“Look deep into
nature, & then you will understand everything better.”
~Albert Einstein
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| Sunset Time Over in Mduna |
Here I am after a long & length journey to South Africa.
I find my days being spent out on the
Thanda
Private Game Reserve working on a wildlife photography conservation project
with
African Impact’s Thanda Project
and living at the
Ulwazi Lodge as its
home base. I’m in the bush working extremely long days, meeting some cool
people from all over the world, photographing the wildlife & living without
the internet in the traditional sense. Thanda is a beautiful private park that
is aiming to become a natural park. Browns & greens tend to be the color
variations that I see these days lacking the ocean since I’m inland from the
coast that’s just a wee bit over an hour away. Khaki is the new black, with wearing
dark colors to blend in with the scenery. I didn’t know what to expect to be
honest on what I would actually be doing. For my first week, I’ve been in an
intensive photography workshop class relearning everything under the sun that I
already learnt about photography all over again. It’s been quite good actually
for the review; reteaching myself techniques that have been stuck in back
memory. It’s been fab to see a herd of elephants out in the distance, a pride
of lions, cheetahs, monkeys, blue wildebeest, giraffes, impala, kudu, nyala,
warthogs & zebras. Absolutely stellar to see the animals in their natural
habitat rather than going to Disney’s Animal Kingdom or a local zoo.
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| An Elephant's Eye |
From orientation, I learnt that Thanda is located in the
heart of the Zulu kingdom.
I have
learnt some basic phrases too as with the aims & goals of African Impact’s
projects in the region. Bush safety was also taught with basic first aid out in
the wilderness that is a wee bit different. You never know what to expect at
all hours & best to use a torch at night to see the eyes of the wildlife
incase of a close encounter. Basically, the best response is to stand still
& wait for it to pass before going ahead.
Drinking water is very important. It’s very hot here for
summer time & it reminds me of Australia with how strong the sun is, its
best to keep hydrated. Also, with my accommodations, I’m pretty much camping,
sleeping under a mosquito net to keep the geckos from pooing on me in my sleep.
However, it’s very important to conserve water with very quick showers & to
have a bucket in the shower to catch the water to reuse it in the toilet to
flush it. It’s all about conservation & implanting good practices for
survival.
My days tend to blend it all at once, like my long days on
the ship. Time means nothing to me these days, I couldn’t tell you what time it
is or what day it is. It’s all about the moment, embracing it & seeing what
it brings! Honestly, watching the wildlife reminds me of being back in the
Galapagos where you just have to have a wee bit of patience & the wildlife
will come to you. There’s no telling what will happen. This beats watching many
documentaries on The National Geographic
or Animal Planet channels. I’ve been
eating very well here at the Ulwazi Lodge.
I’m grateful that they are very warm & welcoming all of the staff. In
particular the kitchen with my crazy special diet needs. I’ve tried some
traditional South African fair along with some lovely vegetarian curries.
There’s something special with that proper dirty curry. The portion sizes are
huge, but got to have the energy to survive the long days & the heat.
“When you start
enjoying food with lovely people in different places on different occasions,
you end up with a meaningful snapshot that you’ll remember forever”
~Jamie Oliver
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| Border Crossing From Mozambique into South Africa |
After an insanely busy week, I went with some of my
African Impact friends for a wee bit of
a border crossing north to Mozambique for the weekend. It was about a little
over three hours to get to Ponta Do Ouro, a lovely costal town on the Indian
Ocean. It was easy peasy crossing the border of Kosi Bay, South Africa &
Ponta D’Ouro, Mozambique. Basically, I just walked across a dirt road from one
passport control to the other. We then headed in a couple of SUV’s down long
& windy sand dunes to the seaside town. The ride reminded me of the time
that I was with my friend & her sister’s family going 4 wheeling outside of
Perth. Ah, it was nice to see another country & a change of scenery. Well
deserve some R&R, “creative downtime” getting to know all of my new friends
on a much better level. As it turns out we have more in common than we
thought.
The time spent was well
worth it. I basically, just chilled out in Ponta Do Ouro at a lovely apt
accommodation at one of the resorts overlooking the Indian Ocean. The beach was
calling me to go swimming back in the Indian Ocean; it had been many moons
since I was last in it. The ocean was very warm too with some nice surf. I did
enjoyed eating loads of fresh seafood & wandering the dirt streets. In a
way the coastal town reminded me of Jaco, Costa Rico & Utila, Honduras. I
guess it was the laid back beach style vibe. I did go snorkeling with
The Dolphin Center
on one of the mornings. I was a wee bit disappointed for not actually
snorkeling with the dolphins, but seeing them was quite nice. The snorkel on
top of a reef seeing parrotfish & “Dory” was quite enjoyable tho. I
definitely enjoyed the “
Zodiac style”
pontoon boat riding the swells, getting sprayed from the breaks & seeing
the Mozambique coastline all the way to the South African border. As with any
wildlife you can’t predict the traveling patterns of the animals. Any look is
good, it’s just when you get to experience them super close than it’s an unforgettable
moment. Overall my time here has been fab! A lot of hard work, doing something
with a heart center consciousness is a wonderful experience. The adventure
keeps on unfolding…
