T R A V E L I am scheduled to meet Chris and James at reception for my helicopter flight over the reserve and I’m giddy with excitement. Not only to fly in the Agusta Westland 119 single engine helicopter, but to get an eagle eye view from my comfortable cream leather seat up in the sky. Gus van Dyk, director of wildlife is sitting beside me, explaining the conservation efforts of Tswalu, restoring the Kalahari back to its beautiful self. The helicopter flight is a wonderful addition to the already exciting extra offerings at Tswalu – you can either book a conservation educational or enjoy a Korannenberg mountain picnic with uninterrupted views of the southern Kalahari. Back on terra firma, Chris and James are ready to take me on my first game drive. I had been asked what I would like to see and having done some research on Tswalu and the animals that inhabit the region, I know I want to see the Kalahari black-maned lions. We happen to be in the part of the reserve when the lions roam, so finding them should be a piece of cake, or so I thought. Once again, the interaction and kinship between guide and tracker yields the desired result – find tracks, follow them and with the right amount of intuition and animal behavior knowledge, the animal will be in your sights before you know it. The Southern Pride’s big male lion is lying fast asleep not quite in the shade. Under the tree next to him, three sub-adult lionesses are having a slumber. We sit and take in the absolute magnificence of these beasts for a good hour before they start moving about. The male opens his eyes momentarily and rolls onto his back to continue his siesta. Suddenly, a female sparks his interest and it is rumored that he has been mating with her. She has just come out of oestrus and gives him a nasty smack when he gets too close for her liking. We all laugh out loud when he sniffs where she has sat and proceeds to do the flehmen grimace. After this incredible sighting, we set off to find a suitable sundowner spot on top of a ‘koppie’ (hill). Chef Alewyn and the rest of the kitchen staff have pulled out all the stops to put together a picnic with trimmings deluxe – beef burgers, potato salad, beef kebabs, lamb ribs, chicken drumsticks, a selection of fruit, chocolate mousse and any tipple that tickles your fancy. I quietly contemplate skipping dinner because this was just too much delicious food. Rachel had jokingly told me earlier that no guest is allowed to leave until they have gained at least eight pounds, which by the look of my eating habits during my first day at Tswalu is easily attainable. I freshen up before dinner which is a veritable feast of ‘My Inspiration – by Alewyn’, consisting of grilled octopus or chilled cucumber soup or springbok tartar for starters, grilled sea bass, kudu wellington on potato rosti, duck breast on a sautéed vegetable or fried tofu disks. I opt for the kudu wellington on potato rosti served with baby beets, spinach puree, glazed carrots and a cranberry port reduction and truffle salt made to perfection. After my filling picnic, I ask for a single serving of vanilla ice cream instead of the dessert choices consisting of plum, mint ice cream and liquorice meringue or Amarula tiramisu. Time for my pre-sleep nightly ritual of a clean(s)ing shower with Kalahari shower products. It’s difficult to choose between the inside or outside shower, because standing outside I will witness the star-spangled sky above and might forget to shower! Clean and refreshed, I dry myself with the fluffy white towel before climbing into my enormous bed, draped in cream and light blue linen with the dropped mosquito net. The following morning is overcast with a smidgen of rain falling, which means the road will have fresh tracks on it from a ‘blank slate’. James thinks he spots African wild dog tracks and all of a sudden, we are in hot pursuit of them, but we seem to be driving in circles. They must be somewhere and as we approach the clearing, I smell the distinct odor that can only be that of a wild dog. They are huddled together in the cool weather 36 Upscale Living Magazine |
MARCH 2018 www.upscalelivingmag.com