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entorno, un refrescante oasis surgido de la imaginación
del hombre bajo el sol implacable del desierto. Era el punto
de partida ideal para descubrir las inmensas dunas de
Sossusvlei, unas de las más altas del mundo que se ex-
tienden a lo largo de 300 kmpor 150 kmde ancho.
Seguimos por la Skeleton coast, en donde el hombre
ha dejado los esqueletos de los naufragios, que era
una advertencia de no navegar por esa costa debido a
las fuertes corrientes. Al sur del Skeleton Coast, visité
el encantador pueblo de Swapokmund, creado por los
colonos al estilo holandés, en donde el mar acaricia el
desierto, un lugar atractivo para gozar de las playas o
de las lagunas repletas de flamencos. Llegando a Cape
Cross, me instalé en el pequeño hotel a la orilla del mar,
hundido en la bruma y visité la gran colonia de focas
que creaban una extraña música en la bruma estéril,
atrayendo a los chacales.
Siguiendo la ruta, me interné tierra adentro, dejando
la bruma en la costa, para entrar en Namibia central,
donde de la tierra surgen las Welwitschias, esas plantas
cuyas hojas crecen despacio, tomando la apariencia de
are heedless enough to attempt to travel through
these treacherous waters. To the south of Skeleton
Coast, I visited the townof Swapokmund, founded by
colonist and possessing a distinct Dutch style. Here,
the ocean seems to caress the surface of the desert.
A place where once can relax by the seashore in the
company of flamingos and other maritime species.
In Cape Cross we encountered a colony of seals
that would lay at the side of the shore, and produced
strange music that would fill your ears entirely. I
was told that the sounds they created where meant
to attract the jackals from the surrounded areas.
By now, though, we had made our way into
regions far away from the coast, into central
Namibia, where one can find, sprawling from the
ground, Welwitschias – plants who’s leaves open
up slowly, and resemble a dried-up lettuce. Some
of these plants are over 1000 years old. Finally, we
arrived at Twyfelfontein, where we admired paint-
ings on the rocks that had been created thousands of
years ago. They were simple, mainly depictions
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1. Sossusvlel
