A Bold Step!

A BOLD STEP!

I photographed this scene at Kubu Island in Botswana.

Kubu Island, or Lehhubu as it’s called by the locals is a little granite “island” in the 24,000sq km Sua pan. Sua Pan is a seasonal lake; it fills with water during the Summer rainy season and retains water until April or May.

It is desolate, beautiful and uninhabited. (Except for some travellers staying over in the non-rainy season.) It is only accessible by 4×4.

And this is just the type of place I love.

I visited Kubu Island twice in 2018. The 2nd time in July when this photo was taken.

And here is the story behind this photo. Can you see the car driving there at the bottom? With its lights on? That is my friend Kobus Bouwer.

I am writing this 2 and a half years after the photo was taken on 3 July 2018.

A month earlier we were planning to visit Botswana for the 2nd time the year. I said to my wife it will be nice to take friends with on the trip. The only problem was. We knew nobody that we could take with. Our friends don’t camp, have 4×4’s, and don’t want to want to wait for me every few km’s when I first want to stop to take a photo.

In 2015 I photographed a lovely couple’s wedding. Cara and Etienne . I met Cara’s dad, Kobus, at the wedding. We didn’t become friends after that. But. He called me a few years later out of the blue to say he is interested in buying an off-road trailer and he has heard that I have one? Can he come and have a look? He came to my house. I showed him my trailer and he left. A few months later he phoned me and said he bought a trailer. Do I want to come and have a look? I went over.

It was at this stage that we were planning the Botswana trip.

I said to Surika: “Maybe we must invite Kobus and Karin on the Botswana trip.” My wife couldn’t believe it: “Baby, you don’t even know the people” she said.

But. We invited them. I just felt it was a good move.

And somehow we just clicked.

We had one of our best holidays ever travelling with other people. And the best thing was. Kobus is also a keen photographer. Can you believe it?

After that, we became GREAT friends with Kobus and his wife Karin. We have camped together a few times, and we are thinking about doing a Namibia trip together. I really value his friendship and I have learned so much from him. We have made so many memories together already.

The moral of the story is. And this is what I am thinking about every time that I see this photo. This wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t prepared to take a chance. To act differently from the way I normally do. To forget about what can go wrong and concentrate on what can go right.

I took a bold step that was out of my character. In doing so I learned and experienced a lot, and made an awesome and loyal friend.

Sometimes we just have to forget about how we were programmed by life and do something new or different.

We cannot become what we want to be by remaining where we are – Max de Pree.

This Photo can be bought as a fine art Print. Enquire here.