This photographer was seduced by the continent's unspoiled wilderness on his very first outing.
This photographer was seduced by the continent's unspoiled wilderness on his very first outing.
Alwyn Chong slips into a plush chair in Summer Pavilion restaurant, looking every bit the traveller just returned from an exotic locale. His darkened complexion bears witness to weeks spent under the sun, and around his wrist is a rustic bracelet woven from the fibres of a baobab tree. “I am going to wear it until it falls off,” he says. It’s a reminder of Botswana, halfway around the world from Singapore, and his spiritual home.
Chong has been hooked on the country bordering South Africa's north since 2008, when he joined an impromptu safari and saw how wild it was compared to the private reserves of more popular safari destinations. Tourism, too, was not as rampant. The 38-year-old has since been back three more times, slipping in and out of the suits he wears as the managing director of fragrance and beauty retailer Escentials, and his adventure khakis.
“I think people should see safaris as long-term journeys more than a one-trip experience,” says Chong. “Because in one trip, you can't understand anything. It’s like going to New York City and wanting to know it in four days – you won’t.”
Indeed, for the next hour and a half, over shrimp dumplings and San Pellegrino on a crisp white tablecloth, Chong narrates his last excursion – a canoe trip down the Okavango Delta – drilling down on the behaviour of vultures, how islets are formed (termite mounds made fertile by bird excrement), what the ash of the ebony tree is used for (leave-in conditioner), and how a village of 200 souls along the river is not – as I, a city slicker, thought – the middle of nowhere. The cluster of mud huts is definitely somewhere for the locals – it’s a matter of perspective.
“Things are a lot more pure there,” says Chong. “People are passionate about what they do. My guide has been in the business for over 30 years; yet every time he sees something, it's as if it's for the first time. It rubs off on you. It’s not just animals, but communities, too. It all comes together.
"Now, we have people walking around the street collecting virtual monsters. And I ask myself, where have we gone? We are supposed to interact with humans and here we interact with robots.
“For me, I am not going to remember Pokemon Go in 20 years' time. I am going to remember the interactions I had, the conversations, the time I shared with people.”
BUFFALO CROSSING BODUMATAU, MOREMI RESERVE, BOTSWANA
We finally sighted the buffalo we had been tracking as they emerged from the bushes on a small knoll. We planted ourselves by the small stream they were about to cross and, for an hour and a half, watched at least a thousand pass by. It was amazing to see the entire herd waiting for the last buffalo to cross before they moved on – in this case, it was an injured old female.
GIRAFFE PORTRAIT, SABI SABI, SOUTH AFRICA
The evening light had just fallen on the mane of this giraffe, and as he looked back, there was a certain knowing in his eyes – it's a beautiful portrait, still my favourite of this animal.
DEATH DANCE, BODUMATAU, MOREMI RESERVE, BOTSWANA
We were driving around just before tea time when we noticed a lone lioness camouflaged in the grass, in a position that said: "Hunt!" We could see a family of giraffes – parents and a calf – wandering across the plains, so we found a spot in between to wait. The lioness padded right by our vehicle, glancing once in our direction before locking eyes on her prey. Once the giraffes entered the tree line, she gave chase, knowing they would not be able to escape with the trees in the way. We found her later with the calf in her mouth, one eye already turned out. For 40 minutes, she ate it while it was still alive. It was brutal, but that's the reality of nature.
IMPRESSIONS, COOR FLATS, OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA
A brace of White-faced Whistling Ducks and trees are reflected in the Boro River.
OKAVANGO COOKHOUSE, XIGERIA, OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA
The chef preparing our dinner over a makeshift stove. I often hung around to hear the stories locals told of the land – folklore and knowledge passed down from generations before.
FORAGING FOR PALM FRUIT, XIGERIA, OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA
An elephant shaking fruit from a palm tree to eat. This action leads to what locals call "elephant highways" – straight lines of palm trees that sprout from the droppings of migrating elephants.
SUNBATHERS, KHWAI, BOTSWANA
A hippopotamus and her calf making their way through what was once water, now overgrown with grass. Through frequent travel, the animals leave clear paths on the land.
