Look for Inspiration, Seek thy Enlightenment

Touched by an Aura

“It is a botanical garden located outside the city – offers the most beautiful view of the Table Mountains, is home to the most peaceful and tranquil area around Cape Town, has the richest vegetation cover in South Africa …”. When you get such information from a third person conversation, it creates an irresistible desire for a first person experience. So, in the improvised plan for my trip, I made a double tick entry for ‘Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens' ||.

Surprisingly, after reaching Kirstenbosch, I found every word said about it to be an understatement, it was as if the color palette itself got redefined there – such was its beauty and grandeur. It was too attractive to be seen from a distance so I decided to explore the place by going on a hike. I had no idea of the height or the length or the dangers (wild animals or others) associated with the hike but here I was and I wanted all of it, no second thoughts. Ironically, I had not come prepared for this heavenly abode and all I had were two hours! The hike was a stiff challenge.

Off I went, running up the trails, with a stick from the forest, acting as my safety weapon! Rationally thinking, it is not recommended to run up a stony hike, to clamber up through a slippery waterfall gorge, to go forward solo, on a forest trail. But when you know that you will not be able to see whatever you are seeing without all this – it creates a reason in its own right! After about an hour of enjoyable hard-work, I finally reached the awe-inspiring summit. There it was - a reservoir atop a mountain range: speechless!

It was a privilege to visit Kirstenbosch. The place is indeed magical. Is it the mystery of the forests or the tranquility of atmosphere or their synergy, which create a heightened level of awareness of the self, at Kirstenbosch, I cannot say. But what I can say with conviction, is that there is surely something about the place which results in, an enlightening ‘Kirstenbosch Effect’.