Again, yesterday started out with a beautiful morning safari drive beginning with the spotting of a hyena family. Mom was asleep beside a burrow in a huge termite mound when 2 sleepy adorable pups (yes, hyena pups are really cute) crept cautiously out of the burrow. Dad soon arrived to make the picture complete.
From there we actually got out of the rover and walked through the bushveld (Afrikaneer for field in the bush) toward 2 stately but shy giraffes. Different experience to walk through a field behind someone carrying a powerful rifle. Rangers never leave their Rovers without a rifle -- this is not the zoo! From there we were back in the rover and headed for a spotting of a group of about 5 lions and 2 cubs sleeping under a shade tree. The cubs were busy nursing while mom slept.
Leaving Singita Ebony Lodge we drove over a VERY bumpy road to our new home for 2 nights -- Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge. This new property is a very different but equally deluxe. Contemporary in style and totally designed to reflect the surroundings. Another plunge pool looking out onto the grassy bushveld.I managed about 10 min. in it!
For several hours our afternoon drive was peaceful with sightings of wildebeast, rhino, warthogs and huge bull elephants walking right beside the Rovers. One of the most fascinating things about this game reserve is the trust the animals have in the rangers and vehicles. This has taken many years to develop and enables us to get much closer to the animals than in other areas of Africa.
"Sundowner'' (happy hour on safari) was fun as we watched another beautiful sunset and sipped wine. From here our ranger said we would have a surprise. We drove and drove as the weather got colder -- now in the 40's and the dirt roads very bumpy as I was again in the "balcony'' of the rover. Suddenly, the ranger signeled for quiet and the most incredible sight appeared -- a pride (herd) of 14 young male and female lions calmly walked past our rover. If I'd stretched my arm out (which I definitely did not!) I could have touched them. Apparently, they were on the hunt for probably Cape Buffalo for dinner.They just looked at us as though we were a shrub in the bush. I have never seen anything like it! My photo does not do this spectacular event justice due to the darkness, but, perhaps, you can get some idea of what we were experiencing.
Arriving at camp we were bubbling over with excitement about the sighting. Once the sun sets we are never to walk to our rooms (spread out over the resort) without a porter since there are no fences around the resort to keep the animals out. I was about to learn firsthand the importance of this rule. As we were walking down the dark path guided by his flashlight, all of the sudden the porter leading the couple a few feet ahead of us, yelled "Get back, get back!" and our porter shoved us into toward the nearest room. About 20 ft. in front of us and completely blocking the path with his bulk, was a huge bull elephant weighing approximately 5 tons! He totally ignored the porter's clapping (supposed to drive them off), but, Brett, our ranger, calmly approached the elephant and kept commanding, "Get back, boy, get back!" Finally, he turned and walked up the hill. Brett could tell by the elephant's demeanor that he was 'ïn musth looking for a rut." In polite language, hIs testerone levels were very high and he was looking for a fight. Elephants are usually docile and won't charge, EXCEPT when they are in this mood. I decided this must be elephant PMS (Pre-Musth Syndrome!)Needless to say, it was several minutes before we quit shaking, but now I know I have truly been in theAfrican Bush!
Linda
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