TRAVEL | NATURE | TREE OF LIFE | ENVIRONMENT

Listening To Mother Nature Through the Trees of Life

Exploring a baobab forest in Botswana

Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages
Globetrotters
Published in
10 min readDec 19, 2023

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A large tree set against a setting sun.
A stunning baobab tree at sunset in Botswana 2022. Photo Credit: Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages

Chris and I saw our first baobab trees from the train window in 2021 as we whizzed across the Tanzanian savannah from one side of the country to the other.

We were required to be in separate rooms because men and women weren’t allowed to mix in second-class cabins — and we each shared a 6 bunk cabin with 5 same-gender strangers. For those wondering, there was no first class on this train. Not that we would have bothered with it anyway.

It wasn’t too big of a deal because both of us were quite exhausted and did a lot of sleeping. But our rooms were side by side, so occasionally we would find each other in the companionway standing and looking out the window that was outside our cabins. The windows all opened and it was nice to hang our arms out while taking in the stunning landscape that passed us by.

The trip was 30 hours in total and we felt like true explorers as we pulled up to the numerous train stations along the way. Upon arrival, we would smell food being cooked over open fires, and vendors would run towards the train, outmaneuvering each other to sell items through the doors and windows.

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Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages
Globetrotters

I seek new experiences and share my life as an artist, traveler, foodie, gardener, and serious steward of our beloved planet. Life is short, let's get busy!