Safari diary, August 4th, 2008
Tamboti Tented Camp, Kruger National Park.
Rain last night. Unusal for this time of year. Could smell it coming on the wind before I turned in.
3.00am: Woken by male lion roaring, approximately four metres outside safari tent. Fortunately there was electric fence between tent and lion. Unfortunately there was also typical South African power outage (formerly known as blackout) last night.
3.01am: Snuggled closer to Mrs Blog and pulled covers up to nose in knowledge that this would protect us should a hooked, yellowed claw appear through the canvas.
3.02am: Much discussion about location of lion, direction of movement, ability of big cats to jump over fences.
3.04am: Safe under blankets, I am oddly comforted by the series of grunts and mournful moans of the lion. We haven't seen one since arriving in Kruger last Thursday, so it's nice to know they're out there... somewhere.
6.05am: Still raining. Lion still calling. Despatch Mrs Blog outside to veranda to look for lion, armed with binoculars and penlight torch.
6.07am: Mrs Blog returns, intact. Lions believed to have moved off.
7.00am: Finally extract self from under blankets, have brief conversation with occupant of next safari tent. "Did you see him?" I ask.
"Ja, with the spotlight when it was still dark," he replies. "Right over there, just outside the fence near your tent. Awesome."
Indeed.
Rain last night. Unusal for this time of year. Could smell it coming on the wind before I turned in.
3.00am: Woken by male lion roaring, approximately four metres outside safari tent. Fortunately there was electric fence between tent and lion. Unfortunately there was also typical South African power outage (formerly known as blackout) last night.
3.01am: Snuggled closer to Mrs Blog and pulled covers up to nose in knowledge that this would protect us should a hooked, yellowed claw appear through the canvas.
3.02am: Much discussion about location of lion, direction of movement, ability of big cats to jump over fences.
3.04am: Safe under blankets, I am oddly comforted by the series of grunts and mournful moans of the lion. We haven't seen one since arriving in Kruger last Thursday, so it's nice to know they're out there... somewhere.
6.05am: Still raining. Lion still calling. Despatch Mrs Blog outside to veranda to look for lion, armed with binoculars and penlight torch.
6.07am: Mrs Blog returns, intact. Lions believed to have moved off.
7.00am: Finally extract self from under blankets, have brief conversation with occupant of next safari tent. "Did you see him?" I ask.
"Ja, with the spotlight when it was still dark," he replies. "Right over there, just outside the fence near your tent. Awesome."
Indeed.
Comments
mrs blog..well hello breakfast
If so who gets the royalties????? Remember,I've always been there for you!!!!!!!!
It's so frickin cold down here I swear someones turned off the global warming.
we're coming back to Efrika next year sometime. Got the Visa frequent flyers card today so that's the start of the big save up program for the trip.
Have bought Bubu a penlight and pair of binocs to help with the early morning lion spotting when we get there, but you'll probably have to give her a cup of tea in bed first before she'll venture out.
root or shoot
hopefully that one works.