smiling?

this picture was supposed to be on yesterdays post but, well, y'know -
just didnt work out.
Anyhow, yesterday, I was looking at this elephant wondering if those
were smile lines?
shortly after the picture was taken she turned and chased us down the
track so i guess not?

Selinda snippets

We watched a ridiculous movie on dvd last night. I could hardly stay awake while people screamed and buildings tumbled and mass hysteria ruled the world. There was some nice music at the end though. By the time it finished and i had put the laptop away, i couldnt sleep. typical. So i pulled out my book and little clip on reading torch thing.  It was pitch black outside and the big yellow planet that hung low in the western sky earlier on had sunk below the treeline giving the other stars their chance to shine.

Then i heard it. The soft thud of something large mammalian and furry landing on the wooden deck outside our window.  I switched off the torch and listened hard thinking i could hear footfalls, and breathing - hoping it was the leopard whose tracks we sometimes see.  This morning there were flakes of bark lying on the deck - something had climbed into the big leadwood tree - the better to view the floodplain perhaps.  Sometime later he left.

This morning lying in my cosy bed sipping hot coffee I weighed the options of staying there until the day warmed up, or leaping out into the sharp cold air, and going onto the floodplains before sunrise to look for wild dogs. It was a quick decision - even though staying in bed had a strong case.  We watched the sky turn rosy pink, reflected in the mirror like water, then suddenly molten gold was spilling out between the trees, touching the yellow grasses and climbing up the gnarled tree trunks.  Daybreak.

Events big and small

Last night a gentle wind made this wooden house creak like an old ship at sea. I considered dreaming that i was sailing away to a new and unknown land but then the elephants that were browsing around camp started making a racket. They were screaming and trumpeting, and chasing what? each other?  It was impossible to imagine anything else as their sounds ripped through the night.  I expect they are sleepy today.

This morning a thick mist cloaked the floodplains.  The air is icy desert cold, with no sunshine to warm our bones.  I have lit some candles inside the house to bring some cheer - we have no fireplace here.  I made some bread; it was nice hanging around the stove while the bread was cooking.   

Midday approaches and everything is still, waiting - we know the burning sun is up there somewhere.   We havent heard the news for a week or so - perhaps another volcano has filled the air with smoke and dust? 

And now its thursday and the fog has lifted leaving us with bright sunny cool winter days. There are wild bees  living in the roof, and in one of the old leadwood trees. The hebaclada bushes around camp are full of seed pods.  Their pods stand upright like candles on a christmas tree. The giraffe love to eat the pods and gather around the low bushes, their necks arcing inwards, blue tongues wrapping round velvet pods. One giraffe raises its head and catching sight of us, stares long and hard. Some of the other giraffe start moving away while this one is staring. He almost gets left behind.

We spent some time with a herd of zebra. One beautiful young foal had an ugly gash on its back leg, and walked stiffly next to its mother looking forlorn.  The rest of the herd busied themselves with biting and kicking each other for fun, while occasionally managing to graze.  Behind them two bull giraffes battled it out in their slow motion neck hurling way. It is soundless, but i couldnt help imagining a loud kaboom with each connecting shot.

This morning early , as pre-sunrise rasta colours streaked the eastern horizon,  we heard lions calling.  They have been away for a while - its time they came back.  Meanwhile beyond the blue dome of sky, giant celestial bodies are easing themselves into position for the forthcoming Cosmic Cross, and the owlets are out hunting in daylight.

just chatting

Today is a beautiful peaceful sunny cool day. The mountains are shrouded in a white veil of dust haze. The warthogs stroll past stiff legged, tails swinging, off to the dam for some mud treatment.  There are two male lions sleeping out there somewhere in the green mopane trees.  They have had a couple of busy nights calling loudly to distant prides. It is the most awesome sound on a dark moonless night – to be enjoyed when in a safe vantage place i.e. bricks and mortar as opposed to grass, or reed huts with cattle shuffling restlessly outside your door.

I am home alone. It's very quiet. Rayson is outside sweeping leaves. The rhythmic swish of the rake is, I am sure, a meditative process, and sounds like gentle waves on a sandy shore.

Oh the monkeys have just arrived so now it's not so quiet any more. They are so funny.

We took a painting of a leopard out into the sun the other day to photograph in natural light and the troop of monkeys went berserk – hanging in the branches of the ebony tree, making alarm calls and showing off their impressive upper teeth.  "Hey you guys, it's just a painting ok?" but they weren't to be reasoned with and when we went back inside they hung around the windows looking in. Amazed that there was a leopard INSIDE THE HOUSE.  The troop is dramatically reduced in numbers at the moment. They were absent for quite a while.  Possibly a leopard has been preying on them recently so the fear is very current.

There have been some wonderful blog posts lately. Have you been to Spiny Marshmallow yet?  Read her latest take on a recent safari guide experience in Livingstone Zambia. And Lori Times Five's heart wrenching tale that belies her wonderful sun filled Californian tales of family and travels.  And Letters from Usedom where Geli wrote of her childhood experience in post war Germany.  And and and…. So many actual and thought provoking facets of life on this crazy beautiful planet. How amazingly different can each one be!

From very far away I have been fascinated by the recent volcanic activity in the north. What a show of power.  I suppose it could be irritating to have ones travel plans upset, and have to extend the budget – but for once let's let nature remind us who is boss.

I still haven't learnt to pronounce the name of the volcano in Icelandic.  Are the wee folk safe there?

I am also fascinated by the upcoming Cosmic Cross event, which apparently astrologers have been anticipating eagerly for years.  Whether we read our daily horoscopes or not, it's hard to ignore the fact that we are affected in strange and magical ways by the great wheel of heavenly bodies that shift and travel magnificently beyond the perfect blue of our earthly dome.  We love our sun and moon, but rarely give the others a thought except sometimes at night when the skies are clear and bright.

This forthcoming event promises an intense time with themes of truth telling, accountability, challenging long held beliefs and self examination. Whoa!  'Running through mud' versus 'go for it initiating' and 'who I am in the world'  Reya from The Gold Puppy will be able to explain this so much more fully, but a print out I received from a friend in SA gives me so much food for thought. Its about aligning with the energies in order to release the past, support new beginnings and propelling ourselves forward; opportunities to change and grow; unleashing our potential and creativity; and profound shifts in consciousness.  Sounds like the ride of our lives so far. Let's buckle up and see where it all goes.

As luck would have it we have the football world cup occurring in South Africa at THE VERY SAME TIME.   Already the promises of chaos and over exuberance are very evident.  What a time to be here – in a good way I hope!

So much more to chat about – crazy stuff going on in wild places here, but you have probably all wandered off to stretch and get a cup of tea so I'll let you go – reluctantly – till next time ok?

homecoming

these guys met us at the gate

the dot in the sky is the moon

daylight comes in softly and swiftly

sunrise

road trip and flip

we are back from a six day road trip round Botswana

here are some of the scenes along the way

crossing the 'great grey green greasy'  Limpopo River

a donkey cart - a more civilised mode of transport

commonly used in rural areas

and accounts for the off duty donkeys that hang around the roads

sunflower fields at Pandamatenga

kalanga horse races in a drive-by

the ghostly flare on the window is me

road rage - an elephant bull reacts to a passing truck

recycling is alive and well at Planet Baobab

was wondering what to do with that bottle mountain

Lucky me -  I went for a flip in Bruce's flying machine out of Elephant Sands

a view so wide and it made the word big again

elephant herd moving towards the pans

the great north road - we know it well

this puts it in perspective

elephants drink from the swimming pool in the evening

at Elephant Sands

Khama Karma Calmer..

The Khama Rhino Sanctuary in central Botswana is a nature zone that feeds the soul.  It is good Karma. It makes you feel calmer.

Just west of Serowe on the road to Orapa, we have passed the gate many times and wondered, craning our necks to see beyond the fences and into the open pans.

This time we found ourselves on the road, at that time of day, when the sun is making long shadows and the choice is to find a stopover – or to push on and drive in the dark along the donkey infested roads.  We pulled up at the gates – we were unprepared for camping. Yes! They have chalets – and a restaurant!! Perfect.

The reception ambiance was efficient and welcoming.  We followed directions to our quaint little A frame chalet, set in a clearing beneath a benevolent Mongongo tree.  The air alive with bird calls and squirrels made it feel like a fairy tale landing after the roar of traffic and the rush of road hazards – many narrowly missed.

I loved that the bed had been turned down neatly – as if some maternal figure had prepped the room for us.

But it was still early so we took a drive to look for rhinos.  We didn’t have to go far. At the first pan a female white rhino and calf were sleeping – the calf playing dead and the cow snoozing on her feet. A gigantic bull wandered past on the far side.  Caked in dried clay they looked like a gathering of ghost dinosaurs.

At the main pan, a group of six white rhinos grazed peacefully below a giant dome of evening sky.  It felt so good looking at these ancient ponderous beasts – to know that here in the heart of Botswana, is at least one place where they are safe and protected properly.

I salute the efforts of those whose vision has created this unassuming sanctuary in a world where rampant destruction of our natural treasures seems to be the order of the day.

We slept like babies in our cosy chalet and woke early to the clarion call of crested francolins.  Opening the door to the fresh morning, brought birds and squirrels to our feet looking for scraps. Making a mental note to always carry a small pack of wild bird seed on our travels, we  packed the car feeling rejuvenated and restored, ready to hit the road again.