I’ve been talking a lot about our trip to South Africa the past few days. Most of it was because we had a friend staying over — a person we had become friends with during our vacation last fall. It’s funny how you can meet strangers and immediately click sometimes. That’s what happened with us. From the moment we met, we hit it off — nonstop chatter. And then post-trip we kept in touch via Facebook and e-mail.
When she booked her ticket last month, I was elated.
We had spent an entire week experiencing exhilaration.
It was natural for us to relive many of those moments when we met again six months later.
Here are some I’d like to share with you.
Zebras congregating at the community water hole. Discussing the day’s events. Taking a breather. Keeping a lookout for predators.
Gawking at two-legged creatures driving by in droves.
Elephants roaming with wild abandon — literally!
It was a little scary when the almost 10-foot tall, 7,500-pound cow elephants sauntered close to our safari jeep.
With young ones in tow. Looking at us like we were a mobile cage.
It was pretty common to see the animals pause and either ignore us, or look at us questioningly.
Like these impalas, who simply wanted to graze peacefully.
Camouflaging in the dry brush. Giving us only sneak peeks into their busy lives.
Or this jackal, who was following the scent of lion droppings in an effort to find some leftovers.
And how can we ever forget the cheetah enjoying his kill. Relishing it with every bite.
What should have given us the creeps gave us chills of excitement. This was real. The way of the wild.
The rawness of this scene was overpowering.
We’ve always gone back and forth about what the highlight of our safari was — spotting one of only two cheetahs in Pilanesberg, or getting up close and personal with a pride of lions, not once, not twice, but thrice in two days.
I still get goosebumps when I see the following video we made on our first night safari. It’s an indescribable feeling to be so close to these magnificent beasts with no bars in between.
You can see why this trip is etched in our memories.
The more we went back in time and recounted our experiences, the stronger the urge to do something like this again became.
Hopefully, it won’t take long for us to coordinate our schedules and embark on another journey of appreciation of all things wild.
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that was beautiful…
Thanks, Deepak.