Etosha, the great white place: 1997

Southern Africa's Etosha is a vast and ancient land of seasonal paradox. During the blooming of the wet season, this an Eden of glorious abundance in which spring boks, elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, jackals, zebras, and giraffe thrive. It is also an Eden that slowly disappears when heat, drought and thirst put all life at risk, except for that of opportunistic vultures.

    
Burchell's Zebras

Wildebeasts

Sossusvlei, a sea of dunes: 1997

The Sossusvlei, Namibia's famous highlight in the heart of the Namib Desert, is a huge clay pan, enclosed by giant sand dunes. Some of the spectacular hills of sand are, at a height of 300 metres, the highest in the world.

Only after a heavy rainfall, which is a rare event in this area, does the vlei fill with water. As the clay layers hardly allow any water infiltration, a turquoise lake will remain for quite some time.

View from the top of Dune 45: a trail of dust behind an Overland Truck.

 
 

Tutankhamun, the golden mask: 1996

Probably the most stunning artefact from ancient times ever excavated, the golden mask of King Tutankhamun, on display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

"I widened the breach and by means of the candle looked in ........

It was sometime before one could see, the hot air escaping caused the candle to flicker, but as soon as one's eyes became accustomed to the glimmer of light the interior of the chamber gradually loomed before one, with its strange and wonderful medley of extraordinary and beautiful objects heaped upon one another.

There was naturally short suspense for those present who could not see, when Lord Carnarvon said to me 'Can you see anything?'

I replied to him 'Yes, it is wonderful'."

Howard Carter opening King Tutankhamen's Tomb (26 November 1922)