Malealea is near the Tropic of Capricorn. It’s summer. Sun rises at 5am. It can be quite hot in the middle of the day but a regular breeze helps. Mornings are dreamy. One early morning I took a guided hike down to a local gorge. The guide wanted to understand American politics and the arc from the 44th to 47th President. They love the Obamas here, both of them. The iconic Barack Hope sticker was on the wall in the reception.
We did a guided family hike to some local bushman paintings. We walked out over an agricultural plateau and then dropped down into a river canyon. Some locals had organized a sing-song for us, hoping for some passing dollars to fill their cap. Sweet and creative. The paintings were 500-years old and in great shape. Beautiful. Our guide explained the traditions depicted in the art. We stopped at an “echo chamber” on our way out of the canyon. You could shout anything, or make any loud noise, and it would echo back perfectly from across the canyon. Except farts, not enough volume to generate an echo. Never seen anything like it. The bushmen would trick wildlife using echoes and then capture them in the canyon. About 30 minutes before getting back, the sky turned dark and the wind whipped up. About 5 minutes before we got to the lodge, the skies opened and wind-fueled rain pounded down. We sat on the Lodge’s patio with cold drinks and watched the rain pound for ages. Grateful we escaped the deluge.
Every night the local choir and band played outdoors. They got started in the 90’s. Their music was beautiful and awe-inspiring. They played indoors on the evening it poured. Sharing videos of both because outdoors was beautiful and indoors had sweet acoustics.
The lodge cooked the most simple and delicious food. Justin, who has an appropriately high culinary bar, was delighted by all the meals. So were the rest of us. Delicious. And so with full hearts and full bellies we are packing up the car tomorrow and heading north into the Tsehlanyane National Park in this land of Peace, Rain and Prosperity. Thanks Malealea!
Comments