Global Nomads

and then it was spring

Susanne — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:23:35 +0000

Spring in Bavaria is still one of my favorite times of the year – at least in my head. Today it is very cold and rainy, but last week I got some warm and sunny days. The sunshine, green hills dotted with white and yellow flowers and the famous white & blue Bavarian sky bring up so many childhood memories and a feeling of “home”. Combined with a lunch of white asparagus on the terrace and the view of the Alps in the distance, a day like this is priceless….

Botswana bucket list

Susanne — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:15:34 +0000

Time is running so fast, and in the past weeks I haven’t really had time for anything, but here’s a few more memories of our trip to the Magkadigkadi Pans.

It was such a great get-away and we also crossed a few things of our “to-do” list for Botswana:

- Learn about the origins of the Baobab, that some tribes believe are being thrown down from the sky by the Gods whenever they are really angry. Others believe it is the hyenas fault, who did a bad job planting them upside down. Whatever the reason, these trees are impressive and have witnessed so much history -

- Visit the Meerkats and wait for them to come out of their den in the morning, greeting the sun and the new morning before starting their search for food -

- Watch the sunset and the thousands of Flamingos that migrate to the pans near Nata during the rainy season. From a distance, they look like a soft pink ribbon that is stuck between earth and sky, but we got close enough the hear their chatter and see them fly in flocks low above the shallow water -

in and out of the pan

Susanne — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:39:55 +0000

From Gweta, we went further into the salt pans for an overnight trip. This trip turned out to be a little more adventurous than we had planned and it included a broken down car, a hike through the bush, a bumpy ride in an ancient car which came to our rescue, followed by a frantic search for the cooler box that we had left under a tree, and a drive through the pans in complete darkness to our camping spot. It also included a very nice dinner at the campfire, an amazing starry sky, the overwhelming sound of silence and feeling of complete nothingness during the night in the pan, a beautiful sunrise and a fantastic landscape experience.

Thanks to Moses who was send to rescue us with another car, to Mr Mapotse for handling the situation, and to the Meerkat Guy for keeping us company!

turn left after 600km…

Susanne — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:12:31 +0000

This is more or less the GPS directions for the 700km long trip from Gaborone to Gweta. You drive for a very long time and then you end up in a little town with palm trees and huts that sits on the edge of some really large salt pans.

We went up there over the weekend and spent a quiet night at Gweta Lodge before venturing into the Ntwetwe Pan for an adventure overnight trip. We also learnt about the geological formation of the Makgadigkadi Pans that used to be an enormous lake and dried out because the rivers were diverted due to tectonic changes….who would have thought that once there was water in abundance in what is today a desert!

a happening of arts

Susanne — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:51:34 +0000

Yesterday I went to the Alliance Francaise, where a friend organised an arts workshop. It involved painters, drummers, a dancing poet and guests, who had gathered in the courtyard to watch “creative mistakes”. During the workshop, we listened to powerful poetry and watched the artists in the process of making “creative mistakes” on a canvas. It is really difficult to describe what was actually going on there and so I guess it was actually more of a “happening” than a conventional workshop…but it was definitely an interesting experience!

Opera Setswana

Susanne — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 10:57:34 +0000

Last night we went to see “Cavalleria Rusticana“, an opera in one act that was translated into Setswana and adapted to a Botswana setting. It was a rather extraordinary experience as I have never heard of a classical opera being performed in Botswana and we were really impressed by the great performance of the singers and the creative costumes. So glad we got a chance to see this!

It is playing at Maitisong next week (27 & 28 April) and I highly recommend you go and see it while it’s on!

Weekend in the Waterberg

Susanne — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:16:43 +0000

For the long Easter weekend, we went to the Waterberg area in South Africa with our friends and met my sister and M. on their way back from Mozambique for a couple of quiet days in the bush. The days were filled with extended breakfasts, watching the sun wandering from one end of the porch to the next, lying in the green grass and enjoying the breeze. In the afternoons, we went for a walk in the hills, collected some fire wood and had some nap-time. In the evenings, we lit a fire, braaied some meat and watched the landscape in the moonlight. It was a good way to spend Easter, and despite the loong and bumpy drive it was a relaxing mini-vacation!

at the farmers market

Susanne — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:36:43 +0000

Last weekend we went to the farmers market. We spent a lot of time there and sold some crafts and many waffles.

After lunch, we enjoyed the rest of the time listening to some nice music and relaxing on the sofas in the sun.

Before we left, Björn bought a giant radish from the farmer lady with the long blond hair. And some yummy brownies…

Birthday in the bush

Susanne — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:18:11 +0000

A few weekends ago, we celebrated my sister’s and my birthday with cake and bubbles. We also went on a game drive to Mokolodi and had a bush picknick overlooking the green hills and the dam. It was nice spending some time with friends and family and I hope they will enjoy their holiday in Mozambique!

Lunch with Monkeys

Susanne — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:43:46 +0000

The other day we went for lunch at the No. 1 Ladies’ Opera House and were joined by a group of monkeys. They jumped up and down from branches on the roof and climbed around in the trees above the outdoor tables. Luckily we had already finished our meal by the time the cheekiest one jumped on the table and stole the sugar. Having lunch with monkey was not quite as spectacular as having dinner with rhinos but hey, it’s not like there is too much entertainment over here, so we gladly take whatever amusement we get ;)