It has gotten easier getting up so early for these game drives. By 5:30am, we have already worked on photos for an hour, and set up what we need for the game drive. The first thing we always remember is what Joseph, the head guide told us five years ago. The very first thing you do when you get up in the morning is check your shoes. Little critters like scorpions could have crawled in them during the night. Not a good way to start the day if you get bit.
So off we went on the last drive we would share with the girls, Sha and Cynthia. They would be leaving camp after breakfast. So today’s wish was to see the lions. And the girls were really feeling lucky today.
Driving up around the pond, we found that a young hippo had moved into it. He was about three years old, and having a fine time swimming with the fish. Zebras and elephants were on their way here to drink. The two male elephants were mildly fighting, practicing for the real thing when the females are ready to mate. At that time, the guides will give these guys a wide berth.
A little grey dika ran by, but most of us did not see it. Neither did we all see the African green pigeons as we drove by. A gnu, or a blue wildebeest, was far away watching us.
It would be hard to miss the three giraffes on the road, especially the one with an injured foot. It appeared that a thorn had penetrated the hoof between the toes, and caused the poor animal to limp. Once again, this could be bad for this giraffe. Perhaps the big cats will go after the herd of zebras we saw instead.
While on our way towards the boundary, we ran right into a neighboring camp vehicle with people we knew. The odds of this happening are small, since the distances covering are massive. At least two familiar couples from the Amsterdam were sitting in this jeep, after just coming from a major lion sighting. Our drivers shared the info, and soon we were dashing off towards that area. Wishing each other continued luck, we parted ways, never to see them again until we were back on the ship.
Sure enough, we came upon 10 lions laying almost hidden in the grass. Most of this pride were seven young 3 – 4 year old males, while the other ones were 3 females. We stayed within watching distance of these big cats until 8:30am. Tinyko said that this pride had not made a kill last night, but would eventually would have to be successful if they expected to survive. A couple of the younger males were pretty thin. We stayed here until it was time to make room for another jeep. At least we did see them, and a lot of them.
Coffee and cookies were served until 9:10am. Then we headed back to the camp, passing by the herd of kudu and impalas.
Breakfast was good, and the visiting monkeys thought so too. The tables had been set away from the veranda railing, so the little marauders could not hang from the roof to steal some food.
And again, one of us took a bush walk, and the other stayed behind to make an attempt to catch up on the continuing adventure. Having a few hours left this afternoon before the drive, we opted to try the swimming pool. Sure was nice slipping into the cold water, cooling off to the core. Two families were taking advantage of the pool today as well. It is large enough where everyone had their own space. Lining the pool, were over-size wooden chaise lounges. A supply of towels were under the covered patio with plush pillow-covered couches and chairs. When the sun appeared from the occasional clouds, it was quite intense. So we did not stay too long. But it sure was nice. By the way, there was a separate spa to use, and a massage hut where you could have paid for a variety of relaxing services.
By 3pm, we ate a lunch of cheeses, pesto, and crackers. A crispy mixed salad was served with chicken legs, honeydew melon, and veggie wraps. Bread was on the table with lots of butter.
Dessert was a slice of frosted banana bread. Once again, we were full and ready to go onward.
The internet was working better, so we accomplished some downloads before preparing for the 4pm drive. Dale had suggested that we use the stool behind the shop’s counter for the best hotspot. He was right.
We said goodbye to the girls, who were packed and ready to move to another camp somewhere. They had been fun safari mates, and we were sad to see them leave. Exchanging email addresses, we promised to keep in touch. We all had photos to share.
At the jeep, we met our new safari mates, Nancy and Mike from Georgia. Up until today, we were the only Americans here. Now we had company. No other new guests had arrived, so it was just the four of us to spread out in the seats. Nice. The drive began well with many sightings of giraffes, zebra, elephants, and birds.
Something we always find interesting are the hanging grassy nests made from the lesser masked weaver birds. They appear to look like ornaments on a Christmas tree. Under these trees with the nests, were several birds and a leopard tortoise. He needed to stay in the grass, or would be a target for someone’s dinner.
We spotted the same monitor lizard in the creek bed from the previous day. The drive continued for many miles, but we did not realize we were heading back to the border once again. We discovered another herd of 30 Cape buffalo, vying for a spot in three mud holes. We were so close, you could smell them. There were some babies among the herd, but the youngest was about one week old. It was well-protected with all of the adults surrounding it.
One large predator, a reddish colored hawk or eagle was perched on a limb. Obviously ready to kill anything it saw. Nice to know we were not on their menu.
Continuing on, we saw a brown snake eagle flying with something in its beak. We could see through the lens of the camera, that the bird had a big snake. It flew high in a tree, and prepared to dine on it. By now, the sun was beginning to set, so Tinyko suggested we try for the sundowner drinks and snacks. If any of us had to make a pit stop, we would need some light to do that. We got a call that the lions were on the move, so we quickly finished our beers, and hopped back into the Land Rover. Taking the time to snap some photos of a fabulous sunset, Bill did not even have a beer, although they offered to save it for him. By now, darkness was minutes away, and we were all concerned we would not see the big cats coming.
Finally, we spotted them coming down the road right towards us. Several vehicles had arrived by now, and left a space so the cats had to walk between all of us. One after one, they passed right by the jeep, only yards away. Counting them, we came up with eleven. More than we saw this morning. They were on a mission, and the lights the guides had put on them did not stop their progress. Have to admit, it did get our hearts beating faster. Close up, these animals are impressive, as well as intimidating.
The drivers jockeyed with the vehicles, following the pride as they passed by us in a single file. Literally six feet away, they paid little attention to the lights on them. They were on a mission, and we suspected something was going to die tonight. We stayed with them until almost 9pm, then headed back home.
On the way, we had a couple of surprises. First were three small rabbits that crossed in front of us in the dark. Then suddenly, we spotted a male leopard coming right at us, passing within a few feet of Kenneth, our tracker. Tinyko turned the jeep, and followed this leopard until he veered off into the brush. Bet he was tracking those rabbits.
Suddenly Kenneth let out a loud yell, and almost went airborne. He had seen a puff adder come across the road right under where he was sitting. These snakes are among the most venomous in Africa, and if you are bitten, you most certainly will lose that limb. Tinyko stopped on a dime, and we got a chance to take photos of this totally camouflaged viper. We were all relieved when the snake crawled away, out of sight, especially Kenneth. He talked about that all the way back to camp.
We sure had a lot to talk about at dinner. Lions and snakes all in one night…..pretty awesome. Dinner would be down in the boma area tonight. Our new jeep mates, Nancy and Mike, joined us at the long table, asking about our stay so far. They had come from another camp, where things were done differently. So we shared about everything we could. As always, we began with a soup with fresh bread and all the wine you wanted. A buffet table had been set once again with mixed salad, baked potatoes with all the toppings, zucchini and squash, rice, and finally grilled steak. We could have it any doneness, as Dale, the manager, was the chef, and he served the meat. And it was excellent….tender and medium rare or medium.
Dessert was a tiramisu on a plate that was printed “good night” in chocolate sauce. And our nightly portion of amarula was served. Seems to taste better every evening.
Tomorrow would sadly be our last day here. But there was time for a shortened morning game drive, so we were off to bed by 10pm. The night air had finally cooled down, and we were sleeping much better.
Bill & Mary Ann
Getting ready to begin drive at 6am
A 3 year old hippo in the pond
An Arican green pigeon
A gnu, a blue wildebeest
Young giraffe
The stare
