It’s Valentine’s day and I”m off to see more sand dunes in Walvis Bay, Namibia.
Actually I’m heading to the Namib-Naukluft National Park to see more sand dunes, more sandscapes and the very odd Welwitschia plant.
The Welwitschia plant looks half dead, can survive in the desert with hardly any water, can live to be over 1000 years old and has only 2 leaves that split repeatedly. There are female Welwitschia plants and male Welwitschia plants.
Oddity per Wikipedia regarding illegal collecting of the Welwitschia: “Plants in Angola are better protected than those in Namibia, because the relatively high concentration of land mines in Angola keep collectors away.”
There is a lichen here that is black until it rains and then it turns green. There had been rain recently so much of the desert had a green tint.
People are generally very happy when the cruise ships arrive. There is 54% unemployment so any sales or tours that can be made to the cruise ship passengers make a big impact.
