Swift, solitary, elegant, fragile. The cheetah is my favorite cat in Africa and one that I had the privilege of living with over the course of 18 months in the Serengeti in the 1970’s during the making of a film. They are still here, endangered as so much is; habitat is being destroyed, poaching is on the rise and the alarm bells are ringing loudly. We don’t seem to be able to turn this ship around.
The cheetah above was brought in to this reserve as a rescue and has been returned to the wild. She rides that fine line of knowing and trusting people yet having to determine who her friends are and who will harm her. She hunts for herself, but she is closely watched. Not collared or tagged, her life is lived on a hope and a prayer. Her presence is important. It provides the pleasure of seeing great beauty and supreme elegance while it also offers a constant reminder of the fragility of the species and the habitat in which she lives.
Cape Town is one of the world's great cities. The setting alone is worthy of top billing. And then you have a vibrant culinary scene, a fascinating flora and fauna representative of its microclimate, a diverse population and the logistical advantage that makes it a gateway for visits to the wine lands, to the garden route and north into the bush. In spite of the aforementioned, what makes me vibrate with anticipation in Cape Town is its flourishing art and design scene, its world class museums and galleries, its artisans, many of them passionately committed to ensuring that hand and design skills endure. The person who knows as much about this sector of the Capetonian landscape is Marion Ellis whose company, Cape Insights, designs whole or partial itineraries that feature - among other subject matter - the flourishing arts of the city. Marion's knowledge has both the breadth and depth to take you on a meandering journey across the media - from paintings and ceramics to photography and art installations - and behind the scenes to meet with collectors and artists, teachers and innovators."
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