Thanks for your comments, the sunrise was our last morning in Africa, a stunning sunrise and the start to a wonderful morning. But I'm getting ahead of myself, I'd better start at the beginning.....
This trip has been well over a year in the planning, I’ve read trip report after trip report, joined facebook groups and poured over photos and maps (usually interrupting The Husband during the best bits of whatever he is watching to say ‘look at this......’, or ‘can you believe this happened’, he’s mastered showing just enough attention to keep me happy – a smile, a nod and a ‘yes dear’). I get ridiculously excited about travelling everything from packing (I will repack about 20 times before we leave) to the airport (I love airports such exciting places full of so many different people going on holiday, on business trips, coming home to their loved ones.)
Before we set off we each chose one animal we would love to see above all others, The Husband chose the cheetah (he has always loved cheetah), Ratbag chose lions, Monster said he really wanted to see ‘Raffes’ (Giraffes – he loves them) and I really, really want to see sable.
I’ve loved sable since I was about 8 or 9, I did a project on them as school and I’ve always thought they are the most beautiful antelope species (Gemsbok are a close second, but I’d be very surprised to see one of those on our travels!). I remember while doing that project and my father giving me an old battered copy of Harry Wolhunters ‘Memories of a Gameranger’, that battered old book has been dragged halfway across the world and read more times than I can remember. Looking back I’m not surprised I was always the odd one out at school – I mean how many 9 year old girls would read ‘Memories of a Gameranger’?
Although, of course, we won’t be disappointed even if we don’t spot any of our ‘really want to see’ species (although I’ll be amazed is Monster doesn’t get to see his raffes!) and we will be happy with whichever of her beauties Africa decides to revile to us. I’m often surprised when I read accounts of people sitting in traffic jams for ages to catch a glimpse of a lion sleeping 200m away under a tree or a spotty tail sticking out from behind a branch. There are so many wonderful sights to see, so much interaction to observe between the animals, it’s sad to think that so many people don’t pause to see the ‘less exciting’ sights in their haste to spot the big 5. Last time we were in the park we paused to watch two impala rams having a scrap, we sat for well over 20 minutes watching them pushing and shoving and chasing each other round, the girls they were fighting over looked most unimpressed with their testosterone fuelled squabbling but we thought it was wonderful, I do remember several cars that came crawling up to us, obviously expecting to see something ‘really exciting’ only to roll their eyes and zoom off again when told we were just watching the impala. Perhaps they went back to their friends to tell them the story about the crazy English people watching impala!
