Lion In The Night

During the hours of darkness the many carnivores that rely on stealth and concealment prowl the veld for prey. They become bolder and more aggressively predatory, even towards species (such as humans) that they may tend to avoid during daytime. When I become aware of the presence of one of dangerous ones in the vicinity of my camp, the night becomes saturated with that special mix of fear and exhiliration that only the African wilderness can induce! You can listen to the drama of such a night here: Enjoy!...

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Of a World Less Dramatic

As a boy living in the Kruger Park with my family, I would often hear the frustrated exclamation, “We drove all day and saw almost nothing!” That would roughly translate into “a few impala and some blue wildbeest and zebra grazing in the distance.” A walk through untouched African bushland would, probably to their surprise, be even more dissapointing. Very little typically happens on such walks. One can easily be left with the impression of slogging through an endless expanse of savannah vegetation which, apart from the few birds that might flit past, is without life. Of course the...

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Pleasure and sadness in the African Night

The African night is alive with sound and life. Living this frothing abundance holds wonder at both that which is revealed and that which is not. It is deeply rewarding to me. It arouses the senses to new levels of awareness, yet it is quieting to the mind; a time to disengage from the impressions of the day and to reflect and ponder. Reflection and pondering is fulfilling, even as it brings both pleasure and sadness. You can listen to my impressions here: Enjoy!...

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At the End of the Day

I should start preparing dinner, but for now I will indulge in some wine and let my thoughts drift to what I saw and heard and thought during my four-hour walk of today. It turned out to be a rather uneventful walk – like so many in the African wilderness. But to me it was interesting to slowly decipher, even if only in small part, the rythms and patterns of life in this area, from the few sightings and the signs left by the inhabitants. Here are my thoughts. Enjoy!...

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Dawn Contemplations

When one is immersed in Nature, and one avoids, as far as practically possible, making use of the few accoutrements of comfort you may have brought from the modern world, you become acutely aware of your environment, of your situation, and of any change to it. Any sound, any smell, the strength and quality of the light, the temperature, the wind, all take on new importance. Each state has special meaning and implications; each change in state becomes an event. So it is with dawn. Dawn, when a new world slowly emerges from the darkness. It is a time...

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Of African Night Sounds

I arrived at another pan in the afternoon. There was quite a lot of recent animal sign around, and I spotted a few Hartebeest out on the pan. It was a place that made me feel like I had arrived. I organised my camp so that I would be reasonably safe from night predators, then took a chair and gave myself over to the night… You can listen to my impressions here: Enjoy!...

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First Bush Camp

I left behind the last signs of the Middle World some two hours ago. This is proper wilderness, and that means almost anything can happen. The sun is setting and I need to find somewhere to overnight. I turn off the track (which I guess still represents evidence of human activity, however tenuous), and work my way into bush. About a kilometre in I find a suitable tree to spend the night under. Enjoy the rest of the story here:...

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