By 5:30 AM we were in the 'jeep' ready to start our early morning animal search. John and Beth had not seen any lions up close so we asked Sinke if he could find some lions. Almost immediately we came upon a lion laying at the side of the road. Two others were nearby. Eventually the first lion got up, posed for pictures, then ambled off into the bush with the other two. Pretty soon a hyena crossed the road. There is a huge rock formation in the park. It looks like very smooth rocks casually stacked together. They look like a scene out of "Lion King." Chuck did a double take and noticed a baboon perched on the very top. It took binoculars, but you could see him up there. One lone elephant crossed the road. A flock of guinea fowl were gathered on the road, but scattered as we approached. Also spotted some zebras, giraffe, and a large male warthog. There was a herd of impalas that were on high alert making their bawling sound, heads up, and tails cranking fast. Never did find out what they were so upset about. A brown snake eagle could be spotted high in a tree. The park has over 500 species of birds and we enjoyed seeing their colorful plumage. As the drive wound down, we decided to not go on the afternoon game drive. We needed some time to recoup.
Factoids:
*This is the end of the rainy season. Other than the rain caused by the Falls, we have not seen any rain. As a result, the vegetation is lush and the animals all look well-fed. The season here is the equivalent of early fall.
*We have been warned to not leave our windows open (at the last three hotels) because monkeys and baboons will come in search of food and end up trashing the room.
*This hotel is a series of open, thatch roofed buildings, connected by covered walk ways. It includes a lot of outdoor living space.
*Yesterday helicopters flew over the park several times in search of poachers. Since the beginning of the year 81 rhino and elephants have been found dead with their tusks harvested. Poachers are not prosecuted: they are shot and killed on the spot.
*The WiFi is down today so will post when we can.
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