Change In Plans

Greetings from Tswalu!  Unfortunately, we are leaving this desert paradise around noon today.  We will be driving for about four hours to a tent camp in the Trans-Frontier National Park, and staying there for the next few days.  This short post is about what we have been doing in our last 24 hours at Tswalu.

Yesterday afternoon, once we figured out that Zola had gotten the poisonous sap from the tree euphorbia in his nose and mouth, Jason, Samuel and I shifted our afternoon game drive into a quest for bushman medicine. 

Jason dug a succulent root from the side of the road, cut off the outer skin, and gave Zola a piece to chew.  Jason’s insistence that the root “tastes just like warm water” was a bit generous (I tasted a piece myself), but Zola’s mouth felt a little better.  Later, on the theory that the poison was a mild acid, we pulverized some limestone, and made an alkaline mouth rinse.  This didn’t work very well (Zola swallowed a big mouthful, which caused him more anxiety).  A limestone poultice seemed to really help the mild acid burn on his face, though.  Finally, Jason cut us some hoodia, which is a succulent known for giving energy and suppressing appetite (now available in U.S. drugstores).  Again, Jason’s characterization of the taste -”very pleasant, like licorice”- was too charitable, but I definitely felt the stimulus effect.

We did not see a lot of interesting game (except a small buffalo herd), but it was fun finding the bush remedies.  The best part of the drive, though, was watching the spectacular sunset from the top of a small sand dune.  Jason, Samuel and Zola dug up scorpion holes, hoping to find one of the occupants to inspect.  Eventually they went off to look at a dead Oryx by the side of the road.  Tallulah played in the sand.  India and I sat with our drinks and admired the beauty of the desert, and the electric drama of gathering thunderstorms.  We could see 10-20 kilometers in every direction, but could not see evidence of any other human life.  Once again, we got soaked on the drive back to the lodge.

This morning, we slept until 6, and then drove down to the stables.  Like everything else at Tswalu, the stables were absolutely top class.  They had riding boots and chaps waiting for us, and a string of beautiful horses were saddled.  Most exciting, Tallulah got to ride her own horse (with a lead line), and we walked off into the desert.  We saw a sable, a few Nyala, and two grumpy old male buffalo down by a water hole.  The scenery was spectacular.  We saw a burned patch of about 20 acres, where a lightning strike had ignited a brush fire a few months ago.  Apparently, this brings out the entire Tswalu staff of 150 people to light backfires and beat out flames.  If the reserve burnt down, it would be bad for conservation and for business.

On the ride, Jason told a story about when the (now-deposed) King and Queen of Nepal visited Sabi Sands, and he took them on their game drives.  The two Nepali generals who were acting as bodyguards got very nervous every time Jason reached for his rifle.  This is reasonable, given that the king’s predecessor (and brother) died in a hail of gunfire.  Jason said that the king was not very pleasant company, shouting “Drive, just drive!” when Jason stopped to look at any animal not to his regal liking.  As the group sat and watched a mother leopard feeding its cub, the king flicked a lit cigarette next to them.  A team of rangers had to drive off the mother leopard, and beat out the small fire that he had started.  A few months after the king’s visit, the Nepali Maoists finally deposed him, and sent him into internal exile.  Jason said, “I don’t wish bad on anyone, but when I saw that news on CNN, I figured it served the king right.”

On the way back from riding, we saw two male warthogs fighting ferociously on the road.  They butted heads, slashed at each other with their tusks, and generally mixed it up.  Eventually, one warthog backed away warily, while his victorious opponent sprayed sand in the air and grunted triumphantly.  After breakfast, and some on-line math (Zola and I are cranking), Jason and Samuel took the kids to do archery.  Zola shot the arrows, and Tallulah ran to retrieve them.

Tswalu is just great.  We are sorry to be leaving, but are excited about heading back to Namibia.  The long drive begins today.