The Rock Bridge – The Spitzkoppe The stars are bright and close in the Namibian winter skies – especially in the Namib Desert. (Light Painting by Ben McRae : Photo and Lightroom editing by myself.)
After being tipped onto the tarmac at Hosea Kutako International Airport in Windhoek, Namibia, one night last month, the first thing I noticed – after the cold, mind you; it was still mid-winter in the Southern Hemisphere – was the sky.
The sky was black, with very little ambient light. And it was full of stars: stars so close you could reach out and touch them.
It is no surprise, then, that the attraction for many tourists to Namibia is its night sky. Away from the young country’s small cities, there is very little light pollution. And, far out in the rural villages and National Parks, there is practically none.
A few days into my Namibian adventure, I was camped out under the stars at the Spitzkoppe Campsite in the Namib Desert, some100+ kilometres inland from the barren, sandy, Atlantic Coast. The Spitzkoppe (German for “pointed dome”) is a group of granite boulders rising dramatically out of the flat desert surrounds. Over 700 million years old, these rocky outcrops rise to as much as 1,784 metres (5,853 ft) above sea level, and are popular with rock climbers and star-gazers. I was there with Photographer Ben McRae, Pedro Ferrão PatríciofromPhotoburst, Namibian guide Morne Griffiths and four other photography enthusiasts. We were preparing to create some star trails and to do some light painting.
This was my first real attempt at star photography and my results (as you will see below) were mixed, but it was a wonderful (if cold) experience.
Bornhardt Rising As we drive across the Namib Desert, a granite bornhardt – a dome-shaped, steep-sided, bald-rock outcropping – comes into view. (iPhone6)
Community? The Spitzkoppe brings a whole new meaning to the idea of “the middle of nowhere”. But, because tourists visit, a small, rough, settlement has grown up. (iPhone 6)
Spitzkoppe Campsite The campsites are a patch of flat ground with parking …
Loo with a View … and a dry toilet enclosure. The cubicle has no door, so I made use of my sarong for privacy. (iPhone 6)
Cape Glossy Starling A Cape Starling (Lamprotornis nitens) hangs around, hoping for lunch scraps.
Afternoon Walk After a late lunch, the group sets out to explore the terrain.
Puppies or Rabbits Kissing? Some of the rock formations take on the shapes of animals. (iPhone 6)
Lone Tree Trees and shrubs cling precariously to life in the dry and austere environment.
The Bridge The Rock Bridge is probably one of the best-known formations.
The Bridge People climb all over it in the afternoon light, giving the structure a sense of scale.
Afternoon Shadows From the top, you get a good view of the surrounding desert.
Last Sun over Spitzkoppe As the sun lowers in the sky, …
Set-Up … we pick spots for our tripods and set up the cameras. (iPhone 6)
Lone Tree We are ready for some long exposures on the night sky and light-painting on the rocks … (Light Painting by Pedro Ferrão Patrício; Photo and Photoshop editing by myself.)
Star Trails on the Bridge … and an attempt at star trails. (143 x 30-sec exposures, compiled with StarStaX)
The stars were, indeed, glorious – and the photos don’t really do them justice. After a few attempts, I retreated to my tent to try to warm up (did I mention, it was cold?) and to prepare myself for a sunrise shoot on the ancient boulders.
[…] Coast, we turned back into the desert, this time to the northerly part, with its clear skies (see: A Sky Full of Stars) and dramatic rocky outcrops (see: Morning over Spitzkoppe), leaving the ocean and the sand dunes […]ReplyCancel
Walking the Barge Being transported up a canal, towed by a slowly plodding shire horse, makes one imagine English country life as it once must have been.
I think they are right. Being transported up a canal, towed by a slowly plodding shire horse, makes one imagine English country life as it must have once been. Scenes from Thomas Hardy novels spring to mind.
It was towards the end of July – the last days of our stay in Britain; after a hectic time with friends and family, a “slow” day out on one of Britain’s few remaining horse-barges, on a charming canal in the sunny Devon countryside, seemed like an ideal tonic.
The Grand Western Canal Country Park and Local Nature Reserve runs just over eleven miles between the towns of Tiverton and Lowdwells, along a preserved canal that was originally intended to be part of a transportation network between the Bristol and English Channels. This section of canal, running along on the border between Devon and Somerset, was first opened in 1814. Other sections of the ambitious plan faced technical difficulties and cost blow-outs, and the whole project was never completed. Competition from the railways in the mid-1800s rendered the canal system impractical, and many sections fell into disuse and subsequent ruin.
The Devon County Council bought what remained of the Grand Western Canal from the British Waterways Board in the early 1970s, and have continued to renovate and maintain the area as public parklands.
The horse-drawn barge has been taking visitors up and down the waterway since the earliest days.
Ross and the Ticket Office Visitors to the Tiverton Canal Company booth are greeted by Ross, a giant, gentle, shire horse.
Ross the Shire Horse The ten-year-old, 17.1-hand- (1.75 metre) tall shire horse is happy to pose for a photo…
Andy … as is Andy, his handler.
Turning Everything on the canal boat is done manually – – –
Tying Up – including the slow process of turning it around on a canal only barely wider than the boat is long.
Mollie One of the resident collies is unhappy about not being in control of the boat, and runs up and down on the opposite shore, making sure the men do their jobs properly.
Turning the Barge Head-horseman David chats to interested passers-by as he prepares to attach the tow rope to Andy the shire horse.
Georgie behind the Bar Inside the boat, Georgie explains the drink, snack and souvenir options.
Walking the Barge Dave and Ross make their way along the towpath, gently pulling the boat.
Watchers on the Shore Walkers on the towpath stop to watch the canal boat glide by.
Bridge over the Canal The canal is on relatively high ground, and the Devon County Council has had to effect numerous repairs to keep the water contained.
Moorhen The canal provides a great nesting-place for various local birds. We saw a number of babies: moorhens, ducks, swans and other waterbirds.
Canberra Bomber Crash Site In 1961, an RAF-operated English Electric Canberra crashed into the Great Western Canal, here at Great Manley. Both men aboard were killed.
Bicyclist A man pauses as Dave and Ross pass under the bridge. In the old days, ponies or donkeys were often used to pull the barges, as some of the bridges are too low and narrow for larger horses.
Ross the Shire Horse On the other side of the bridge, Ross is detached from the barge. He stands patiently while the men turn the barge around in preparation for the return trip.
Pastorale The canal is treed and shady – a beautiful recreation area on a surprisingly hot English summer day.
Ross from the Window Ross uses his freedom from restraint to graze…
To the Aqueduct … as we get off the barge and walk under another bridge to an old aqueduct.
Canal Boats Private houseboats sit on the canal in the sunshine.
Old Aqueduct This aqueduct was built in 1847 as part of a railway expansion.
Water Weeds
Sun on the Aqueduct
Back along the Tow Path The canal-boat passengers return…
Back to the Barge … to reboard for the trip back down the canal.
Ross Loves Polo Mints Some of the passengers stop to pat Ross and feed him the Polo mints he loves.
Millie the Collie From her perch on the roof of the barge, …
Millie the Collie … Millie watches over the proceedings.
Boat on the Canal Recreational boating (canoes, rowboats, and the odd motorboat) is popular on the canal waters.
Swans on the Canal A family of mute swans makes me think of Wind in the Willows and English summer.
On the way back down the canal, David said there was one way to enjoy the real Canal experience. “I ask everyone to be completely quiet for two minutes, so you can get a sense of what it was like in the old times.”
We all sat in silence: the only sounds were from the slapping of the water on the sides of the barge, and the steady clopping of Andy’s hooves.
I guess it is a symptom of our era: about half way into our quiet time, I heard a woman behind me ask her partner impatiently, “That’s two minutes, isn’t it?”
I, on the other hand, was enjoying the meditative calm.
Château de Chillon There is nothing quite like the glimpse of a medieval castle on a sunny day to evoke thoughts of fairy tales…
Castles: they are a study in contrasts.
There is nothing quite like the glimpse of a medieval castle on a sunny day to evoke thoughts of fairy tales, with damsels and dragons and chivalrous knights… But, once inside, it is easier to imagine the cold drafts, the lack of light, and the drudgery of those who work at providing some modicum of creature comfort to others who take it for granted.
Chillon Castle, a magical-looking Château in the district of Veytaux near Montreux, has been described as “an architectural jewel”. Reputedly “the most visited historic building in Switzerland”, it perches on a small island of rock on the banks ofLake Geneva, where it affords wonderful views over the surrounding waters.
The Chillon site began as a Roman outpost. For about four hundred years, from the 12th to the 16th centuries, the castle was summer home to the Counts of Savoy, who controlled passage by land or water from Burgundy to the St. Bernhard Pass through the Swiss Alps. As well as keeping a fleet of boats on Lake Geneva, and entertaining guests, the Savoys also kept prisoners in the dungeons during the Wars of Religion (Protestant Reformation) in the mid-1500s. The ordeal of the castle’s most famous prisoner, François de Bonivard, a Genevois monk and politician, imprisoned from 1530-1536, was immortalised by English poet Lord Byron in his long narrative poem: The Prisoner of Chillon: A Fable, mostly written during a rainy visit in 1816:
… My limbs are bow’d, though not with toil, But rusted with a vile repose, For they have been a dungeon’s spoil, And mine has been the fate of those To whom the goodly earth and air Are bann’d, and barr’d—forbidden fare; …
Hardly the stuff of fairy tales!
Fortunately, we visited during glorious sunshine – and were free to leave at will.
Jewel in Lake Geneva As the train followed the lakeshore to Montreux in Canton Vaud, we could see the Château on the waters.
Boat on Lake Geneva Perhaps best known for it’s annual Jazz Festival, Montreux provides access to tour boats on the beautiful Lake Geneva.
Sculpture on the Foreshore We had to wait for a bus to take us to the nearby castle, and took the time to wander along the Lake Geneva waterfront.
Château de Chillon It’s a short bus ride (or a rather long walk) from Montreux to Veytaux.
“Picture a Castle” Château de Chillon sits on a rocky island; the waters of Lake Geneva act like a natural moat.
Entrance The ticket/entrance to the Château is across a small covered bridge.
Courtyard, Château de Chillon
The Savoys The House of Savoy (Italian: Casa Savoia) was founded in 1003 in the Savoy region in the Rhône-Alpes. One of the oldest royal families in the world, they held Château de Chillon until it was conquered by Bern in 1536.
Into the Cellar The Clos de Chillon grows Chasselas grapes by the castle walls and produces award-winning Grand Cru wines.
Into the Cellar Since 2011, the Chasselas white wine and the Gamaret-Garanoir red wine blend have been aged in barrels in Chillon Castle.
In the Dungeons The dungeon ceilings arch high over head…
Noose in the Rafters … where a noose is tied.
View through the Grate As gloomy as the dungeon itself is, it has a wonderful view.
Neck Iron Prisoners of the Duc de Savoy were chained to individual pillars in the dungeon and couldn’t move far.
“Byron” When Lord Byron visited Chillon in 1816, he was so moved by the story of François de Bonivard that he carved his name into a pillar near where the Genevois monk had been chained.
Fountain It is a relief to get back out into daylight of the castle courtyard after the depressing dungeons!
Looking In
Looking Out
Door Lock Inside the castle, the doors are heavy, …
Kitchen Pots … as are the iron kitchen pots.
Sailboats on Lake Geneva Windows look out over the water…
Watching the View … but some visitors prefer to gaze at each other.
“Johan was Here” Like a visual guest book, the crests and titles of visiting dignitaries are painted high around the walls of one room.
Kids in the Catacombs Low light in another below-ground space turns three youngsters into a surreal oil-painting.
Medieval Warriors In another dark space, shadows of warriors past haunt us.
Flowers in the Courtyard Again, it is good to find light and air and sunshine outdoors …
Château de Chillon … and to admire the castle from the walkway outside its thick, dark walls.
Castle Flowers For it may look like a fairytale, but Chillon hides some dark history.
… We were all inmates of one place, And I, the monarch of each race, Had power to kill—yet, strange to tell! In quiet we had learn’d to dwell; My very chains and I grew friends, So much a long communion tends To make us what we are:—even I Regain’d my freedom with a sigh.
– Lord Byron (George Gordon), The Prisoner of Chillon
François Bonivard was finally freed in 1536 when the Bernese conquered the Pays de Vaud and took Chillon back from the Savoys. The Bernese continued to use it as a fortress, arsenal and prison for another 260 years.
It was a fascinating place to visit, but I am mightily glad not to be imprisoned there!
I would not weather the years as well as Byron’s fabled prisoner.
[…] Of course, when we arrived, it rained, rained, and rained some more. We mostly travelled down the hill, rather than up, to try to escape the wet mountain weather (see: Castles, Cheese and Chocolate; The Salt Mines; Lake Geneva’s Medieval Fortress). […]ReplyCancel
[…] to get around the country (eg: Wanderweg around the Pfäffikersee; Balade Des Fontaines, Aigle; Château de Chillon; Schaffhausen and Neuhausen am Rheinfall; Gruyères; The Salt Mines of Bex; Leysin; Lucerne; […]ReplyCancel
Solitary Tree The dead trees of Deadvlei(“Dead Marsh”) in Namibia’s Namib-Naukluft Park, have their own personality.
In Deadvlei,deep inside Namib-Naukluft Park in Namibia, the dead trees have a character all their own. They stand like sentinels in a surreal landscape of red sand and parched white clay that could have been imagined by Salvador Dalí.
I’m in Namibia, in Southern Africa at the moment. The stars are low and bright, the air is cold and clean, and there is no internet in the campsites where I am bedding down – or anywhere else, it would seem! So, this will be short: a brief introduction to Deadvlei, an eerie, much photographed, landscape. (More will follow one day.)
Hundreds of years ago, the Tsauchab River flowed through this area. Shallow pools formed during floods, allowing camel thorn trees to grow. The encroaching sand dunes, growing up to 400 metres tall around the area (more about them one day, too), blocked the river. Over time, the clay pan dried up and water table receded. The camel thorn trees died some 600-700 years ago, but they still stand: sun-burnt, but neither rotted nor decayed. The “Dead Marsh” was formed.
(For those of you interested in such things, I had my polariser on my wide angle lens and a UV filter on my 24-200. Lightroom processing is minimal – I had no time and this place “pops” on its own!)
Entrance to Deadvlei Starting out early morning, we drove about 300km across Namibia from Windhoek to Sossusvlei, many of those kilometres over bumpy gravel roads. Early afternoon we arrived at the National Park to be picked up by special four-wheel drives and be driven 5 km over loose, shifting sand. This small sign greeted us, and we walked up and down across the dunes, cameras and tripods in tow.
Sands and Brush Sparse vegetation clings to dunes that ripple around us.
Deadvlei The former marsh looks small at first – but once you are into it, it extends around the base of the dunes and there are new features at every turn.
Dead Camel Thorn Tree Each tree-skeleton has its own personality.
Parched Clay
Sentinels across the Landscape
Sunburst in the Camel Thorns
Afternoon The air is still and the heat pulsates across the baked clay.
Set Up and Ready
Late Afternoon Moment by moment …
Late Afternoon … the colours deepen and the shadows lengthen.
Vegetation Up on the dunes, the bushes cling to life.
Leaving Deadvlei We walk out of Deadvlei at twilight …
… but we were back early the next morning. One day, I’ll get a chance to look at those photos!
Karen Boy All over Northern Thailand, bright-faced “Hilltribe” children approach their school day with enthusiasm.
“I am not the same, having seen the moon on the other side of the world.”
– Mary Anne Radmacher
Travel is such an eyeopener. There are parts of the world that fill me with joy and humble gratitude.
I love Thailand, and I especially love trips into Mae Hong Son in Thailand’s north. It is gorgeous country: green jungle-draped mountains that rise steeply into the clouds, cold waters tumbling down the hills into the river valleys below, and picturesque thatched-roofed wooden houses punctuating terraces of cabbages and rice for market.
What makes The Hills special, though, is the welcoming warmth of the people. People who work hard and have little, but who are still willing to share.
Many of the people here belong to one of several “Hilltribes” – the ethnic minority groups that live in remote villages across Northern Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. These communities are often well beyond the reach of basic infrastructure, like electricity and/or running water, and people support their families through subsistence farming.
Across Thailand, schooling is free to all its young citizens and the Department of Education provides classrooms and teachers. It does not, however, provide funding for auxiliary infrastructure, like libraries, canteens and dormitories, and does not help with other school expenses, like books, uniforms and (required) extra-curricular activities.
Schools in “The Hills” – especially beyond the earliest grades – might be a long, difficult walk away. Without dormitory accommodation during the school week and help with school expenses, historically, many Hilltribe children dropped out of school early, and the poverty cycle continued.
THEP operates completely transparently, and Susan is always happy to have companions on her trips. You just have to be able to keep up! The attached pictures are only a sampling of the projects we visited and the students we interviewed on just one day.
Plants in the Watering Garden One of the most effective ways of helping traditional communities is to help them do what they are already doing just a little bit better. One of the first projects Susan was involved with was a hillside irrigation system. Our first stop on this particular day was at a school where the headmaster (Khru Apichart) had built a small shade house.
Girls Reading On special days, Karen Hilltribe children wear their traditional hand-woven clothing.
Teacher All the teachers I’ve met at Hilltribe schools work extra hard, looking after children’s needs, well beyond the educational.
Tree Planting Khru Apichart (in the background) has worked tirelessly to improve every school he has been part of. He’d not been Principal at this school long, but had already organised a tree-planting day to help provide much needed shade.
Karen Girl with Amulets Unlike other Hilltribe groups, most Karen are Christian. This little girl, however, was wearing Buddhist/Animist amulets.
Weaving the Royal Purple Behind the school, there is a weaving area – one of the Queen’s projects – where Karen women weave cloth for export to the city.
Karen Weaver
Khru Sunthorn One of the first teacher/principals to work with Susan on THEP projects, Sunthorn Ananchai still takes an active interest.
Susan and a Student Our next stop was at Department of Educations offices, where Susan and her colleagues conducted student interviews. In spite of handling a large number of sponsored Student Scholarships, she remembers students’ names and details about their families.
Khru Usa Another tireless worker, Usa Intra knows the value of education and leads by example: she was working hard on her Masters degree when this was taken. She always has a smile for us and her students.
Sponsor Interview Susan is always happy for people – especially student or project sponsors – to come along on trips. With a local teacher acting as an interpreter, a sponsor chats with two scholarship students.
Boys on the Pond Back outside in the sunshine, a group of boys in their delightful school uniforms play in the pond.
Opening the Dormitory Because of the remoteness of many Hilltribe communities, students – especially at Mathayom (High) School level – travel great distances to get to class. So, to keep them from dropping out, school dormitories allow them to stay overnight. Many then go home on weekends. The building of this dorm was sponsored by ANZWG.
Inside the Dormitory Conditions are simple: a tiled room with metal-framed beds, and a string for hanging clothing…
Portrait of a Karen ‘Tween The girls in their dormitory are happy to show off their space.
Karen Girl Beds are bought through sponsorship; there is little other furnishing.
Susan and Visitors Susan explains processes and projects to some of the ANZWG visitors.
Boys in the Yard
School Canteen Our next visit was to a school canteen – also built with donated project funding.
Meal in the Canteen There are no extra employees to look after the kids who stay at school: teachers and older students all pitch in to keep things running smoothly.
“Gin Khao” With no furniture, everyone sits neatly on the floor…
“Eat Rice” … to gin khao, or “eat rice”.
Eventually, we head off to find our own meals, and tuck into our beds to recharge batteries for the next day’s round of school visits and student interviews.
The indefatigable Susan will be sitting at a table somewhere, going over the accounts and making sure projects are on time and within budget…
With her down-to-earth efforts through THEP, a lot of Hilltribe children can continue their educations and improve the future of their communities. These pictures were taken some years ago, and these children are all older now. THEP recently had its first University graduate!
With our help, the work can continue.
To the Future!
“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”
I was doing more research today to reduce the 13 villages I had on my list to visit. I was able to narrow it down to those in the Mae Hong Son province. As I reviewed internet information, I came across an article that blew my mind and changed my attitude of how to help the children there. It was on a UNICEF 2022 news article: https://www.unicef.org/thailand/media/9546/file/Closing%20the%20learning%20gap%20in%20Mae%20Hong%20Son%20EN.pdf
I downloaded some of the information I can send if you do not want to read the whole 56 pages. Now I have to rethink my trip length, locations, and how best to help the children. Wilai’s suggestion about helping with a place to stay for those students a long ways from home to school got me rethinking also. The more I know what to expect will help me more before the trip.
Do you have more information to share about this area?
CalReplyCancel
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
I, on the other hand, was enjoying the meditative calm.
‘Till then,
With our help, the work can continue.
Hi Ursula,
Very well done. Love the humor.
Ruti
Thanks, Ruti! Nice to have your visit. 😀
a journey through Namibia super. Ursula I wish jou a very nice time.
Greetings Dietmut
Thanks, Dietmut. It was wonderful!
[…] is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa, which makes for clear skies, cold nights, and – even in winter – searing-hot […]
[…] Coast, we turned back into the desert, this time to the northerly part, with its clear skies (see: A Sky Full of Stars) and dramatic rocky outcrops (see: Morning over Spitzkoppe), leaving the ocean and the sand dunes […]