Up until last week, we were planning to be on a passage across the Atlantic right now, bound for arrival in St Helena on December 23 or 24. Schedules while you’re sailing get interrupted all the time, of course, mostly due to weather and/or breakages. Thankfully, this schedule change has a less dramatic reason: we’re tired. We’ve been moving at a fairly quick pace since we left Madagascar in October. When we arrived in Walvis Bay, Namibia, we planned to stay for two days before pushing off. But in even just our first day here, we really felt like we would be missing out by cutting our time short.

The landscape is so stark, dramatic and interesting and there are so many things to see in this area. On our first day—when we were still planning to leave—we drove an hour out through the towering sand dunes to a place nicknamed the Moonscape (actually called Goanikontes). Driving through the barren, rocky hills it truly feels like you could be on the moon. You emerge from the stunning drive to a place called the Oasis, nestled against a dry riverbed (the country is suffering from a 12-year drought), where we stopped for lunch and a terrific hike.

The next day, we headed out on ATVs to tackle the mountainous sand dunes in the area with a local historian. I can’t say enough good things about his tour, which took us to places in the dunes where local people lived 2,000 years ago. The strong, pervasive winds that ply the area continually shift the dunes, revealing and covering burial sites and long dried riverbeds. Bones of the ancient people who lived there, along with their beads and pottery, can be seen. In the dried riverbeds, we tracked the 2,000 year-old human and animal (giraffe, elephant, Cape buffalo, and more) footprints through the solidified, ancient mud. The areas have been studied and written about by anthropologists around the world, led into the dunes by this local historian over the last 24 years. It was a marvel to see and walk through these same areas, imagining what the land looked like then when it was lush and verdant.

After these two fantastic days, and a consultation with our understanding friend and new crew member (thanks BG!) who has joined us for the Atlantic crossing, we decided to stay through Christmas and take a breather. This would allow us to get some school and work done and see more of Namibia, plus spend Christmas on a dock in a protected area where the kids can have a proper holiday with parents that aren’t exhausted from the recent passage.

We’ve struck a nice balance over the last week, interspersing shorter adventures—like hikes and a return trip to see more of the Moonscape—with time on the boat, and we’re exceedingly happy with our decision to spend more time here. I am writing the newsletter this week from a game reserve, where we’ll be spending the weekend. We’ve already seen zebras, ostriches, and giraffes from the deck where lunch was served (below, right), and tomorrow we’ll head out on a drive to try and see rhinos, elephants, and anything else we can spot.

As a parent, few things make me happier than knowing our kids are happy. I know that we’re giving them amazing, lifetime adventures, but when we’re spending a Christmas away from family, with a pared down version of the holiday, I worry about what they’re missing out on by being on a boat. Giving them this extra week has been the best gift. We’ve been able to be more present and relaxed—watching a daily evening Christmas movie to maintain our holiday cheer, gathering the ingredients to make cookies, planning for a big Christmas dinner, and knowing that Santa will be able to find us. I know without a doubt that the Christmas we spent in Namibia will be one that we’ll still talk about years from now and for that, I’m thankful.