Back to the Kalahari Desert

I’m back to the Kalahari Desert, now in Botswana, trying to remind
myself that my feelings about authoritarian governments and regimes
are not to be confused with my feelings about Africa. Travel is harder
here. The National parks are expensive to access, and bush-camping is
dangerous – too many elephants walking around. I try not to get too
annoyed with the armed men who stop the car... [Read more]

A Desert in Bloom

“Desert in bloom” must sound perfectly surreal; well, it looks perfectly surreal as well. From afar, flat barren meadows look like someone has been painting in the mountains and spilled a whole bucket of paint onto the grass below. “Accidents” like this are seen everywhere: orange, yellow, red blotches of daisies by the pound catch the eye and make it hard to concentrate on driving. Finally I gave up and... [Read more]

Living Desert

In a seemingly dead place, barren of any signs of life, only by reading the “Bushman’s newspaper” - tracks in the sand, he found them all and then showed to us on an outstretched hand.

I’ve learned to appreciate a good guide. One who seems more like a magician when he practices his craft - conjuring unearthly views or rare animals only by asking me to close my eyes for twenty seconds, or... [Read more]

Sandboarding Epiphany in Chile

Sitting at the top of a sand dune, with board attached to my feet, wind and sand pelting my face, looking out at the alien terrain reminiscent of Star Wars, is when I finally realized how damn lucky I am.  Maybe it was the altitude or maybe it was the exhaustion from trudging up the steep sand, but something finally jostled me and opened my eyes. 

Here I am sand-boarding in the San Pedro de Atacama in the Northern... [Read more]