A Day in the Life: Christmas in the Namibian Bush

First and foremost, Muriel and i wish everyone a very merry Christmas!


We hope you had a wonderful holiday wherever you were privileged to spend it. I realized a few weeks ago that this would be my 6th continent celebrating the holiday, which is a bit of a surprise considering how much i enjoyed and treasured this time of year back home while growing up. Now, i treasure it for another reason, a big window of time and opportunity to get out in the great big world to see someplace that i have never been, ideally with some outdoor sports thrown in. This approach has led Mu and i to many far ranging places, often with dear friends. It is a different approach to the holidays, and one that might not work for many others, but sure brings us a ton of peace and joy.

We thought it would be fun to give a little snapshot of our day yesterday, which took place in a national park about 100 kilometers inland from the coast here in Namibia. The park is called Spitzkoppe, which apparently means painted dome in german (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitzkoppe and http://www.travellersvoice.com/articles/article.html?id=49). The area is littered with large domes of red granite rock, some of the faces are hundreds of feet tall and i was reminded of J-tree and parts of Utah. Wifi however is in short supply, so we were not able to call our families, which was a bit of downer. The peaks are contrasted to the utter flatness of the surrounding area, making their relief all the more speculator. The entire area combines for sunsets that were stunning, lasting well over an hour and having such vivid red, yellow and pink hues.

Christmas Eve sunset

The campsite for our 2 nights at the park was nestled in the rocks, our tent in a fold of granite that gave some respite from the intense sun and heat, it must have been over a hundred at points yesterday. The hot and summery vibe felt quite similar to our Aussie xmas in Hobart five years ago, which makes sense considering the similar latitude. This led to playing some soccer and going on trail runs, which were a far cry from the skating and skiing that is de rigor back home.

Camp in the middle of Spitzkoppe

We even got in some climbing, which was a very pleasant surprise. Mu took the reins on leading up a tricky little granite climb, and she did a great job. It is always hard to climb when you do not know the grade of the specific climb, and she did very admirable job overcoming this mental challenge. Then, i climbed in my sneakers, since my climbing shoes were thrown away back after Lisboa due to disrepair. It was hard to get up the climb in sneakers, but the flow and airy vista across the desert proved sublime. Then, the real fun began as we were able to share our beloved pastime with many of the fellow christmas revelers, about 10 in total. It was really cool to get people on the rock, and have them enjoy the sport so much even in the powerful heat and sun. On-lookers were so supportive and the collaborative nature of the sport really took over, producing an enduring xmas memory for my lovely wife and i.

Mu killing it on the granite

The amphitheater

Then it was time to get down to the serious business of christmas dinner. We actually had two big meals, both of which were quite impressive for camping in the bush with no running water and only cooking off the truck. All of the cooking was done using the 3 propane burners or over a charcoal fired burner set up (man was the 2nd set hot). This creates a big challenge for sequencing a 21 person proper meal with all of the fixins and sauces, while also accommodating the dietary restrictions that a modern group of that size will require.

Our chef/tour leaders were more than up to the challenge, as we ate like proper kings in the desert. Breakfast was eggs, toast, fried tomatoes, fresh bacon, sausages - yum! Dinner was taken up a notch even further with 3 full leg of lambs on the bone (cooked in a stock bath and then finished over the coals), steamed beer chicken, fried mint potatoes, squash and sweet potato mash, carrots, creamed broccoli/zucchini and gravy. Painted Dog. Desert is more Mu's domain so i can let her chime in on that front in comments, but i can assure you it was also excellent.

Gifts were exchanged as well, with both a secret santa and a white elephant on tap amongst the group. Mu netted some wildlife stuff and jewelry in the bargain and i got a great South African cook book that i will be putting to use back home, wherever that may be. Mu and i also did our own gift exchange, and we both came out swimmingly.

Moon rising over the Spitz

Overall, yesterday was incredibly differnet than the christmas' of our youth, so dominated by snowy, wintery weather. Last night, mu and i slept out on the red Spitzkoppe granite with the moon tracking slowly across the sky and millions stars absoulutely glowing, seemingly right in front of our faces. Try that in Utah or Maine, in Dec! An extremely memorable day 112 to our travels and my 32nd christmas.

Xmas cheer, Namibian style