Sometimes I think the best part of travelling is sitting still.
I was co-leading a trip to the Luangwa Valley in Zambia, and one of our guests, Heather, decided not to take part in the morning walk. This was quite a big deal: it is, after all, the centrepiece of the day – the principal activity, what you’ve come for, what you’ve paid your money for. So I was… concerned.
The others came on the walk, the highlight of which was a herd of 1,000 buffalo going down to the river to drink – you could almost see the level of the water dropping as they did so. Back at Crocodile Bushcamp, the first thing I did was check on Heather. She was smiling in the manner of an angel who had been visiting the vaults of heaven.
“You know, this is my fifth time in Africa. And I realise now that I’d never been here before now.”
“What have you been up to?”
She makes a small helicopter gesture, indicating the immensities of South Luangwa National Park and, with it, all Africa. “Just… sitting."