kilometers and thus almost half as large as Switzerland. After a long
journey, the station is simple with the name "KM 72" reach. From here
it goes in the bus to Lindequist Gate, the eastern entrance of Etosha
Park. Hardly the driveway is happening, shows even the local fauna.
Initially only in the form of cutesy dik, an extremely short-legged
antelope, peeking out from the shadow of a low bush. Then a frightful
meerkats clan. Because of the animals we have taken all the efforts on
us - but what about the lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos? Patience
calls, the tour guide. "The famous 'Big Five' but will not get you all
to face, because there are no buffalo."

Unlike other African parks where the tourists in their search for wild
animals often have to wait for days, appropriate meetings in the
Etosha area are virtually guaranteed. In particular, the numerous
water bodies are excellent for wildlife viewing. To pay without the
parked jeeps and buses even the slightest attention to approach the
zebra, springbok, the elegant, the approaching spring trotting impala,
wildebeest with the sombre faces, the cautious giraffes. Also,
elephants, warthogs, kudu and the eared oryx with the stilted pointed
horns silent on the drinking holes in peace their thirst. Only
sometimes on game drives and the anxious-backed jackal or lion can be
observed.

The drive back to Windhoek is once again because of the images and
scenes in memory that are taking place outside the train window. For
hours we roll along the fences of large private ranches along, where
the animals are sometimes downright trellis: giraffes, the show is
just as curious as the train passengers, Springboks, who have gathered
under the shady trees, baboons, the gymnastics fear of barbed wire. A
rider believes one of the fellows have waved ... Well, it was a tiring
trip.