On Top of the Game
Hello, hello! We are still alive and have not been eaten by lions (although at times it felt like a close shave). We have just emerged from a month in the bush, frequently without electricity and always without email. Since last typing, we have been on a willion and one game drives, appreciating the Namibian and Batswana wildlife rather than assassinating it. Truly amazing to see the animals in their (mostly undisturbed) natural habitat. We have seen herds of elephants, prides of lions, zillions of zebra and gaggles of giraffes. We have seen the Big Five, the Small Five, the Ugly Five and Laura's (Far-From-Frightening) Five. So, we are now wildlife experts and know the Latin name, spoor, dung, mating habits, gestation period (why?) and eyelash length of every animal. Mike also knows that for the birds too. It is very worrying.
Bush highlights include tracking the elusive black rhino on foot, staying at a big cat rehabilitation reserve and visiting a wonderful elephant camp, full of Nellies who had packed their trunk and said goodbye to the circus to be released back into the wild. Trump, trump, trump! Wonderful projects. Mike participated in an impala dung spitting competition (ooh, give us a kiss) and we were lucky enough to see an elephant being born. AMAZING (gestation period: 22 months). We did a fab three day walking (slash eating?) safari which makes you feel just as small and vulnerable as we really are in the bush. For protection, we had our lovely guide, Vaughan, with a rifle, and Robson the Bushman carrying three small roots in a matchbox. I stayed firmly behind the man with the rifle. Not sure how effective a 1cm root would be to combat buffalo.
Just so you have the full picture, Mike is really entering into the safari spirit and has purchased a Crocodile Dundee hat and a necklace. He is talking of spiritual enlightenment and starting a game lodge in Nambia. But I know he couldn't cope without his Cowshed "FC".
Hello, hello! We are still alive and have not been eaten by lions (although at times it felt like a close shave). We have just emerged from a month in the bush, frequently without electricity and always without email. Since last typing, we have been on a willion and one game drives, appreciating the Namibian and Batswana wildlife rather than assassinating it. Truly amazing to see the animals in their (mostly undisturbed) natural habitat. We have seen herds of elephants, prides of lions, zillions of zebra and gaggles of giraffes. We have seen the Big Five, the Small Five, the Ugly Five and Laura's (Far-From-Frightening) Five. So, we are now wildlife experts and know the Latin name, spoor, dung, mating habits, gestation period (why?) and eyelash length of every animal. Mike also knows that for the birds too. It is very worrying.
Bush highlights include tracking the elusive black rhino on foot, staying at a big cat rehabilitation reserve and visiting a wonderful elephant camp, full of Nellies who had packed their trunk and said goodbye to the circus to be released back into the wild. Trump, trump, trump! Wonderful projects. Mike participated in an impala dung spitting competition (ooh, give us a kiss) and we were lucky enough to see an elephant being born. AMAZING (gestation period: 22 months). We did a fab three day walking (slash eating?) safari which makes you feel just as small and vulnerable as we really are in the bush. For protection, we had our lovely guide, Vaughan, with a rifle, and Robson the Bushman carrying three small roots in a matchbox. I stayed firmly behind the man with the rifle. Not sure how effective a 1cm root would be to combat buffalo.
Just so you have the full picture, Mike is really entering into the safari spirit and has purchased a Crocodile Dundee hat and a necklace. He is talking of spiritual enlightenment and starting a game lodge in Nambia. But I know he couldn't cope without his Cowshed "FC".
posted by Laura Smith at 8:23 AM
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