My trip to Namibia and Botswana is over and, as I sit at home reminiscing over photos and re-reading blog entries, I realize that there is so much that didn’t make it onto the blog. Bruno is quite the photographer, and his amazing shots deserve to be showcased. So, I’ve decided to dedicate this almost-entirely-pictures entry to showing you some of the amazing things we saw during our five weeks in and around the Kalahari:
Bird Life
Imagine being in places devoid of major highways and swarms of people. What do you think you would hear? In the Kalahari or on the banks of the Okavango Delta, what you’ll hear is almost invariably the sounds of birds. Every morning, just before dawn, the sweet chirping of Southern Africa’s birds woke me gently. Sounds much better than the beeping of alarm clock, I always awoke feeling fresh and with a smile on my face. Living a hectic city life, one often forgets to stop and look at the little details surrounding you. Perhaps this is due to the overstimulation that overwhelms our senses in our modern world. But here, I had the time to notice the small birds on the trees, weaving nests or calling one another to better tree branches. I had rarely taken the time to look at birds before, but once I started, a whole new bird world opened up to me – a glorious world that I’d kind of like to be part of. Sigh – maybe someday!
Ancient Baobabs, serene sunsets, and the eerie calm of Kubu Island
Africa is infamous for its baobab trees and mesmerizing red sunsets. Perhaps nowhere better can one experience both than Kubu Island. Set in a prehistoric salt pan (see “Thirst” for more details), this landscape is devoid of people, animals, and plants – except for the ingeniously adaptable Baobab tree. Baobabs, with their almost-fruitless, leafless branches, climbing mazelike from their trunks, reaching upwards toward the twinkling moon and clear, luminescent sky. Baobabs, so powerful they can unearth rocks from the island floor and carefully carry them upwards, like a mother cradles a newborn child. Baobabs, carrying their scars and witchlike warts plainly, telling the stories of elephant and buffalo encounters that ended oh-so-badly for them.Tame Mammals, Antelope Hunts, and Giant Multicolored Crickets
An African adventure wouldn’t be complete without seeing some animals. I didn’t go on safari, so I didn’t encounter the quintessential lions or zebras. However, to my satisfaction, I DID come in close contact with wild horses on several occasions (on one occasion I even got to pet them JUST before they broke out into a biting fight with one another and I almost became collateral damage – that’s what happens when you pose facing the photographer while petting a wild animal!); I DID spot dozens of wild ostriches (and photographed a few ostrich penises, including one peeing) and even had a baby ostrich wandering around one of our campsites; I DID go on an antelope chase, feeling like a bush explorer as we marched silently in their direction, taking account of the wind direction and freezing anytime they looked our way; I DID pet a baby impala that roamed around the same campsite as said ostrich (they are not friends, though the impala is apparently best friends with the pet dog); and I DID encounter a gorgeous, massive, beautifully-colored grasshopper.The Not-So-Nice and Not-So-Romantic
Indeed, it’s true. The trip wasn’t all roses and baby’s bottoms. As I previously mentioned before, the weather was R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S. It would be boiling hot most days, with nay wind and nay humidity in the air so nay relief. Then at night, the temperature would jet down to almost-freezing, and I’d be shivering in full pajamas, socks, a wool blanket, a fleece blanket, and a down comforter! If it weren’t for those sweet little birds, I think I wouldn’t have left my bed in the morning! The weather made me sick (see previous blog entry), which isn’t at all romantic. The rest of the time it just made me lazy, which isn’t that nice, either. If I learned one thing this trip, it’s that desert weather is more turbulent than a premenstrual woman on chocolate withdrawal!
Oh yeah, there were also a TON of acacia thorns everywhere. Walking through the Kalahari was akin to walking through a booby-trapped war zone. Ok, well not exactly, but check out those thorns! Yikes!
