LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Kalahari Desert: Sands
built 640 days ago
On the edge of the Kalahari Desert in Namibia, sand dunes are encroaching onto once-fertile lands in the north. Healthy vegetation appears red in this image; in the center, notice the lone red dot. It is the result of a center-pivot irrigation system, evidence that at least one optimistic farmer continues to work the fields despite the approaching sand.
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The Kalahari desert is part of the huge sand basin that reaches from the Orange River up to Angola, in the west to Namibia and in the east to Zimbabwe. The sand masses were created by the erosion of soft stone formations. The wind shaped the sand ridges, which are so typical of the landscape in the Kalahari.
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Safari lodges based in various parts of the Kalahari often hire people of Bushman origin to guide visitors into the desert and to impart their wisdom of how to survive. Often dressed in traditional animal skins and carrying a bow and arrow, they show you how to find water-filled tubers in the sand and explain how to catch an ostrich - which is no easy task! Bushmen are great storytellers and like nothing better than to embellish a tale with elaborate and hilarious demonstrations, accompanied by their fast and furious clicking language. At the end of the day they take off their working clothes - in this case animal skins - and go back to their village. The romantic dream that Bushmen might still be able live as they once did is not a reality, and even the CKGR is no longer theirs as diamond mining companies are taking over what was once Bushman land.
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The red brown sands of the Kalahari Desert support lions, hyenas, meerkats, and several species of antelope. A diverse collection of reptiles and birds ... thrives in the area. These animals can be viewed on a number of game reserves, including the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, which is the second largest protected area in the world. Some extremely rare species dwell within the borders of the park. Enthusiasts from around the world come to view weaver birds, a species that builds communal nests that can stretch up to two meters in diameter.
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With temperatures on the sand reaching 60 C, Stroud has his work cut out for him in the scorching red sands of the Kalahari Desert. With only enough water for four days, Stroud mimics the Bushmen and sits still in the shade during daylight. Night is another story... when temperatures drop to as low as 7 C. Can Stroud survive on locust and scorpions, or will he have to surrender to the sand?
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