Above. Sleeping on the roof of their 4x4, camped rough in the vast wilderness of the Kaokoveld and a hundred kilometers from any help should anything have happened! Black rhino and desert elephant were the quarry they searched for over a period of about 8 months in total.
DESERT ADVENTURE
240 pages, hard cover with jacket, Paul Augustinus, Swan Hill/Acorn Books,1997
(ISBN 1-874802-08-4 Standard edition, ISBN 1-874802-09-2 Collectors
edition).
Lavishly illustrated with many of Paul Augustinus full sized oil paintings and images, in the unique style of his wilderness documentary photography. This book is a evocative and historical document of the freedom available to those who would seek out the wilderness and wildlife experiences available to the adventurous in the late 80s and early 90s - before tourism and large eco tourism companies turned these countries and their wilderness areas into theme parks for the timid wealthy.
Full color throughout, and illustrated with his paintings and photographs made over several years of safari and adventure in the region, 'Desert Adventure' is the story of a year long journey
made by wilderness artist Paul Augustinus through the rich diversity
of the desert landscapes of the Namib and Kalahari. Infused with
the spirit of adventure, it is an odyssey in search of southern
Africa's last remnants of unspoiled and untamed wilderness. The
artist's own story is enlivened and given substance by the inclusion
of narratives from the explorers of the past, one of whom described
travelling in Africa as requiring "the endurance of a camel
and the courage of a lion".
The journey begins at the edge of the wilderness, among the dunes
of Sossusvlei and continues through Walvis Bay and the delights
of Swakopmund into the lonely, rugged scenery of the Kaokoveld.
Through the artist's eyes, we see a land of mountains, vast plains,
and dry river beds inhabited by a myriad of wildlife. The reader
shares the excitement of being surprised by elephants close to the
camp at night, and the thrill of encountering the rare desert rhino,
and gazing at the ancient rock-engravings at Twyfelfontein. Leaving
the arid grandeur of the Kaokoveld, the reader is taken to a world
of dazzling dunes and a turbulent ocean - the Skeleton Coast - and
is regaled with stories of coastal lions and desert elephants, and
the many shipwrecks still visible on the beaches.
After the freedom of the wilderness, the Etosha National Park, where
nature is 'controlled' by man, appears tame by comparison, but this
lack is more than made up for by the abundance of wildlife and the
drama of their encounters. Lion and cheetah chases and the competitive
interactions between elephant, rhino and lion around the waterholes
are vividly captured by the words, brushes and camera of the author.
Price and ordering details of the standard (unsigned) edition from Acorn Books, Johannesburg, South
Africa.
Contact
person Eleanor Mary Cadell.
Tel ++27 11 8805768
E- mail - acorbook@iafrica.com
Above. Camped in the Jao area of the Okavango on a long dugout safari through what was then a very remote part of Botswana in search of swamp lions, vast buff herds and other wildlife.
Above. For a short while a pride of lions killed every day at the waterhole in front of Okakeujo in Etosha.
Above. In the deepest parts of the Kaokoveld, below the escarpment and in the rocky desert adjacent to the coastal Namib dunes they experienced many bizarre wildlife sightings such as this one - a giraffe in the high desert!
Above. Camped rough in the Hoanib river while on patrol with friends Rod & Siggy Braby in Damaraland.
