Satellite Magic in the Middle of Nowhere

Back at the bush camp in the absolute middle of nowhere – our mission, to install a Vsat internet system. So…a friendly chat via satellite BGan & Skype with the techie lads in Cape Town at the other end of the continent, swing the big satellite dish around, wave around a high tech instrument that aligns perfectly to the improbable and mysterious satellite orbiting kilometres above us in outer space – fiddle with a few settings and voila, permanent internet floating all around us and the bush camp is Online! This always feels like a small piece of magic to me…

Being the go-between - chatting to Cape Town

Having sorted out the communications - solar power and inverters quietly keeping everything going, it was a delight to take some time out and enjoy spending time with our friends in their unspoilt corner of the world, complete with a mini “baobab island”.

I enjoyed some alone time for reading and contemplation. For me, there’s something magically soothing and restoring about the African bush. The silence, broken only by insect and bird sounds; the blanketing humidity and greenery of this time of year; the sudden flares of sunshine/blue sky, competing with the brooding build-up of dark grey afternoon storm clouds.

Later in the afternoon, we escorted the tribe of dogs to a nearby water-filled pan where they splashed, wallowed, galloped and leaped to their hearts’ content! The arrival of the rain could not ruin their sheer joy in their watery adventure. Back at camp, nothing better than standing wetly next to the fire, feeling your clothes drying on you within seconds, whilst enjoying an ice cold bush sundowner!

Our sunset was absurdly colourful and changeable… from salmon and pale blue, to crimson, then purple and gold - finally fading to royal blue. Perhaps Tiennie’s photo can do it justice…

Eventually it was time to meander back home through the grasslands and palm treeseventually emerging on the fringes of the floodplain once more, ready to follow the river home to Kasane. There we found and photographed a profusion of wild red pincushiony lilies.

and of course had to stop in to buy some cokes at the wonderful “Kanini Kanini General Dealer and High Life Bar”before heading back to our comparatively civillised real world, for another working week!