Driving for 4 hours but not meeting any creatures
During the journey to the Skeleton Coast in Namibia, a mysterious land often called is the end of the world” New York Times writer Genna Martin had the opportunity to experience strange things here. During the 4-hour drive Martin said he did not encounter any other creatures.
The Skeleton Coast is a place that has appeared in films and novels with stories of 500 sunken ships. The Ugab Gate, the southern entrance to the coast, has a graphic warning of the dangers and harsh conditions that await guests on the other side. The image of a skull and skeleton stands out on the gate.
Going to Skeleton, people will see animal skeletons and shipwrecks scattered across the coast. Many animals have come here and died. This land has become one of the harshest and loneliest tourist destinations on the planet.
Ghost ships “lost” in the desert
< p>Before entering the 163,000km2 protected coastal area, tourist groups must provide their names and personal information. The arid desert is the end of the Atlantic Ocean.
This place has witnessed mistakes leading to the brutal deaths of airplane sailors and animals. Rusted wrecks of ships, airplanes, or exposed animal bones are “reminders” of the harshness of this land.
There’s almost nothing growing around. There is only danger lurking from the wild mountains to the thick coastal fog.
Tourists are often attracted by the scattered shipwrecks. A few are still visible. In the past, hundreds of ships ended their fateful journey along this coastal strip and were gradually buried. These vestiges are all in a state of decay. There is even an oil rig left behind that is just a pile of rust being eroded by sea sand and time.
In the far north, traces of the Dunedin Star ship are still there . This was originally a British ship that drifted ashore in 1949, killing 106 passengers and sailors. In the south, a cargo ship named Eduard Bohlen ran aground in 1909. To this day, the ship is still visible from above looking like a “ghost ship” rising in the middle of the desert.
Along the road, the group of tourists also passed through other strange places such as the Cape Cross seal sanctuary, which is home to more than 200,000 foul-smelling fur seals, the Walvis Bay salt mining area with its granaries. Giant pink salt. During this journey, Martin also visited the Namib – Naukluft national park where the Namib desert is located. This is also the oldest desert in the world.
With a trip to the end world at the Skeleton coast Martin feels as “a reminder that in the battle between humans and nature, nature always wins”.
Photo: Genna Martin
“
