Introducing the Kalahari

Tswalu.

This trip was unguided, being recreational and not of a specifically photographic nature.

I confess that I could not leave my camera gear behind however!

What a luxurious treat – execujet might as well have been my own private lounge and jet parked on the runway. They say dreams are never too far from reality :))

We landed on the rich red soil of the Kalahari looking out over a very green semi desert landscape.

Tswalu had us comfortably on our game vehicle and at the Motse lodge in no time.

We were very spoilt with a beautiful luxuriously fitted family size room and readied for our Kalahari experience.

Let me take you there…

The air has a distinct dry grassy feel. The harsh conditions meet your skin subtly at first and then, as you take in your surroundings… steel-like deceivingly silky bushman grass, red iron laden sand, spike protected acacia tree varietals and the hardy Shepards tree varietals including the white-trunked Boscia tree. A little tinge of vulnerability creeps over you in the vast stillness. The stillness starts to melt the outer layer of worldly protection you carried in on yourself and you just begin to connect.

The season is the very beginning of the autumn, with cooler evenings and quite warm days but rainfall has been heavy over the summer and still continues a little late this year. The multitude of different grasses have burst from their dormant state in the hot red earth and boldly brandish their wavy curves across the usually rolling red dunes.

We had to work hard to find desert adapted tiny creatures like battered foxes, aardvark, pangolin, and even snakes, while the general game stood beaming at us with full bellies. Stunning colours of the Oryx, Rhone antelope, Zebra and springbok contrasted with the bright blue sky and the greens of the late summer.

Walking was glorious in this environment. Absolutely highlighted by our tracker, a bushman, the original ethnic bushman, born and bred in the Kalahari veld. Hans, was my highlight. Yes I know I was there for the animals one would think but actually, I am there for the WILD- erness, and this bushman is part of this wild place as much as any animal inhabitant. Tracking was next level. We got to even witness his skill in comparison to a telemetry unit in finding a coloured cheetah. We did not scientifically measure the performance of either and called the exercise a tie, but in my opinion, Hans on foot was the bomb. We spent a fascinating time on walks examining the story left by tracks in the sand. One special encounter was finding the sand markings where an ostrich had been dust bathing -it honestly looked like a sand angel.

After a day, my photographic addition was too strong to resist and we managed to commandeer the photographic vehicle, it being roofless and providing 360 degree views of the reserve. The days were stunning in the open vehicle, the nights as mesmerising..but for the two massive Kalahari storms we managed to get caught in! Easier done than one may think, these storms roll in in minutes from absolutely no where. Nothing a good whiskey and a fire can’t remedy though – even if we had life threatening lightening crashing around us and our most recent wills running through our minds :))

Surviving the storms, we felt very priviledged to dine at Kleinjan at Boscia house – a journey in itself, disappearing down into the gloriously cool earth under the semi desert, only to arrive at a table set on the edge of an amphitheatre directed at the majestic Kalahari sky.

And then the gastronomic journey – absolutely first class and indescribable. Should I have to try to explain the culinary delight I would put it like this “ imagine walking through an old little town, but on every corner there is a wise old person with a taste of the past, wrapped in the present and when you taste what they feed you, you see the possibility that that corner opens for the future of the town” its that big – so much thought and detail in every step.

I continue ..Between exploring the historic bushman paintings and successfully tracking feeding lions, it was my birthday during this trip. Tswalu, I am sure with instruction from Oryx ie Daniel Bailey, spoilt me with surprise meals and gifts all day long and into the evening ending with a magnificent chocolate cake. I think the fuss set a new level of expectations for birthdays for me! Thank you for sending them all the little pieces of information about how I like to travel, they didn’t miss one!

The wild in this place is a new jewel in my collection of wildernesses. I am thankful to those who work to preserve this piece of nature – it is a mammoth private enterprise that needs support and awareness. The more I spend time in the wild and learn of the challenges in keeping it healthy and productive- not just for the economic assistance in maintaining quality livelihoods of humans but really for the livelihood of humanity as a whole, the more I respect and honour those who have made commitments to being part of the solution.

As a ceramic sculptor by expression, the Kalahari was very inspirational as well. I left with my tiny bottle of red Kalahari sand, excited to incorporate it on an aardvark sculpture…after I have actually seen one – I will have to return in the winter. Once is never enough in a place like this!

I look forward to my next Oryx adventure. Thank you again to all of you for your attention to every detail both on tour and behind the scenes.