Botswana. Oasis and desert - a tale of two sisters. And a little on why David Attenborough ruined my life

What can be more destructive for one’s stabilized and settled sense of place than aging troubadour of exotic travels, a mature poet telling stories of the unknown, a wise man explaining the eternal struggle between life and death, light and darkness. In the ideal world he would jump out of his fancy helicopter or serve you the delicious narrative from the boat sailing through the sunset. Oh well, ain’t gonna happen peeps – here’s what you are going to hear from me.

Lush and green oasis of Okawango Delta exists against all odds in the vicinity of the Kalahari Desert. It provides water that, against all linear ways of consecutive thinking, does not come or go anywhere. It does not flow with a purpose. It does not merge or form alliances. It simply transpires, circulates and evaporates through its own watery veins. I mean, look at this beautiful creature – as it lives and breathes.

 

When you come down from the clouds this tricky creature will play mischievous games with you. It will reflect the images of all the world above in the clear water surface. You shall not be able to tell anymore – where is the sky and where is the ground.

BUT, right next door, my dear friends, lives Delta's evil sister. 

A salty desert -  Makgadikgadi Pan. She used to be lush, loud and ludicrous Lady, just like her sister. For the reasons unknown;  a long, long time ago her green veins would dry up and turn white, life would evaporate, her complexion would wrinkle and her aura would turn hostile.

In the Delta, there is life and lively sounds everywhere. Bugs, birds, frogs, insects and even the elephant songs. In the desert it is dead silent all around. Even cold wind would make no sound. No one would come. No creature would stay alive. I’ve never experienced this kind of scary silence.

It was here, however, that I got to watch the most beautiful spectacle of nature evil tricks. I’ve seen sun going down. When it turned dark, on the opposite side of the black horizon, there was a sun’s  upside down reflection – an orange moon.  Orange moon would travel through the sky all night and would not let me sleep.

In the end – this story ends well. Sun rises. You wake up. Moon turns bright. Another day comes. And so it goes. In the lush world and in the world upside down.