Sunday, April 1, 2012

Desert Structures in Rock and Glass

A few Strange Structures I've seen in the Desert:


This colourful shelter stands alongside the gravel road, a few kilometres north of the tiny outpost at Solitaire.

I love the bright Earthy colours against the desert pastels.



Although it does not look neglected, I've never seen any sign of life there and wonder who constructed it and why.

Perhaps someone built it as a holiday home, an escape, or perhaps it was built as accommodation for travellers - I'll try to find out when I'm next in the area.



What makes this structure unusual is that it has been built using glass bottles laid flat into the walls - there's even a giant bottle perched on the little 'tower' on the roof.

I'd love to stand inside and see what the effect is with light entering through the bottles.



I've been watching the lack of progress in the building of this solitary rock house for almost ten years now.

It stands besides the main highway between Keetmanshoop and Goageb, close to the Fish River Bridge.

When I first encountered it it was not covered and about five years ago a thatched roof suddenly appeared - nothing else has happened since then.



Again, I must wonder at the purpose of the structure, stuck uncompleted in the middle of nowhere.

What I find charming about this double-storey house, (besides that it's built of rock), is that the walls are not exactly straight, they seem to blossom outwards slightly towards the top.


The the 'Le Mirage Desert Lodge And Spa' close to Sossusvlei.

When I first saw these buildings they offended my eye.

It's not that they're unattractive or clash much with the environment - I think I was upset, (after travelling through miles of 'free' space), at the realisation that even the Desert is 'owned' ...

- or perhaps I was just a grumpy old man that day.


A closer look at Le Mirage's guest rooms - soft earthy colours with rocks built into the wall over the windows.

What I like most though, is that the structure isn't regular - no straight lines, but not wacky either.

I can't afford to take a look at the insides of the rooms ...


This approximately 12m tall Rock Tower stands close to the road between Ariamsvlei and Karasburg. The walls are absolutely straight - that takes some skill on a round building.

This is what I first fantasised about for the en suite bathroom of the house, complete with Sunset Jacuzzi on top - thank heavens I came to my senses.

I was told by a Karasburg resident that the farmer had built it as a Watch Tower to deter game poachers - quite a few farmers in Namibia build smaller watch towers.



I love the contrasts in this derelict building in the middle of nowhere - it would make a great subject at sunrise or set, or after it's rained.

If only walls could talk - What possessed someone to live in such isolation so long ago?

It's like a Sandcastle returning to the Earth.


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24 comments:

  1. You see the most marvelous things on your journeys through the desert. I looked out for stuff when we went to LA last week and the most noteworthy is an old abandoned boat, called the Minnow, that just sits there in the desert. And then the huge airplane graveyard, which is something to behold. Which you really can't since it is so big, you have to look it up online. Oh, and they removed that wonderful truck I have pictures of that reminds me of the trucks you have shown with flowers growing in their engines.

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  2. Sad to hear that the trucks gone Inger - I would love to spend a few hours in the air-plane graveyard ... do they recycle them or will they stand there forever?

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  3. What wonderful finds in your desert! I love all the pictures, but my favourite is the last one....

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    1. Thanks Coral - yes, the last is my fave too ... I'm glad I sneaked it into this post ...

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  4. Thank you for posting, Graham. I feel I am touring Namibia with you!

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    1. Thanks Fran - I'll do my best to see that you don't get eaten by lions ... :)

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  5. Ha ha I have pretty much forgotten what a straight wall looks like. I am getting used to bending and cutting things to fit!!

    I Love that building with the glass bottles I bet it is much lighter inside than you would expect. The guest rooms would be fun to try if I had a bit more money in my pocket. The last photo is the best though. Keep well Diane

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    1. hehe Diane ... I hear you ...

      yeah, the glass house is strange ... and I'm guessing those guest rooms are way out of our range ... probably five-star or more ...

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  6. If I could climb into the pictures, I would.

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    1. Hehe Fazlisa - what a lovely fantasy ... to be able to climb into a picture and explore ... like Alice Through The Looking-glass ... :)

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  7. Lots of very interesting structures there. I must admit I am a fan of rounded "edges" rather than angled ones. That desert spa looks like it will be a nice place when finished. I like the red circular building built out of bottles. It seems to be eco friendly, plus it reminds me of a yurt type structure.

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    1. Thanks Penny - I've heard about "yurts' but have never investigated them ...

      ... I've heard stories of people in the North building with bottles and even soft-drink cans but I've not seen any of these structures ...

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  8. Incredible architecture / structures..very surreal..you continue to surprise me..what strange land you live on..if I win the lottery..I will drop in...

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    1. Hehe Monica - looking at the size of lotteries nowdays, when you win you'll probably be able to buy Namibia ... and don't just drop in ... linger for awhile ...

      ... and don't forget who first told you about Namibia ... :)

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  9. The glass bottle building is colorful and unique. thanks for the pictures.

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    1. Thanks Bill - yes, the glass building is especially striking when you come upon it after travelling through miles of nothing ...

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  10. Hi Graham .. I've seen glass and can walls in Botswana .. quite a lot of them .. both posh and just sheer entrepreneurial - ie using resources that are there.

    Is the spa functioning? Quite amazing structures and those game towers .. love the photos and descriptions - yes if only walls could talk ..

    The desert plane depository .. is where they go when they're not required, because they don't rust .. but it's ridiculous isn't it - all their components came from oil .. that took millions of years to evolve - and then we just leave them sitting ... it was the oil thing that horrified me - we forget how much is made from oil ..

    Love the photos and story .. actually I'd love to visit (again), but not stay .. way too hot ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Hi and thanks Hilary - sorry about not posting your comment earlier ... for some dumb reason blogger keeps sending your comments to the spam folder ... grrrrr

      Yes, the Spa is open.

      I'm sure you'd love another visit to Namibia - especially with me as your tourguide ... :)

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  11. I answered your question in my comments, but since I usually don't, here it is: Central Stockholm is built on 14 islands, some in the sweet water of Lake Malaren, some in the salt sea water of Saltsjon. I believe that this may cause the strong currents where there are narrow passages between the islands.

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  12. This post is vintage StonedCrow - quirky buildings in the middle of nowhere, hiding their secrets, and great photos to illustrate them. I can almost hear the wind whistling round the corners...
    Caroline

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    1. Thanks Caroline - I'm probably older than most of those buildings - call me Vintage ... :)

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  13. Hi everyone. I m the lady who did the bottle house. I collected 30.000 bottles over a period of 14 months on my own and together with three guys we built the house. It was meant for my employees but they considered it too beautiful for them and asked me to build again. I then constructed a sand bag house adjacent as I refused to repeat this hard work of collecting and transportation on a gravel road for 3 hours and down a mountain pass again and searched for building material on site.
    I use it for my visiting friends now.
    Cheers, Brita Flinner

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  14. Wow, I'm so glad that you found this post Brita and thanks for sharing your interesting story ... I often travel past the bottle house ... perhaps someday I can stop in and take photos from the inside?

    Thanks for writing

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