Namibian rains
The rains have been coming down all over Namibia throughout January of 2021. Because the filming scene was a bit quiet, and the Kuiseb river was making it’s way down to the coast, it was decided to go film that.
There were actually two missions to go find the waters. The first was on the Saturday and then the waters were still too far upstream. Facebook filled up with people who actually did go and find it, so the next day all this footage was captured when the tip of the river was found.
There were plenty of people who were just out for the day, and enjoying the novelty of water in a desert. COVID-19 has had the entire population of Walvis Bay cooped up for too long, and it definitely showed!
For some reason this video is quite popular on Youtube, and is really helping Awesome Chapters channel off the ground. With 100 subscribers we will be able to get our own URL that is not a garbled mess of letters. At 1000 subscribers we can actually make a bit of money from the videos, so that is something to look forward to.
COVID-19 Stuff
2020 has been a silly year in terms of finances, and some relief is desperately needed. Namibia simply does not have the resources to help, and what little is left is robbed by the politicians. The Fishrot saga is still going strong, and as it drags on more and more corruption is uncovered.
It’s been a great thing for democracy in Namibia, with a large part of the population finally realizing just how much have been taken from them, by their own people. Unfortunately, there are many, many more people that are far worse off than us, and any aid that is left rightly goes to them.
Throughout 2020, there were some small scale disasters. The local business community stepped up with donations of labor, needed items and whatever was needed. Even though resources was scarce, there is a strong culture of caring and sharing that is still alive.
So, if you do decide to come to Namibia, just know when you support small businesses, you also support the communities around them!
Back to pretty photos!
It’s not often that an industrial site has this level of natural beauty associated with it. Because it’s so pretty, it’s actually the first stop on many of the day trips on offer from Awesome Chapters and other tour operators.
Of course you won’t see the beautiful colors of sunset, that is a special tour at the magic hour!
Nestled between Solitaire and Sesriem, you will find this amazing lodge. With the recent rains in Namibia, the opportunity was taken to go shoot some footage at Sossusvlei, Sesriem and this amazing lodge.
Each unit has a stargazing roof, and private parking. Inside all the units are well appointed. To beat the heat during the day, there is an infinity pool and plenty of shade. Each unit is air-conditioned, for your comfort. The rains of course make sitting on the roof a little more interesting, as you can see the rain approaching over the mountain ranges.
Definitely a bucket list item is to see the contrast between the sand dunes and the lakes of water. It only happens every few years, so when it does, it’s time to go and see.
This trip was the first test of the Awesome Sony Alpha A7S II. It has incredible low light capacity, as compared to the Canon 5D Mk III
Due to Sony not making available intervalometer software in Africa, the time lapse of the stargazing was taken with the Canon 5D. Bad, Sony, bad! Usually all the best features cost a little extra money, which is annoying enough, but not to have it available at all just because I am in Africa? That is low.
Currently in isolation for a movie shoot, the footage for the Sossusvlei rains is getting edited, albeit slowly.
