October 27
The Luangwa River does bends. A 180 is nothing. Just routine. A 270 is more the river’s style, as here: vast beaches of sand either side of the life-giving dry-season trickle. Dry lagoons either side of the river show where the river has performed a 360, joined up with itself and created a new route and a new lagoon.
Stop at the bend, then, and look upriver: the eternal Luangwa view. Capsized trees that were once the river’s play-things, now perches for kingfishers. The long exposed beaches: site of the perilous daily walk to water and life.
Who’s here today? Seven elephants, crossing in one direction, pausing to suck thirsty trunkfuls as they pass. Eight giraffes crossing in the opposite direction, pausing splay-legged for their drink, the only time in their lives that giraffes look inelegant. Up the heads go again, and from their lofty towers they survey left and right before drifting on, stately as galleons.
A little distant, almost vanishing in the brightness of the sun, a group of zebras – a dazzle of zebras, I learned. Behind them a herd of delicate impalas, picking their fearful way to the water and back: sometimes so anxious they can’t quite bring themselves to lower their heads and drink.
Lions on the banks, crocs in the water, and all of life depending on the daily slurp. Triple-piping of greenshank across a unique vista – one faithfully replicated around the next bend. Life and death both seem suspended in the breathless heat.
Gosh,
How very beautiful! All of what you describe is marvelous. I like your last phrase ‘Life and death both seem suspended in the breathless heat.’
Thank you,
Hilda
Lovely, evocative writing. What sort of kingfishers are they?
I had just been thinking of ‘stately as a galleon’ to describe our senior, arthritic dog during this evening’s wet Norfolk walk. Did the expression exist before Joyce Grenfell, do you think?
Julia
We have just returned from a brief (1 week) sojourn in New York, spanning their election on the 8th. Even with death an ever-present threat, “wildlife” seems so much more sane than that which we witnessed. In order not to sully this space, I won’t offer my view of the victor’s personality, just note that while watching one grandson play soccer, we saw more sparrows in a few seconds that we see in a week in our neck of the North London gardens and open spaces.
So, they are doing something right!
I have this busy scene in my mind to enjoy, thank you for your words Simon
What a scene you have created, Simon, will you be there for the rainy season?