Man, it is tough living in Africa these days.
When you see news reporters being mugged on live TV, a president who chuckles every time a serious problem is raised, to a shooting massacre of eight people (including an 18-month-old child) outside a tavern not far from home (that garners hardly any attention) it is easy to be pessimistic about the state of our country, the state of our continent and where we are headed.
Sometimes you just need to get out of the big city and catch a breather.
And, that is precisely what I did this weekend when I headed out to one of the most enchanting places on the planet: the African bushveld.
Bakubung Bush Lodge in the Pilanesberg National Park to be exact.
There’s just something about it that instantly switches my body and mind into extreme relaxation mode.
The sea works for some, the bush works for me.
The tranquil buzz created by the insects at night is the perfect sleep medication and the shrill of the common quail in the mornings is the world’s best alarm clock, while the sight of the majestic African elephant taking a dip in the dam right before your eyes in the late-afternoon outmatches any mood-altering narcotic.
This is the real Africa – the Africa that instantly turns your negatives into positives.
One of my favourite actors, Will Smith, summed it up nicely when he said: “It’s really beautiful.
“It feels like God visits everywhere else but lives in Africa”.
Africa, you are beauty defined.
For all your darkness, there is still plenty of light emitting from your soul.
If we could bottle the energy from your natural radiance and disperse it among those who torture your spirit your true potential will certainly be uncovered.
Please enjoy some pics I took during my weekend away:
