Merit: A Night at Deadvlei. The night before returning to Windhoek, we spent several hours at Deadveli. The moon was bright enough to illuminate the sand dunes in the distance, but the skies were still dark enough to clearly see the milky way and magellanic clouds. Deadveli means “dead marsh. The camelthorn trees are believed to be about 900 years old, but have not decomposed because the environment is so dry. (Photo and caption by Beth McCarley/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

Armin Bielefeldt of the U.S. poses with his beard art work before the Beard World Championship 2013 in Leinfelden-Echterdingen near Stuttgart November 2, 2013. Bielefeldt needs more than 6 hours for his art work. More than 300 people from around the world compete in different moustache and beard categories. (Photo by Michaela Rehle/Reuters)

Police fire rubber bullets as they help an Atletico Paranaense fan during clashes between Vasco da Gama soccer fans and Atletico Paranaense fans at their Brazilian championship match in Joinville in Santa Catarina, on December 8, 2013. Dozens of fans fought a savage battle on the terraces at the match on Sunday, interrupting play for more than one hour and leaving at least three people reportedly in serious condition. (Photo by Carlos Moraes/Agência O DIA)

Krystian Herba, a Polish extreme cyclist jumps up the steps of Eureka Tower on a bicycle as he breaks a Guinness World Record at Eureka Tower on February 4, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. Herba jumped up 2,919 steps on his bicycle in 1 hour 45 minutes without supporting himself with his hands or feet to break his own Guinness World Record. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

A man walks down a flooded road in Islip, New York August 13, 2014. More than a foot of rain hit parts of New York's Long Island on Wednesday, enough to set a preliminary state record, triggering flash floods and swamping cars on major roads that were turned into rivers during the morning rush hour. (Photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

A photographer has captured these amazing rainbow-like images of stars high above the skies of Colorado. Stargazer Matt Payne, from Oregon, loves the evening skies so much, he has devoted hours to shooting the marvels of the Milky Way. The 35-year-old has to meticulously plan his work, taking into account weather, terrain, season and even the cycle of the moon to get the perfect snap. (Photo by Matt Payne/Caters News)

Mechanic and welder Sergei Kulagin, 32, strengthens the bracing of a spider sculpture, made by Kulagin, during a demonstration on the wall of an automobile repair workshop in the town of Divnogorsk outside Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, October 15, 2014. Enthusiast Kulagin, who works as a mechanic of an automobile service station, created about 20 sculptures made of used car parts and components during his non-working hours. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)

A man takes a “selfie” with camels at a farm in Taif November 1, 2014. Saudi Arabia said late on Wednesday it had detected six new cases of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 24 hours, the biggest daily jump for months with officials blaming lax hospital procedures. Scientists are not sure of the origin of the virus, but several studies have linked it to camels and some experts think it is being passed to humans through close physical contact or through the consumption of camel meat or camel milk. (Photo by Mohamed Alhwaity/Reuters)