Despite a noble speech about the fascinating diversity of this place and the pleasure of watching a year pass by - caught up in nature’s dynamics I predictably arrive at the same old confession:
“I’m really here for the Elephants”
The table was being set up for dinner on the deck while our guests enjoyed afternoon tea before their activities. Lazaro pipes up at a shadow on the horizon (One of the guides, Laz has crazy eyesight - if he spotted a tourist on the horizon he’d tell you what brand of binoculars he/she is sporting).
Sure enough squinting through our own Bino’s (annoyingly Laz isn’t using any) we were treated to this distant elephant sighting. It looked to be quite a sizable herd mulling around on the northern bank of the river when to our surprise they crossed!
The boats were already prepped to go so we dropped the tea and dashed out to view them from the water. Elephants are wonderful subject matter for a guide, always busy with something (a lot of eating) and- being so large and visual in their interactions with each other - they keep us captivated.
In this vast setting you can’t help but marvel at their resilience. They can manage in deserts and forests from the coast to the highlands. Vulnerable as they are, left alone in this habitat they are able to thrive -and it is tough out here. We’re unlikely to see rain for another four months and the salad on offer is already looking pretty sparse, the elephants can move massive distances seeking the best food supply available.
That was the magic of this sighting – they just crossed our path and we were lucky enough to see them. Totally on their own mission, without manmade water holes or food supplements, we hold no sway over the pathways they choose and can only watch dumbfounded when, massive as they are, they decide to vanish into the colossal space they call home.
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