Up at 5 am, grabbed a quick bite to eat and off for more adventures today. Early mornings and evenings get pretty cool, probably low 50's and with the breeze in the open air Rovers we know to bundle up. The Lodge provides us with wonderful wool ponchos that feel great.
Soon the sun is coming up over the African horizon and the sky turns pink -- absolutely beathtaking! We drive for awhile and see a few of the animals we had seen yesterday, impalas, kudus and one elephant. Soon our tracker signals the Mark to turn off the dirt road. You can't belief what rough terrain these Rovers can go through, knocking down small trees and bushes, crossing over large fallen trees and deep gullies in the bush. He has heard a sound that sounds like a leopard and the monkeys overhead in the trees are also giving signals that he can interpret as leopard warnings. We stopped under a tall tree that had a monkey who immediately dropped a "present" about 12 in. from my head. Guess this is sign of a lucky day since he missed me.
It takes us awhile and some pretty rough driving, but, all of a sudden we see a beautiful male leopard sleeping in the grass. It was a bit hard to get a full picture as the brush kept hiding his head, but his coat was just gorgeous. None of the ones in zoos have ever been that lush. He was probably about 5 years old. You could see his chest moving up and down and a very round belly, indicating of a large meal he had enjoyed during the night. Periodically, he would raise his head and look at us and then promptly fall asleep.
As we drove off, my stomach growled so loud, that Mark way up in the front turned around and asked if we were hungry! Obviously, it was time for a snack in the bush. We enjoyed delicious tea cakes and hot chocolate with Amarula (a South African liquor similar to Amaretta). This photo is our stop.
Off again, it wasn't long until the trackers signalled another stop -- just a short distance from us was a huge white rhino. This photo of him looks black inspite of the name. He sat and posed for us for at least 10 minutes. What a treat to see these huge and fascinating creatures so close.
Another game drive this evening and tomorrow morning. Am sure it will hold new adventures. Then we head to Sabi Sabi.
Linda
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