TALCOTT FAMILY - TRAVEL DIARIES

 Travel diaries  -  The Talcott's  Family route to Namibia                              June 2017....  

"When arctic currents of the Atlantic hit Namibia’s searing hot desert sand, a fine mist arises. One can only imagine what early explorers must have thought, arriving on these pristine beaches and seeing nothing but orange sand and fog, stretching inland for miles. It is no wonder Namibia was not touched for years, but when it finally was, the beauty that lay beyond the shores is something only your mind’s eye and your heart can fully appreciate. The desert has a haunting quality that I know will call me back, one day."

"The wonder of a desert that can support life, not due to underground springs but due to the fog itself.  The trees and animals that have adapted are a wonder.  Oryx and Zebra and Giraffe all can survive for long periods of time without fresh water.  The deep orange of the sand, brushed daily by the winds is mesmerizing."

       

 "The richness of the small strip of land in Namibia called the Caprivi lies beneath Angola and above Botswana.  Here, the exquisite Namibia camp built over an elephant migratory path not only allows these majestic creatures to continue to pass, unhampered, but those lucky enough to visit Nambwa, to experience them up close.  There is a rich variety of animal life here in the surrounding area-as we drove in we were delayed by the most delightful of “problems”: an elephant traffic jam.  Dozens of these beautiful pachyderms criss crossing the path where we, the humans were the trespassers on the land they call home. "

" When one travels to Africa, one must be prepared for a host of emotions. This is the source from when we all came. It is the home to animals many of us have only seen sad and captive in zoos. Here, they roam free in their full splendor; and thanks to the scores of Namibian and Botswana soldiers, safe from poachers.  We are the visitors, and they the natives and sharing the ground with them is a magical, profoundly moving experience.  A free animal looks different and their beauty is not just astonishing, it is moving. To see a leopard ten feet away feels as though one has entered the kingdom where mythology meets magic. I was reduced to tears,  it was just such a beautiful, powerful and amazing creature. Watching elephants play in the water or guard their young from predatory lions is life at its most elemental.   While each animal and bird is more stunning than the next, I think for me the most moving and really joyous part of seeing them was knowing that they were free. 

A blasé New Yorker, I went to Zimbabwe to see the falls because “you had to”.  I was unprepared for the majesty and untouched rough grandeur of these falls. Unlike our own falls at Niagra, there is no overflow of civilization, concrete or gift shops.  The water pours through a rough canyon of rock from a height and width that creates a plume of spray visible from far away.  It was thrilling and …very wet! Wear flip flops and be prepared for a wonderful soaked walk through the rainforest filled with orchids and naughty monkeys and elephants. "