We arrived in Namibia in the pitch black of night, after driving through the South African border. The B1 “highway” is a narrow, two-lane strip of pavement that extends the entire length of Namibia. At night, it is absolutely, 100% dark. The only other lights to be seen for hundreds of kilometers, are those of massive semi-trucks passing by.

So, we decided to hop out and catch a glimpse of the starry night sky, which we heard was amazing.

Pulling off the highway, we parked our car and turned the lights off, plunging us into complete darkness. Let me just say– growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John and I spent a lot of time outdoors in the wilderness, so we have seen our share of dark night sky. But, when we looked up that night…the Namibian sky took our breath away. We stood there, no light, no sound, looking upward, our mouths open.

The milky way sparked the entire length of the sky. I didn’t realize the milky was was so immense, so all encompassing. It was like looking through a telescope, with all of the stars clearly visible. Bright constellations and planets twinkled, so vivid and dazzling, that they hardly looked real. It was unlike anything we’d ever seen before.

Check out this article on CNN.com to see what I’m talking about.

By a stroke of luck, we came upon the tiny dusty town of Grünau, where we managed to get a room for the night. Calling it a town is a stretch, as you’ll see from our photos below. After a good night’s rest, we continued our journey under a bright blue sky filled with cotton ball clouds.

Now, we’re in Windhoek getting set up. John has already begun his job search. In fact, he’s out delivering resumes right now. Wish us luck, and stay tuned for more updates on life in Namibia!