Daily Archives: August 20, 2006

Mornings we’re awakened by a hushed voice outside the tent, gently advising that hot tea has been left on the table. In the freezing pre-dawn darkness I cup my hands around the mug’s burning sides to warm them. The sun is barely peeking over the horizon when we mount up and leave camp, in search of whatever we might see. Though the first day or two there are inevitable expectations of spying big, impressive animals, I quickly learn that the beauty, the magic of the day is in what appears, not in what’s expected. We skirt rain pans, following animals paths. A shy reedbuck springs from dense green cover on a wooded island. A herd of delicate lechwe, their extra-long hoofs and water-proof hair making them ideally suited to this environment, leap through a shallow pool. In a flash they’re gone, a spray of crystal droplets of water left by their mad dash, still hanging in the air.

(more…)