acacia blossoms

acacia blossoms

Monday, February 21, 2011

separation anxiety



It is a cool overcast monday morning after a steaming hot few days. An elephant slooshes and wallows in the reedbed out of sight, but filling the view with his sounds.  Its time for us to move again. Tomorrow or the next day - whenever there are seats available on an outgoing plane - we will lift off from the dusty strip, soaring over the palm trees and wild sage grasslands.  We will hum steadily, high above the meandering arms of the Okavango Delta, interlaced with hard etched elephant paths linking muddy waterholes.

Then we will land in Maun. The sprawling metropolis of safari town yielding a cacophony of traffic noises and charter aircraft arriving and leaving in a wheel of never ending transit traffic . Maun is the safari spring board of northern Botswana.

Just opposite the airport is a cafe bistro  where tourists, safari operators and pilots meet and linger - filling time between ETA's and ETDs - or just linking with friends passing through.  It is rich in people watching opportunities against the backdrop of the river of traffic.

But for now the rhythmic heart beat of a turtle dove calling overlays the orchestral symphony of bird calls from water and woodland. These sounds soothe the soul and lighten the heart strings. 

The grasses here smell of wild herbs and water - sage, thyme, basil. I wish i could bottle it and take it with me. My body loves to breathe it in. And each time we return I am overwhelmed by the fragrances and sounds that contrast so absolutely from the sounds of our man made world.


(sorry no pics this time - internet too slow)

16 comments:

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Travel safely! Are you leaving Africa? Such a tender farewell.

Anonymous said...

and I was nearly having separation anxiety with no new MOTR blogposts

Enjoy the time you have left there!

I often wish I could bottle those senses of Africa *** sigh ***

Lorac said...

Sounds heavenly! I would love to smell that air. Relax and enjoy!

Kristin said...

No pictures needed. Your words, as always, evoke such a vivid view of your world. Thank you for sharing such a bittersweet thought.

Val said...

hi Bonnie - noo - just leaving Selinda heading back to town!

Janet - thanks - leaving today i think just waiting for seats.

Lorac - it is :)

Kristin - thanks

Angela said...

Not only the fragrance, also the sounds, and simply the soft air - nothing can be compared to rural Africa. But we need you back now, to chat and mail easier! And next month you`ll be going to Matsopane, yay!

Fire Byrd said...

Who needs photographs when your words make me feel I can here and smell the place.

Charl said...

So true Val, and very well said. We had the pleasure of spending a few days in the solitude of Mapungubwe recently. Wish I could 'freeze' the experience so that it would stay as vivid forever.

Amanda Summer said...

i wish you could bottle those fragrances along with the sights and sounds.......what a powerful place you find yourself in. completely see why it's tough to leave it behind.

xx

Reya Mellicker said...

So beautiful! Val. You are magnificent, you are.

Safe travels and a speedy return to the land that your body loves to breathe in.

mermaid gallery said...

It all sounds so exotic and a bit like an old movie....I love the natural, earthy smells too...it's what we remember best....

Lori ann said...

hi val,
it looks like it's cooled down a bit and you've even had some rain?

lovely evocative post, and as always makes me yearn for time in the bush.

xxx

Pooch Purple Reign said...

hope your new adventures... and smells.. are as beautiful as the ones from where you leave
~laura

Val said...

Angela - thanks for your mails. chat soon

Fire Byrd - thanks

Charl - so glad you had some Africa time

Amanda - imagine if we could do that. Maybe its good that we have to go back there to experience the whole sensory overload

Reya - you are an inspiration truly. We have some more travels to do before we can return to the wild sage grasslands but hopefully it will be soon

Mermaid Gallery - an old movie eh? its always good to reconnect

Lori - yes there is a definite change of season in the air, and yet still some rain storms around.

Laura - there is a lovely crispness in the air now; the smells are different here but also good

thanks for your comments - you know i love them! take good care and blog on xxV

Vagabonde said...

With your words I can imagine how this busy town must be – so full of activity and colors. Smell also can be so powerful and bring one back to a lost place or a lost memory.

Margaret said...

Elephants sloshing and wallowing are as normal to you as a horse whinnying is to me. If I had an elephant in my backyard, I would panic to no end... Funny. Wonderful descriptions, you have a wonderful way of writing. But I do love the photos of your side of the world.