Setting Sun, Rising Spirits

I love sunsets. Can’t get enough of them. No matter where I am in the world it’s the one thing that remains consistent. The sun always rises and the sun always sets. It’s something to count on. It’s consistency in an otherwise constantly changing lifestyle that puts me in new places with new faces every few days.



No matter how awful, busy, confusing or unrelenting a day may have been, you can count on that big ball of fire to dive below the horizon in a magnificent show of color, light and shadows. It’s as if the sun has danced with us all day and now it’s time for her to rest her feet. Of course this transition from day to night is not always the same and certain days are far more mesmerizing than others. Having grown up in Southern California - where the otherworldly display is magical almost every night - my expectations remain somewhat high.



It also seems that the further south I go, the more spectacular the sunset becomes - with South Africa topping the list - until now. As we sailed out onto the Nile with our boat pilot Faruq on his own Felluca, I had no idea what to expect. Our pit-stop on “banana island” to grab our share of delicious local fare left me queazy about our prospects. The colors weren’t all that bright. The sun fell so fast I could hardly “see” it. But once we pushed off and headed back out to the middle of this seemingly infinite river that brought life to this magnificent nation, that magical show of colors, light and shadows began. People had warned that a sunset over the Nile would be a site you never forget and they were absolutely right. The brilliant display of boat sails, palm trees, tiny islands and a gleaming red ball of fire were a site I will probably never forget.

As the sun sets today take a minute to watch it dip below the horizon, know that it’s one of very few activities every person on the planet shares with one another. It’s communal on a global level and it connects us all in a way that almost nothing can. That and a divine love for Ice Cream, or is that just me?

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Kyle Taylor