The Reason for It All

The enviable view from my tent is just the thing to make a studio special.

I have to admit that I am feeling a little depressed. If you consider that I am on my African adventure then that statement is even more depressing. (Not to worry it does brighten up in a bit).

I am not sure if the reason for my depression is the unrelenting heat or the realization that there are some unrelenting 21st-century “things” I am not sure I can accept as part of who I am.

The main reason, of course, for the African adventure is to get into the bush (that I so passionately love) and hopefully steep myself in its magic and peace. However, the reality is far from that, especially here at Etosha. 

The first shock, I think, was the sheer number of tourists in the park on a daily basis. I will add that  I am on the western side of the pan at the very popular Anderson Gate entrance. Due to the fact that I only go into the park every second day I have to go and pay entrance fees each time (bureaucratic red tape and a story for another day). Each day my receipt number has been around no 150. That indicator points to the fact that 150 plus new vehicles enter the park each day, some of them carrying anything from 8 to 20 guests. This number does not include those who have paid for multiple-day entries and entries at the other two gates. 

Then, this park, in their wisdom allows you to drive at 60kph. It is mind-boggling that the roads aren’t scattered with dead springbok who love to nibble on the bushes at the roadside. It also kicks up so much dust, and of course, if you are driving at 60kph and you drive past a black rhino, then that’s the last of the rhino you will see who hightails it in the opposite direction.

But there is something else that is really bugging me. It is the tourist. More specifically, here it is the European and American tourists. I rarely see them smiling, they do not have a friendly demeanour and they don’t look as if they are happy to be here. In contrast, on the Facebook Namibia group pages I follow, you will see multiple posts about how excited they are to be coming here. So, I then have a question. Why do they look so sour?

This translates to impatience and irritation at gates and sightings. And so it was, two days ago that at the gate someone had parked and left his car blocking the way. We waited a couple of minutes, saw the car was driverless, and then proceeded to go around him. He emerged from the Gate office stood in the middle of the road and proceeded to call us “ashlog”. Very complimentary and such a pleasure to hear.  Later that afternoon, at the Nebrowni waterhole, another European tourist approached us. There was a lioness at the waterhole but from our position, she could not be seen as she was lying in the shade of the wall. We were occupying ourselves by observing some Zebra in the distance who were indicating some more lions. Eventually, two more lionesses emerged from the bush but they were really far off. We were then asked if we were watching the lions. We answered and said yes, we could see two lionesses in the distance. Said tourists then pulled away to the other side of the parking area to see if they could see. Around 30 minutes later the lioness at the waterhole decided it was time to have a drink of water and she stood up. The next minute, said tourist returned to our car window and shouted “Thank you for nothing!!  My deduction was that she was under the impression we had deliberately misled her.

Now, I sit and reflect on all these people. The reason we took off for far-flung destinations was to get away from the hustle and bustle and the depressing world out there, but we seem to have picked the wrong destination. Etosha, in my opinion, is not the place to “get away from it all”. All you are doing is getting to see all these people kidding themselves they are “getting away from it all” and littering the bush with their “city personas”.

But, then, this morning, as I was trying to get myself into a better frame of mind. I had Pavarotti blasting in my ears and a giraffe on the drawing board when I was alerted to the elephant at the waterhole.  My whole attitude changed. This is the reason I came so far. The distraction was a good one that made all those unpleasant little people disappear from my mind. I could sit at my easel doing what I love and at the same time, seeing what I love.

A winning combination that inspires me to create more and relax into this rustic lifestyle.

Elephantastic Greetings to you all.

Christine

Don't forget that these inspirational moments lead to my works on paper that you can see on my website at www.christinelamberth.com.