Simon Mattacks
speaker
2,982 appearances
18 recordings
3 series
first heard Dec 2024
last heard yesterday
Simon Mattacks’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 15 in all, peaking in Sep 2026 with 3.
Appearances
They live on the site of a crater or caldera, the remains of a volcano, which are two million years old. The crater looks like a bowl in the earth. with a base of bright green grass. The land around the site is very rich and fertile, as the nutrients in the soil produce vibrant colors. Just as eye-catching are the animals on the lake. You see zebra, rhinos, and pink flamingos.
The birds are grouped in a pool of shallow water in a lake formed within the basin. As he guides you down the slope of the crater, Tembo explains that the water is very salty. Eventually, you're standing at the base of the bowl, at the side of the lake where the flamingos have gathered. Most are standing on long, spindly legs with their fluffy pink bodies out of the water.
A few can be seen swimming on the lake, in patches where the water is deep enough to do so. They glide with the elegance and style of swans. Like the migrating herd of wildebeest, there are too many flamingos to count. For all you know, there could be hundreds or even thousands. The reflection in the lake mirrors the flamingos and doubles their numbers.
You study these birds as you might a piece of artwork, taking in the hues and details. Until your interest is piqued by the hum of an engine, and the sight of a vehicle passing by at the top of the crater. The woman driving wears a sand-colored uniform. She stops the car and calls out in greeting. The elephant explains that she's a tour guide named Anissa, and another one of his many friends.
It looks to you as if she's currently working, Tourists gape awestruck from the back of her car, admiring the flamingos. Tembo uses his trunk like an arm, waving in greeting to Anissa in the jeep. The people on her tour pause for a minute to take a few pictures of the birds before Anissa drives on, continuing their safari. The crater is your second to last stop.
You're still some distance from your final destination, and it's a few more hours before you and the elephant find a spot to rest. But when you do, your second night is spent on a lush, grassy hillock, leaning once again beside the sleeping elephant. The animal makes for a warm and cozy pillow. Perhaps it's because of this that your nights are so untroubled.
You sleep right through without waking even once. The nighttime in Tanzania is so blissful and peaceful. There's a deeper kind of quiet out here in nature. Both you and the elephant wake up refreshed and eager to reach your final destination. It's late afternoon by the time you get there. The famous hot springs of Kikuletwa. The springs remind you of an oasis in a desert.
So colorful and beautiful that they seem like a mirage. On a patch of arid land, the waters are striking. You see a pool of turquoise surrounded by jungle. The springs are near the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Its peak is nearly 6,000 meters above sea level, and you can see the snow glistening at the top.
Tembo's family live just nearby, in the national park at the base of the mountain. For them, looking at a horizon dominated by the mountain is as natural as eating or breathing. The mountain, known as the Roof of Africa, is mostly obscured once you're swimming through the warm turquoise water.
The spring is hidden behind the leaves of overhanging palms and the many other trees that grow around the edges. The heated water springs naturally from the ground, and you feel as though you're floating in a bathtub. The water is so clear, and the warmth is very soothing. If it weren't for the sight of Kilimanjaro through the treeline, you might easily forget that you were here in Tanzania.
As he rests by the side of the pool, Tembo explains that you must be very lucky. Usually, the spring is full of locals and tourists. But somehow the pair of you have the whole place to yourselves. You thank the elephant for a wonderful trip. He says you're always welcome. Then he brings up his trunk and pats your head with the affection of an old friend.
Comfortable as can be, you close your eyes briefly and float happily in the water. You can feel your muscles relaxing. Your mind becomes clearer as your breath grows deeper. You can smell the scent of fresh spring water, not unlike the lake where your journey began. You smile at the memory of resting below a tree when you mistook your elephant guide for a comfortable backrest.
It would be easy to imagine yourself back there right now as you float in warm water beneath the shade of many trees. You're rocked back and forth as you were by Tembo's breathing, bobbing gently in the water. Your own breaths are very calm. The sound is soothing above the lapping of the water. Somehow, you can sense the fragrance of guava, a musky perfume, sweet and otherworldly.
Thank you.
Spring in the picturesque village of Summerwell was always a rather splendid affair. Every year, the blossom trees, which winter had made bare and unwelcoming, transformed into clouds of pink. They lined the main road through town, raining blush-colored petals at even the slightest of breezes.
The verges of the few small lanes which branched off from this road were bursting with the bright yellows of daffodils and primroses. Small, honey-stoned cottages were scattered about the streets that made up the village. They were old and somewhat crooked, but this only added to their charm. Some had thatched roofs, while others had more conventional slate tiles.
Just as each inhabitant of this peaceful community had their own personality, each house had its own character. While one cottage might be overgrown with ivy or wisteria, its neighbor might be perfectly manicured with colorful window boxes and a freshly painted door. At the very heart of Summerwell, the standalone cottages with wraparound gardens gave way to rows of terraced houses.
Again, each house differed slightly from the next. Some looked like they had been crammed into any available space and were nestled snugly there. Compared with other residents, Amelia had only lived in the village a little while, but it wasn't long before she had spotted the unusual carvings and playful statues about the place.
Curious as to their origin, she had asked the local pub landlord about them. He had explained that they were the work of a rather flamboyant and much-loved local man. He had lived in the old manor house at the very edge of the village boundary, until one day he left for more exotic climes. the landlord had handed her a cheaply printed leaflet, which a local history group had put together.
On it was a map of the village with numbered points of interest. If you start at the tithe barn on the far side of Summerwell, he had said, you could follow the trail and find all the artwork that the man had gifted the village. The story of the mysterious stranger had suddenly peaked Amelia's interest. She had decided that on her next day off, she would explore the town.
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