Camping Among Rain Clouds
When it rains all around you but not on top of you
You don’t see rain showers like this in Europe. At least not that often. A cloud burst happening next to you while you’re still in the sun. With endless horizons and views across the vastness of the country, rain showers in the distance can be seen from far.
Rains do happen here as well very partially. It can rain like all hell breaks loose only a few kilometers from you while you are still bathing in the sun. This is what makes Namibia so interesting. Because it is unpredictable.
The sky looked daunting. I must admit. When we were setting up our camp the sky looked everything else but friendly. On our last few kilometers on the road, we did see some rain showers already. Somewhere on the horizon.
Rain for Africans means happiness. Being alive. And so did we. Wake up again. After hours of driving, we got all excited. Putting our chairs out and sitting in the first raindrops with a beer in the hands.
I quickly built up the gazebo just as it started raining. To protect the fire. One must have priorities.
It stopped raining just as quickly as it started. We barely got wet sitting out there. But the rainbow came up. A double rainbow I spotted for a few seconds. But could only capture one part of it.
As the sun was coming closer to the horizon the colors were becoming more and more spectacular. Clouds covering the sky in different layers. The others lost my attention.
My attention was now full on the sky. And my viewfinder. Running around with the camera in my hand trying to capture this spectacle from every angle possible.
The rain shower in the distance got lit up in the most amazing red tones. Something I’ve definitely never seen before or ever imagined being possible. But it was real. This isn’t photoshopped. This is as it looked in real life.
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” — Vivian Greene
This world-famous quote is describing what I was doing at this moment. I was so happy I couldn’t have described my feelings about what I was seeing and experiencing.
For one last moment, the sky was on fire. That’s at least how it looked like. Look at those colors. So powerful. Strong. But short-lived.
And with this, an amazing day on the road came to an end. This spectacle of nature made us forget about our tiredness and the struggles of the drive. I am so happy about the wild camping spot we chose. It was the perfect location for this night.
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Anne Bonfert is a traveler. Photographer. Writer. Teacher. Skydiving instructor. Adventure enthusiast. Nature lover. And fell in love with the African continent.
