We wondered how many animals had been injured or had lost their lives in the fires and how many of their homes raised to the ground. For the tiny animals, mice, rats, birds and the like although there was no sign of their sufferings their plight must have been terrible. What of spiders and snakes, bees and bugs that had toiled so hard to feed themselves and make a home only to have it destroyed..
When looking at field after field in the same burnt condition as the roadsides we felt such pity for the poor cattle with their spring time calves searching for sweet grass in the blackened desolate expanse that surrounded them.
Passing villages we saw school children running bare foot around the playing fields with only the soccer posts at each end to give identity to what the dusty bits of ground were intended for. The small homes were mainly constructed of corrugated iron with tiny windows that gave little hope of ever letting in even the slightest breeze. Under trees were adults sitting quietly trying their hardest to keep themselves in the shade cast by a few practically bare branches.
The wind kept up a dance of whirlwinds and tumbling dead plants, and the merciless sun kept glaring it's remorseless heat down upon the cracked and parched earth.
As we drove through the gates of Sun City we entered a world of rich, fat, lush vegetation. The brightness of the Bougainvillea flowers in full bloom, the water falls and the sprinklers that not only watered the gardens along the roadside but seemed to cool and refresh the hot air as well. The gardens were alive with birds that chirped merrily as they went about their business. Baboons and monkeys sat in the shade of huge trees content to watch the world go by.
Bees, butterflies, ants, grasshoppers were busy reaping in the rewards of the rich damp hillsides. Flowers displayed their rich colours as they nodded their heads in the gentle breeze as if they were bowing to the Gods of the forests.
We drove to our chalet, unpacked and sat outside to drink in the fresh cool early evening air. Later we lit a fire to cook our dinner and relaxed in the luxury of the make believe world.
The following morning after a huge breakfast we set off to explore the bowl of the crater where Sun City nestles. We wandered along cool pathways where the trees met each other over the pathways and provided dappled shade. There was the sound of running water and as we strolled along we were conscious of the water tumbling it's way over rocks and boulders as it made it's journey to cool still ponds hidden in the greenery of contentment.
There were huge swimming pools and mountain high water slides, shady palm trees and slightly damp cool green grass to stretch out on and enjoy the bustle of children playing nearby. This was a magic land, a creation of abundance where without water everything would battle to survive.
I asked where all the water that was abundantly apparent, wherever the eyes happened to glance, came from. Is it piped in from some far distant dam, how much is lost through evaporation, how many litres were used to fill up pools and ponds?
It seemed we were standing in a cup overflowing with great riches, yet all surrounded by drought stricken barren land.
Some have plenty and so often waste, while others survive in the land of want.
