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Wet and wild
Goliath Safaris Newsletter
January 14, 2008

As we Zimbabweans stand at the window of 2008 and peer cautiously out at the year ahead, we know only one thing for certain . . . we will not give up. There are far too many reasons not to and all of them are to do with the love of one's birthplace, the pride in one's heritage and the loyalty to those, whether two or four-legged, who have no voice. Like maternal love, these are fierce, loyal and non-negotiable emotions which history has proven always triumph in the end.

The challenges of the last few months in 2007 must surely be unparalleled in both complexity and absurdity. However, as we have always maintained, Zimbabweans whether black, white, or black and white striped are unique in their ability to reinvent themselves in order to survive. When faced with a 'let them eat cake" scenario, they not only procure their own flour but bake the lightest cake ever. Butcheries without meat and banks without money are certainly no easy challenge as we approach the upcoming season, but we are sure that with your support we will find the impetus to make this year one of our best ever.

Not even a very necessary ten-fold increase in the operators fees we pay National Parks will get us down. We will just have to re-cut our cloth and Stretch's pocket money. After all we still consider ourselves the luckiest people on earth being able to operate in this piece of paradise and we salute those who work tirelessly on the ground to keep it so.

One thing we do promise you though is that Goliath Safaris will continue to try and provide the best safari experience ever. A Stretch/Mana safari is a unique and special experience that has very little to do with tiresome economics and everything to do with once-in-a-lifetime moments. As glitzy and glamorous lodges burgeon all over Africa, it is apparent that it won't be long before the true safari experience is a distant memory of a bygone era. How can an air-conditioned room with marble floors and glass sliding doors possibly compete with lying on your bed with your tent flaps open, the river breeze blowing in and animals passing so close that you can reach out and touch them? How can a game drive at set hours for set times with set talks in a closed vehicle possibly compete with walking amongst the animals in one of the worlds finest parks with a man who is legendary in his knowledge of animal behaviour and interaction. Learn from him to know the animals and not just their names, to see and not just look and to realize that going to the bush is in fact coming home.

Talking of animal behaviour, Stretch's back leg is twitching as we plan further improvements to the camp. Two months of off-season have played havoc with his need for adrenalin adventures and if it weren't for the fact that Mana is a deluge of water at the moment, he would have the camp up and running. A new deep freezing and lighting system is fueling his excitement, along with the reports of the masses of rain Mana is experiencing at the moment. This unprecedented rainfall is good news all around. In the short term it is causing a fair amount of discomfort to us humans but long term it can only be seen as a rainbow in the clouds on the horizon. The very necessary underground water will be replenished and the rivers and pans will soon be brimful and bursting with fresh life. Surely the water-birds amongst the summer migrants will think twice about the long flight north as winter approaches. On the floodplain the grass will definitely be greener on the antelope's side and the plump roots and tubers just below the ground will be enough to bring a grown warthog to his knees.

The predators will have their work cut out for them early in the season, long grass may be good cover, but mud has never been the best surface for a stealthy attack. Later in the season, due to the widespread surface water and grass cover, the animal herds will be more dispersed and so hopefully certain overused areas of the floodplain will get to take a breather. This dispersal of the animals will allow Stretch to cover wider and more diverse areas on his walks and in so doing offer guests a smorgasbord of wilderness experiences.

Early morning walks in the Mopane forest, picnics in the wilderness area or sunsets at Vundu Point are good enough reasons to leap out of bed each morning. Throw in a lion kill, an elephant wallow or a tiger-fish bite and in an instant your day becomes perfect. Round this all off with a delicious dinner and Stretch-ed stories around the campfire and suddenly the real world seems a black hole in the far-off galaxies so clear above your heads. Muscles relax, minds wander and souls smile. The world becomes a perfect place again, just as it was before civilization got in the way.

We certainly look forward to helping you replenish your soul this season and in so doing help you to cope with the treadmill that is urban living. While we may not have cable television or wireless internet, we do have live bush scenes and instant answers to your questions that Animal Planet and Google can only dream of. Our season opens as always on the 1st May and runs through until the rains begin in November and glancing down at our bookings to date we anticipate another great season for all. Seeing familiar names returning each year gladdens our hearts and new ones excite us equally as we know they'll soon be old friends too. As always we will add new little touches to the camp, although ever mindful of the fact that our guests are after a true wilderness experience. Stretch has promised that in line with this exercise he will upgrade his cap, his blanket and his jokes.

We look forward to hearing from you all and hope that you're as excited as we are about two thousand and great. In closing may we offer you the following piece of advice: If you should feel the urge in 2008 to emulate those around you who lie, cheat and steal . . . Make sure to lie low, cheat death, and steal only precious moments.

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