Admittedly, the Nxai Salt Pans kept a wee soft spot in my memories.

I experienced one of my all-time cutest and most memorable elephant encounters here, all that time ago.

I still recollect every detail of how two young elephant bulls with human boyish behavior pushed and shoved through the mud. From start to end it was such a simple natural mischievous playfulness.

Would these shenanigans carry on to my current visit?

Would I leave with more unforgettable moments?

And what if I don’t?

Spoiler alert!

Yes, I did.

It was an incredible encounter of the giant kind.

And I experienced one of my most thrilling sunsets ever.

My heart is still racing with fascination and joy.

It appears that these waters contain a playful mineral. Or is it the heat that makes these elephants go troppo?

There are a few different factors involved according to my observations.

It is no coincidence that this pleasant and waggish behavior is part of the animal community.

One of the certain reasons is the fact that these gentle giants share a strong bond. They have no other choice but to share the little there is all together.

Any animal needs to make the most of the opportunities given in this environment.

New arrivals to the waterholes are quickly greeted and courteously welcomed.

These water resources are tiny and far in between.

Getting here and going on saps a lot of energy. There is no shade cover for miles around.

Because these waterholes are quite small in comparison, elephants stand side by side and get drunk trunk to trunk, face to face.

From a photographer’s perspective, it gave me different angles and stages to get trunked.

Elephant trunks are always moving one way or another. To or from another.

For elephants, it is all about touching and feeling.

There are a few other reasons which may or may not be part of this trunk festival.

These arid salt pans are male-dominated.

Bulls will be bulls and why not?

I only witnessed one herd of females passing by in the late afternoon as temperatures eased a few degrees. Unfortunately, my arrival sent them packing.

The salt pans are not a place to bring up youngsters. I didn’t see any young calves, a year old or younger at all.

This group, like all other elephants, was rather skittish on running car motors.

As soon as the ignition key was turned, the elephants scattered away. Some bad experiences haunt their memories.

There are other animals here too. I was surprised at how many springbok grazed here.

Joined by herds of the larger blue wildebeest meant two things. Some rain had fallen and as little they might be, shoots of grass were growing. It also proves that nearby areas are not as fruitful as those here.

However, this land is in dire need of a good drenching.

Strong midday winds created whirly whirlies which are miniature tornadoes swirling on ground level.

A scene taken from Mars.

Flocks of birds used these waterholes as well.

One of the larger pools enclosed an island for the bird’s safety.

And a busy father was trying to make a living.

It’s an unforgiving pan, it’s an arid ground and only the strong survive.

But those who live here, live life to the fullest.

These pans are the lifeblood for hardy animals.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Beauty is often misunderstood as tourists are scarce in these frying pans. Which is more beautiful to Zimba and myself.

Maybe I shouldn’t write about this salty pearl in a nutshell and keep its secrets locked away.

But hey, if you really want to get away, find your way to stay anyway, any day.

I stayed two nights at the Nxai Salt Pan National Park.

Two unforgettable nights in two different locations.

One night with my favorite animal giant.

And one night with my favorite giant tree. These are my stories.