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The sun was hot, really hot yesterday. The day felt like a day in August. But the winds picked up last night and brought in temperatures at least 30 degrees cooler today. We wore long sleeves and wind breakers on our morning game drive, but we found we had to break out our buffs and blankets as well to be comfortable. Today's weather truly makes one think of late fall when the air is dry and the chill in the air reminds us that winter is on its inevitable way.
The morning drive was quiet. We saw huge herds of Cape Buffalo. We were so close we could see birds, red billed ox pickers, picking insects and ticks off the buffaloes' eyes and back. We saw young calves with new little horns sprouting on their heads. Bulls with thick, wide horns that look like exaggerated matador caps walked right by our vehicle alongside females with similar-looking but smaller and far less sturdy horns. They ate grass, leaves and small twigs as they walked along. We found two beautiful male lions lazing in the grass. We observed them for a good 15 or 20 minutes. They never moved much, but simply re-arranged their position as they slept or opened their great mouths in a big, big yawn. We returned to the spot a couple of hours later to check on them and there they were, still there, still lazing and lounging.
Here is a little bit about game reserves. Game reserves are private properties. The two we are visiting on this trip border Kruger National Park, the largest national park in all of Africa. Fences surround the game reserves and the national parks and to protect the animals from hunters and poachers and to keep the animals from wandering into towns and villages. At one time, separate fences surrounded the game reserves and the park. In 1994, the fences between Kruger and the adjoining game reserves came down, so that today, animals roam freely throughout the park and the game reserves. A game reserve, like Timbavati or Sabi Sand, for example, can house several camps or lodges, like ours, Simbavati in the Timbavati Reserve, or our current lodge, Umkumbe Lodge in Sabi Sand. Private lodge or camp safari vehicles are allowed to travel only in areas designated for them for game drives inside the game reserve. They sometimes, however, cannot cross into territory designated for other lodges (depends on how the two lodge owners get along) and they cannot not roam into Kruger Park. The wild animals are free to go and to live anywhere they like within the fenced area, park or game reserve. Animals are never fed or cared-for in the least. They live perfectly wild lives, surviving only on their own instinct as provided by nature.
The evening drive was a lively one. We found a small group of elephants with nursing babies. One of the baby boy elephants tried to scare us by running at us with his little ears wide open and tooting his little elephant trumpet. We said, "Sorry, little boy, you are way too cute to be threatening." He then went back to mommy to nurse some more.
We stumbled upon the same two brother lions from this morning. They were almost blinded with the desire to sleep and their bellies looked much fuller than when we saw them last. We learned from one of the game trackers, that during the time between our two game drives today, these two brother lions had followed a herd of Cape buffalo. A mother buffalo was giving birth. They took the baby from the mother as the baby was being born and ate it. Our guide explained that nature guides animals' instinct to get food by the least strenuous way possible. Energy conservation is a major key to survival, whether the animal is a lowly mongoose or a regal lion.
I must say, surely we are becoming experienced safari participants. Behaving as if some of the thrill is gone, we start out each game drive with a competition to see who can spot and name animals first. The competition is fierce. Five points are awarded for each new, correctly named animal or group. A ten-point bonus goes to the one who spots a predator. Also, I'm almost ashamed to say, but during down times in excitement, we get a little crazy. We joke; we make up names for things; we try to speak one of the eleven South African languages, and in general do things that probably drive the other passengers in the vehicle a little nutty. Out of courtesy, we do try to hold it down when we can.
We spent a good bit of time tracking a leopard which meant we had some quiet moments listening for sounds and watching our tracker search creek beds for fresh footprints. We also had some wild rides driving fast, up and down steep creek banks. This is super fun especially if you are seated on our seats - we claimed them and everyone knows it, the highest, last row of seats on the vehicle are ours. We actually went airborne a few times! Wheeee! Then kerplunk, back in the seat!
There was a beautiful sunset. The moon was late rising so the clear sky became filled with stars. We saw the Milky Way. I love stars! They are always there. It's too bad that seeing them is such a rare thing for us city-folk.
- comments
Melissa Howell It's so wonderful that Tessa has the opportunity to travel to Africa. I love that you've put it all down in words. She's a lucky little lady!!