Memory clip: Namibia

I have a most memorable shower. Besides recollections of accompanied showers, I wonder how many other people have a "most memorable" bath.

It was in norht-central Namibia, on the Cheetah Conservation Fund grounds near Otjiwarongo. It was Thanksgiving Day and our camp was bustling with people on their designated cooking jobs. Some were at the table shaving potatoes, a pie was baking over the open fire, and Crispen (our trusty chef) was seasoning the chicken... no turkeys to be found in the Southern African desert. November is the end of the dry season so the days were stifling, with a hot, oven-like breeze blowing in our faces. I was sticky and lethargic.

The shower was outside, privatized by high mud walls, with a bench off to the side. When I stepped inside the stall, I felt I was in my own ceilingless spa room. I'll never forget standing standing naked under the open sky with cool water washing away the grime from my body. All I used was a bar of soap, and it's simplicity gave me a feeling of freshness and purity. It must have also been the act of bathing in the open amidst a harsh, dry environment. The sparseness and dust of the Namib bush was anything but cool and refreshing.

When I turned off the faucet I left my towel aside and had sun's rays dry me. Each time droplets evaporated from my skin, the water held in my hair would drizzle more droplets down my back. This drew tiny lines of chill down my body each time the breeze came. The buzzing hum of the surrounding bush created a beautiful silence and I laid down on my back on the hot tile floor of the stall. I felt like a reptile - completely still, sponging UV heat.

After about a half an hour I heard a knocking on the mud wall... it was somebody else's turn.