The Game of Life.
Something about visiting the world's oldest desert brings people together like family. The dunes at Sossusvlei are visually stunning, and I was fortunate to share the experience with my Dad and brother, Max, who are visiting for a few weeks.
Sossusvlei ("source of water") is nestled in the Namib desert, in a pristine national park approximately 4 to 6 hours (depending upon how many flat tires) southwest of Windhoek. We camped just outside the park with a group of twelve fascinating and surprisingly outgoing travelers from Canada, Finland, Ireland, Israel, America, and Japan. Together the group ventured into Dead Vlei (see photo), a place captivating and beautiful in its simplicity. Yet it's what one imagines the gates of hell might look like, with desolate, cracked earth, and where the most dynamic things are the shadows. I felt far, far away from DC or NYC. There are no pretenses in the desert. (Well, except for some of the 5 star lodges catering to wealthy tourists along the way)
Between hiking the dunes, sightings of springbok, ostrich, and desert zebra, and my Dad giving "free advice" to the youngsters on the trip, we had a great time with our very memorable group. One fellow traveler introduced us to the game of life. If you ever say the word mine you're subject to 10 push ups. And the game never ends. ever. for life.
A simple lesson, in the simplest of surroundings, about sharing. This experience was ours.
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