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| Trevor surprised us with balloons in the morning! |
Today, Trevor, Katie, Podge and I went quad biking through the dunes of the Namib Desert. And I know I overuse this word, but I can’t help it; quad biking was sick!
Driving up and down the dunes I caught myself saying things – out loud – such as, “Woaaahhh!” and, “this is so cool!” I felt like a little kid again. Now I’ve done some pretty cool things in my life, but quad biking through the Namib Desert may have taken the cake.
And if quad biking doesn’t do it for you, then the Namib Desert definitely would. These dunes were absolutely breathtaking.
Half way through our quad biking adventure we stopped to do sand boarding – but we were lying down this time.
My favorite part about sand boarding was that it reminded me a lot of sledding and I can’t remember the last time I’ve gone sledding on Christmas.
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| Me sand boarding. |
We each completed four pretty sweet runs down the dunes before hopping back on our quad bikes and returning to nature’s playground. Quad biking was awesome and one day when I’m employed for a company where I actually make money, I’m going to have to buy one of my own.
After quad biking, we enjoyed a Christmas Lunch of PB&J, swapped some good stories, and then set out on our last Swakopmund adventure: Dune 7. Dune 7 is 600 to 700 meters tall (depending on how the wind has moved the peak) and is the tallest dune in Namibia.
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| Podge is only about 5 meters ahead of me, but she was about 12 above me. |
We scrambled to the top, which was no easy feat in itself and was only made more difficult by the strong wind that was pummeling sand against us. But the climb was fun. The slope of the dune was so steep that each step we took caused sand to cascade in torrents down the dune.
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| On top of Dune 7, looking out over the ridge. |
The wind only increased once we reached the top and within minutes we all had sand in almost every conceivable place.
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| Check out that wind! |
To escape the sand attacks, we ran down the backside of the dune and took refuge in a sand bowl. It was here that we enjoyed a Christmas dinner of leftover soup and hard-boiled eggs. We also opened our Secret Santa presents!
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| Katie, Podge and I. |
Everyone seemed to really enjoy participating in Secret Santa and all of the presents were so thoughtful and fun. My Secret Santa was Podge. She got me a bag full of bottle caps (she actually asked a bartender at a restaurant to root through the garbage in order to collect some) and a hat that said “Sand Lover”. This was hilarious because minutes before opening my presents I had been playing with the sand and educating my travel buddies about it’s possible mineral content. I also filled a water bottle with sand as souvenir. Try as I may, I can’t help but geek out in any geologic setting (and in all honesty I don’t really try not to geek out). Then, right before 8, we made a mad dash to the top of the dune in order to watch the sunset. It was beautiful.
We then used an assortment of means – running, jumping and rolling to name a few – in order to get back down the dune and into the shelter of our taxi. When we got back to our lodge we ended up in a tired heap on the floor, sharing hot chocolate, sweets and Christmas stories.
As great as this Christmas was though, I definitely missed home. I missed my Aunt’s annual Christmas party. I missed the cookie exchange that I usually have with my D3E hall mates. I missed William and Mary’s Yule Log celebration. I missed baking Christmas cookies. And I missed being with my family and maybe, just maybe, I was missed as well.
To my friends and family, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and I want you to know that I was thinking of you.
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