Thursday 3 September 2009

Tanzania part 3

This is the last post I shall put up on our African holiday as time is passing and life is slowly returning to normal, just, with other things taking their place in my consciousness , mores the pity.

As you'll see from my journal entry, I had actually worried, before the trip, that I would be bored on the game drives, how wrong can you be ?



Although trying to sketch the animals on the move was very challenging, I found it gave me an enormous buzz and made me feel much closer to the animals than taking photos did.



After spending 2 nights at the crater we moved on to the Serengeti National Park, another bone shattering 5 hours on the dirt road.



But what sights we saw along the way.


This page appears to have all the sketches done in landscape and the text in portrait, sorry about that, must have been tired.



How about this for pattern inspiration



When I got home and was able to process my pics I added small prints to the sketches to remind me how the scene had looked at the time and how close, or otherwise I had got to capturing the essence.





I think this pic of zebras being spooked at the water hole has to be my favourite shot of the holiday.



Followed closely by this one.



There were so many highlights on this trip it's very hard to say which was the best, but one of them has to be our balloon flight over the Serengeti. It was a wonderful experience, slowly drifting over the tops of the acacia trees watching the game running below us.



And our wonderful pilot who carefully landed us in a text book landing.



And best of all the flight was followed by a full English breakfast under the acacia tree in the middle of the Serengeti.



It was a sad evening when we left the Serengeti for the last time, not knowing if we'd ever come back.



It was the most amazing trip, that has left a life long impression on me and I'm so grateful to my DH for making it possible, and at the same time I'm so sorry that I was such a wimp during the previous 1 1/2 years of preparation for it. I should have trusted him that I would find it an amazing life changing experience and want to go back for more, which of course I do.

Thanks too to my wonderful children who also had to put up with my winging, but consistently gave me the courage to do it.

6 comments:

Julie said...

wonderful sketches Sharon and how lovely to come back to them in a few years time and remember this fantastic experience. Your photos are stunning especially the last one.

Jenn Jilks said...

Incredibly inspiring, Sharon!
You must read Nevada Barr's Track of the Cat, if you haven't! With what you know and have seen about the animal world it is an interesting read!

Pat said...

Memories for ever, sketchbooks to treasure. Thanks for sharing this wonderful experience with someone who would never have the courage, especially the balloon ride!!!

chrissythreads said...

Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful sketchbooks and pictures.What a trip- you are soooo lucky. Can't wait to see what work comes out of it all.

Françoise said...

Beautiful sketches and photos. What a wonderful trip!

Anonymous said...

Isn't Africa a great continent! Your photo's and sketches have made me really homesick and I hope to be able to visit my family in South Africa quite soon. I'm so glad that you had such a wonderful experience and can't wait to see the forthcoming artwork.