Soon after sunrise, I’m so awake that I spring out of bed and step onto the wooden deck outside. I breathe the scent of wild sage and hear birds squabbling raucously. Warm sun and a cool breeze tickle my skin. I taste the dusty air and look over the endless bush. I can feel all five senses reawakening, and a sixth sense reminding me that there’s an enormous difference between being alive and really living.
Months in lockdown has been a brutal, bewildering and lonely time of pure survival – a lockdown to save our lives, that’s felt like slow death anyway. Now, standing on the deck at Safari Plains lodge in Mabula Private Game Reserve in Limpopo, I feel pure joy surging through me. A new appreciation for wide open spaces, the hospitality of the lodge employees, the knowledge of the guides, and the delight of having a chef ask me what I want for breakfast, lunch and supper.
The thrill of climbing into the Land Cruiser for a game drive has me bouncing with excitement. “I won’t even take an impala for granted,” I promise Senior Safari Guide Elias Mangwane, who’s even more delighted to be back in the bush than I am.
Stimulating segments
Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Skyways.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Skyways.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Fit For Purpose
Changing legislation offers a range of opportunities in the health sector
Good For Grinches
Finally! A holiday season Scrooge himself can invest in
A Paradise In The Wilderness
Visitors find freedom at Treedom on the Garden Route
Do It For The Kids
Parenting styles play an important role in helping children develop through the pandemic and beyond
Trekking With Teens
Travelling with adolescents comes with a unique set of challenges
Know Your Mind
Our brain uses shortcuts to think quickly but, sometimes, these mental timesavers let us down. Dr Pragya Agarwal discusses the science of cognitive biases, and why it’s more important than ever to understand how they hold sway over our views
Infected With The Travel Bug Again
As tourism-related establishments up their game to ensure visitor health and safety, it’s possible to feel positive about travelling again
Star attraction
Greater Kruger lodge makes a spectacular first impression
Palala position
The effect of the past on the present is positively felt in a luxury Waterberg lodge
Can the spam!
Irrelevant advertising will almost certainly turn consumers against your product