Cycling The Road Less Travelled

June 20th, 2008. For the first time ever, 3 Canadians (2 females and one male) were escorted off the Sossusvlei sand dunes in Namibia today. The towering red sand dunes of Sossusvlei are one of Namibia’s most infamous and popular attractions. After entering the gates at Sesriem, visitors drive the 65 km drive stretch to Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei. From there, a shuttle service is provided for the final 5km which is accessible only by 4X4. The trio, (Diana, Spiros and Maria) raised concern when they hadn’t returned to the shuttle point hours after all other visitors had come and gone, despite being the first ones into the park. “Most visitors only spend a few hours in the dunes”, said John the distraught shuttle driver who eventually decided to go in after them. “I’ve never had to do that before”, he added. He found them on top of one the dunes, frantically running back and forth taking photos and screeching like school girls. At that point, an exasperated John screamed out “Okay, let’s go!” and tried to shoo them off the dune. It was at that point that the thin one, (known to some as “the Veggie”) reportedly tried to make a break for it. The other two soon tried to follow suit. “The Veggie” would have made it had she not turned back, Snicker bar in hand, to help the slightly lethargic female who was complaining of low blood sugar. Even after being loaded back into the shuttle like naughty school children, the culprits still repeatedly asked John to stop the shuttle for “just one last photo”. “They had this crazed look in their eyes” said John, “It was a little scary”. Exhausted, frustrated and slightly afraid, the driver eventually let them out of the shuttle a few 100m from their car. “I was hungry and just wanted to see my family again” concluded John while shaking his head. The trio was later spotted at the Sesriem campground, complaining about full memory cards and dead camera batteries.