Wild Rose Travel

“No phone, no camera, no book. Only water, a pen and paper and yourselves, are allowed.”

Upon boarding the 4×4 land cruiser, apprehensive as always when venturing out into the South-African bush, hyperesthesia became apparent this day. The crickets chirped louder, the jackal buzzards above swooped faster, the laugh of hyenas in the distance prolonged in the misty morning air. Although fresh, the slender smell of smoke from devastating bush fires hovered, nature forcing memories of previous disaster to last.

We jounced and jerked our way across the private reserve, yielding a cloud of dust and dirt behind us before reaching a halt, no obvious objective in sight.

“Who’s out first?” we were asked, before one brave soul took the dreaded first step, wearing a puzzled expression upon their face. We continued, dropping each volunteer approximately 200-metres apart until I, the penultimate passenger descended the steps, unknown of what lies ahead.

“We’ll collect you shortly. If there’s an emergency, shout” is all we’re told, before hearing the gravel of the dirt roads crumble and silence creep in.

Alone. 

I scan my surroundings for a place to sit, scouting a tree trunk in the distance not only providing significant shade from the barn-burning sunshine, but also with the fewest thorns on the ground to avoid. Fallen and scattered from the Buffalo thorn, the sharp creations embed themselves into every feasible host. In traditional Zulu custom and quite beautiful in quote, this tree reminds us of “where we are going and where we have been,’ due to the alternating direction of forward and backward facing thorns.

Although beneath a layer of ash, the tree bark provides significant support to rest. Entirely emersed in bird song I begin to settle, and my senses relax just as a bush to my left rustles. 

Zebra.

No longer alone.

Now accompanied, I open my notebook and allow the words to fall from mind to matter. The type of writing that doesn’t require much thinking, as though your soul has been opened and emptied. Present, past, and future thoughts swarm my brain, questioning every decision that led to this moment, and how every moment to follow will be based upon prior experience.

Relax, rest, recharge, reflect and recalibrate.

2-weeks is all I spent volunteering on this reserve, enough to gain the experience of a lifetime. Endless animal sightings that leave you in awe, beautiful sunrise and sunsets, followed by downpours then drought. Overwhelming sense of fulfilment, pride and gratification day in and day out. A moment to capture and appreciate every ounce of that, is what the reflection activity enabled.

It isn’t often you’re left in your own company in the centre of a private South African game reserve, for an unknown period of time. Nothing but your mind to occupy yourself. Truth be known to those, like myself, that are lucky enough. 

I still to this day don’t know quite how long I sat there, and that’s quite simply where the beauty lies.