“The desert influences people in many different ways, but more often than not, a journey to the desert will inevitably lead to reflection, introspection and questioning ourselves. The strength and personal wisdom that you will gain from such a journey could very well bring a renewal of trust in oneself.”
Gobabeb is not your standard travel destinations within the borders of Namibia, yet as Travel News Namibia writes “Gobabeb, situated between three ecosystems – the endless grey gravel plains, the predominantly dry Kuiseb River and the Namib Sand Sea with its shades of soft red flowing dunes” perhaps should be a space and place that more Namibians explore for reasons that will surprise you.
Gobabeb is a Research and Training Centre located the Namib Desert south-east of Walvis Bay. A joint Venture between the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Desert Research Foundation Namibia, Gobabeb conducts research in a wide variety of fields ranging from archaeology and anthropology to climate and ecology in its broadest sense to geology, geomorphology and desert conservation and restoration.
Gobabeb was recently the focus of a feature story written by Marita van Rooyen for Travel News Namibia and so 99FM’s MYD Earth spoke to Marita to find out why Namibians should know and experience not only a place like Gobabeb but also as much of the Namib desert as one possibly can.
99FM’s MYD Earth asked :
How important is trust in travel?
“Personally I think trusting yourself – and knowing your personal limits – is one of the prerequisites for an enjoyable journey. You need to be confident that you will get the most out of the journey, and to do so, you need to trust yourself, your choice of destination, your travel partner, and trust that your expectations of your travels are reasonable. Having trust in yourself and your travel choices also make it easier to trust those you meet on your journey, which leads many new friendships and to a more memorable adventure.”
Why would you say the silence in the desert is helpful in introspection?
“Silence of the mind is the key to introspection, and it always helps to have silence around you in order to be able to fully shut down and allow your mind, body and soul to become quiet. The desert is of course the ultimate destination for those searching for silence, as its large, uninhabited, open spaces scream silence and almost forces those who enter the far-reaching vastness to become silent, both inside and out.”
Would you say that travel to our desert would bring about trust in oneself?
“The desert influences people in many different ways, but more often than not, a journey to the desert will inevitably lead to reflection, introspection and questioning ourselves. Because of the secluded and silent environment of the desert, one often spends long moments thinking about life, the universe and everything, and it is almost set in stone that you will leave as a reinvented person. The strength and personal wisdom that you will gain from such a journey could very well bring a renewal of trust in oneself.”
Would you mind sharing a powerful insight that you gained while travelling in our desert?
“The silence of the desert can be a very powerful thing. It has the ability to affect you as a person in many ways – but only if you are open to searching for its secrets, and allow yourself to be touched by its magic.”
What is your opinion on trust?
“Trust is one of the most important attributes to any successful relationship, whether it be with self, a partner, friends, or people we meet from day to day. Building trust is a slow (and sometimes very tedious) process, and it calls for long moments of dissecting self and becoming at peace with the person you are. But, once you’ve managed to trust yourself, trusting others will come easy and life will become one very beautiful breeze.”
Read Marita van Rooyen’s article for Travel News Namibia on Gobabeb here : In Search of Silence