Departure day. Limbo Day. Paje Brain.

Friday. 24th of November. The departure day. So miss Ania journey has come to an end. Here are the travel stats, stages and highlights. And since it is not really about lines, numbers and markers on the map - a bunch of golden memories from places that I left behind. Africa farewell, but without saying goodbye.

Zanzibar. Frontier feeling, liminal charm and eternal apparel of Stone Town. 

Salty breeze coming from the big, warm Indian Ocean and confined street experience coming from the labyrinth of the city map. The view from the rooftop of the old and proud Swahili House. Stories told by ruins. And this feeling that turns your heart to ruin, too. 

Malawi. The great illusion of sun rising from the calm waters of Malawi Lake.

Does it rise from the sky or from the calm waters of Malawi Lake? The Greatest Illusionist of the Great Rift Valley. It makes you realize - we ain’t seen nothing yet.

Botswana. The blood moon in salty desert in Makgadikagi Salt Pan.

It is dead quiet. No wind. No living creatures. Just sun going down. It soon will be freezing and so - you put the fire up. Then you see it. The blood moon is rising – sun’s evil twin is ruling the night.  

Botswana. The Okawango Delta coming to life with the morning sun. 

Sunrays heartily pumping the living light to the veins of Okawango Delta river. Green lungs breathing out the lush colours in the morning sun. The power and stillness of nature makes you quiver. 

Zambia. Seeing the Royal Victoria Falls from Sir Livingtone’s point of view.

Livingtone Island and Devil’s Pool. Standing where Sir Livingtone was standing when he first saw the glorious falls. My camera was dead, sadly. You shall not see any pictures. You must presume. 

Namibia. Etosha’s sun rising and falling into dust.

In the peak of the dry season everything seems to be living on the edge in Etosha. The bush is so dry that it only takes a soft touch to annihilate, in shrieking goodbye, this fragile crust. The sun rises and sets in the powdery mist. Just when you think it is the uncanny proof of things doomed to turn into dust, nocturnal animals gather by the waterhole. They great each other, they socially blabber, they exchange the subtle gestures. Nature’s do ut des. 

Namibia. The freezing sensation greeting newcomers enchanted by the colours of sun going down.

Oh, look – the sky looks like the lake and sun reflects its light out there. And there! These giant rock formations turn to pitch black! Wooow. While sirens of sundown lure your eyes,  the entourage becomes freezing. It goes from thrills to chills. In no time. Heat to cold – a clear cut. Winter nights in Namibia can be sleepless, when cold pumps adrenaline into your charmed heart. 

Namibia. Fish River Canyon waters reflecting the morning light. 

The strength of the late morning and afternoon light is excruciating. It is so powerful that it bleaches the colours out of the landscape and hurts your eyes. You need to get there when it is still dark to watch the momentarily beauty of the rising light. Last minute experience preserved and delivered to you by the Fish River reflections. 

Namibia. Sossuslvlei and Sesriem. Learn about the impossible colour – Namibian Red.

Sands turn to rocks, rocks turn to sand. Another one bites the dust. It is not really yellow, it is not really orange, it is not really purple. You see it – you know it. Namibian Red.

South Africa. The Cape Wine.

Go on the top of the Table Mountain, breathe in and breathe out. Realize how incredible is this city. Then go back. Don’t take pictures of your other half, hold your horses on your awesome selfies. Just drink the wine. Get drunk on Cape Town.

South Africa. Garden Route shadowed spots, tranquil side of the Wild Coast.

Golden afternoons in the Wilderness hills, empty backpackers and meeting a Paje friend. Low season, bad weather and week of storms. And so I stormed off to Mdumbi ­­­­­and just waited, with no special agenda, for the sun to shine in Transkei. 

South Africa. Sunset over Jo-burg’s empty heart.

A city with no centre. A town with empty heart. Ugly beast with no charm. And it is not even this delicious sundowner that makes you crazy fall in love with it. It is what happens after dark.

Mozambique. Ruby red colours in Ilha de Mozambique. 

Stone Town of Ilha de Mozambique and its juicy, ruby colours. Golden time of getting better. And knowing your limits, for what it’s worth and what it is. 

Mozambique. Calming powers of Ibo Island and extreme journey to simple things.

If you want to get there local, it will hurt. I’m not gonna kid you. And when you do – you might think – there is nothing special out here.  Swim in the quiet waters of mangrove bay when the sun is going down, walk through the streets of the forgotten city and its colonial past, sleep off the heat of the day right into the night. What was it for? For you. 

Paje.  Where I met good people. Where my heart is. 

This is why I will never, ever leave.