December 25, 2013
Of all the places we stayed on our trip, this is the first place we booked. We knew we wanted to be near the ocean for Christmas, so we decided to stay in Dana Bay. It is just outside of the more well-known Mossel Bay on the Garden Route, provided a very quaint experience with unobstructed ocean views. We spent three nights in Dana Bay; this is the longest we stayed in one place during our entire trip. It was the perfect spot to share our first South African Christmas!
The owners of the guesthouse we stayed at are German (as were most of the other guests), and they celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. We enjoyed (well, I enjoyed, M experimented…) a seafood dinner with local oysters to start and traditional pudding for dessert…complete with endless champagne!
While this wasn't our first time away from family or our home for Christmas, we really like to try and keep at least some of the traditions we know and love, as it makes it feel more like "Christmas" to us. And so, I had brought stockings with us, along with a few gifts we had received from friends that we were instructed to save for Christmas morning. With mimosa in hand, we opened our gifts on our balcony, and then after breakfast decided to go for a hike along the coast. We even found a local golf course en-route serving a traditional Christmas meal, so it only made sense to stop for turkey mid-hike…
On boxing day we relaxed for the morning, and then visited a local private game reserve for an afternoon game drive. While it didn't feel quite as "wild" as others we've visited, it seems that the only bad game drive is the one we don't do! I am always excited to see incredible wildlife up-close in their natural habitat (and let's be honest, I'm not one to turn down a good photo opportunity…).
We will definitely treasure the memories of our first Christmas in Africa!
We will definitely treasure the memories of our first Christmas in Africa!
A very big thank you to both our new South African friends and our old-faithful Finnish friends for sending us gifts for Christmas Day! It really made it extra special, and we were touched at the gesture! (See, I told you both we'd wait till Christmas morning!)
Stopping to enjoy the view.
Late afternoon sun on the ocean as we finished the home stretch.
We did it!
Infinity pool: we definitely made use of this after the hike!
Apparently when they filled a pot hole at this service station they decided to fill it in the shape of Africa…
Paradise.
Cape Mountain Zebras (Notice their stripy legs and the fact that they don't have "shadow" stripes? They are different from the more commonly seen Plains Zebras).
Lioness resting in the sun.
No comments:
Post a Comment