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For Christmas 2006, you may recall that Angela and I shared the campsite at Tsitsikamma National Park with half the Afrikaaner nation as they braai'd 25% of South Africa's annual meat production in less than 2 hours.
At Tsauchab River Camp, situated in a stunning location overlooking the Naukluft Mountains in central Namibia, Christmas 2007 came and went with Nature in full command. We woke to the sound of the dawn chorus (often the beautifully named and visually impressive Rosy Faced Love Birds), and retired to bed accompanied by the hooting of owls as they set off to find dinner.
Our campsite, in the dry riverbed at least 200 metres from the nearest neighbours, had an open shower in a tree trunk; plenty of shade and a long drop toilet situated 10 metres above us on the riverbank. I mention the toilet (OK so I tend to mention toilets quite often!) because it was a fantastic place to watch the sunset. Sunset in this part of the world is not just about the colour of the sky, more impressive is the colour of the rock as it takes on a russet red hue just before the sun finally disappears.
The Tsauchab River is full of large mature trees, evidence of the presence of water at certain times of year. The owners of the lodge emphasised this by showing us a video of the 2005 floods; our campsite was 3 metres underwater at the time! Several kilometres downstream the river disappears in to a gorge area with natural springs providing water all year round. Walking through the wild fig forest there, with baboons barking alarm calls from the cliffs above, you have to remind yourself you are in a semi desert area!
Reluctantly departing Tsauchab, we headed for Koimasis, a remote camp in the Tiras Mountains to the south. Not only did we not pass another vehicle in 200kms, we also had a drive of 30kms from the front gate to the farm and campsite. The memorable thing about this place (apart from a miserly charge of£4 each to use the pool!) was a spectacular rainstorm that came out of nowhere and soaked both us and the tent.
On our way east towards the Namibian Kalahari, we paid a visit to Duwiseb Castle, a real turreted castle in the middle of nowhere built in 1909 by a German army officer as a home for his American born wife and family. Thinking that this was a folly erected by a mad German who'd been in the sun too long we were advised that the fortifications were necessary at that time as the Germans had only just subdued the native Herero people.
No expense was spared on the interior of the castle, with stonemasons, carpenters and wood carvers and their materials being brought from Germany, Holland and Italy to Luderitz on the coast and then by ox wagon across the Namib Desert. The story has a sad ending, the officer attempted to returned to Germany at the outbreak of war in 1914, was interned in Brazil for his troubles and when he did get back home, was killed two weeks later at the Battle of the Somme.
New Year's Eve was spent in the Namibian Kalahari with the cackling of Northern Black Korhaans (a type of bustard, and a right b*stard for waking us up at 5am!) and the strange sound of Barking Geckos to keep us company. It made a pleasant change from Auld Lang Syne! The aforementioned geckos, by the way, sit at the mouth of their burrows when barking for mates, the sound is thought to be amplified by the shape of the tunnel and projected over 100 metres.
So that was Christmas 2007, quiet and beautiful, one of the best ever!
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