I was about 8 or 9 feet from two 400 pound lions today. they were sound asleep. at first. but, when one of them raised his head, turned, and looked me straight in the eye, my fight or flight impulses raged out of control. it was exhilirating and unnerving all at the same time. I don't recall an event that so focused my senses. while I took the lion's stare with all the gravity owing in such encounters, I must say that the king of beasts was at best bored, and at worst absolutely oblivious. as much as I cared about where I found myself, he could not have cared less. total insouciance! shaun, our guide, was as calm and unconcerned as "big boy," as they called him. he assured us that as long as we didn't approach them head on (which they perceive as a threat), and as long as we didn't stand up or make sudden movements we would be fine. by staying seated, shaun said, the lions would not distinguish us from the land rover, which I guess is not threatening to them. standing up, however, would be a game changer. then, we would be perceived as humans and the rules would change instantly. I must have asked shaun several times about how these "rules of engagement" were agreed to. was there some memo that set all this out that the lions confirmed in some regal signing ceremony? how could he be absolutely certain it would work like this in all cases? in any event, as I sat in the very open and exposed land rover, I tried to become physically and psychically merged with my seat.
shaun stopped the rover and we watched these huge lions for about 20 minutes. I prayed the car would start when it was time to go.
Friday, May 1, 2009
How to have fun and be nervous at the same time
we experience today what they call a "walking" safari. sounds simple enough. but, then again, maybe not. we are met by our guide, samson, a local tribesman who doubles as our tracker on our morning and evening safaris. I cannot help but notice the large weapon he is shouldering. I begin to appreciate the earnestness of the threat out there when he shows us his bullets which are larger than most toes. we are about to walk out into the bush and samson is our first and last line of defense. on today's walk, it's just samson, lily, alex and me.
samson tells us to walk single file behind him. when I ask why, he calmly tells me it's so he has a better field of vision should he need to shoot an attacking animal. my breathing becomes a bit shallower. alex and I jostle for position to see who can adhere as closely as possible to the back of samson's shirt. lily, however, thinking she's out for a walk on the beach -- head down, looking for the perfect seashell -- lags behind apparently content to become an amuse bouche for a lurking predator.
samson is delightful as he introduces us to his wide ranging knowledge of all things flora and fauna in the bush. under any other circumstance, this would be a joyful experience, but I get a stiff neck craning it in every possible direction checking to see if there might be a 4 legged beast tagging along, stalking. we are told that under no circumstances are we to run if we see one of the big guys: lion, cheetah, leopard, buffalo. apparently, that act rings their dinner bell. thanks for the heads up, samson.
samson tells us to walk single file behind him. when I ask why, he calmly tells me it's so he has a better field of vision should he need to shoot an attacking animal. my breathing becomes a bit shallower. alex and I jostle for position to see who can adhere as closely as possible to the back of samson's shirt. lily, however, thinking she's out for a walk on the beach -- head down, looking for the perfect seashell -- lags behind apparently content to become an amuse bouche for a lurking predator.
samson is delightful as he introduces us to his wide ranging knowledge of all things flora and fauna in the bush. under any other circumstance, this would be a joyful experience, but I get a stiff neck craning it in every possible direction checking to see if there might be a 4 legged beast tagging along, stalking. we are told that under no circumstances are we to run if we see one of the big guys: lion, cheetah, leopard, buffalo. apparently, that act rings their dinner bell. thanks for the heads up, samson.
Game On!
you gotta be kidding me! we're still on the airplane doing a slow taxi to the terminal in Hoedspruit when we spot 3 warthogs in the tall grass next to the runway. and, get this. they're being stalked by a cheetah! we see the tail of the cheetah as it makes its move -- a nano-glimpse of a high arching jump that we know to be the attack -- only to have the plane continue on toward the terminal, leaving the fate of the warthogs..........uncertain.
we leave our porcine friends to head out to the Pondoro Game Lodge, some miles north. on the 10 mile dirt, and heavily rutted, road to this private reserve we see giraffes by the side of the road, impala, wildebeast, and zebra. crazy. and, we have yet to go on our first game drive.
a word about the lodge: outrageous! check it out online (http://www.pondoro.co.za/). canopied beds in their 6 mini-lodges; a bath tub out on a deck overlooking the Oliphants River; a shower with a full glass wall revealing another nice view of the river; a shower head reminiscent of the one that almost killed Kramer; 3 gourmet meals a day; 2 4-hour driving safaris per day, one at 5:30 a.m., the other at 4 p.m.; a walking safari after breakfast; and a full menu of spa offerings. (alex gets his first ever full body massage and a pedicure!)
on our first game drive the afternoon we arrive, the giraffes, zebras, wildebeast and impala show up in earnest. they are simply everywhere. oddly, though, the comic star of the afternoon is a quirky bird they call the helmeted guinea fowl. apparently, these sorrowful birds are seriously contending for the honor of most stupid animal on planet earth. unlike most flocks of birds who flee in a flash when one of their tribe is either threatened (or even thinks he's threatened), these bozos -- we are told -- actually are happy to sit on a branch while the friend immediately next to him or her is shot out of the tree, completely oblivious to the notion of danger. we take note that as our land rover approaches them, it doesn't occur to them to get out of the way. no, no. they run -- imagine what a bird on fire might run like -- skirting the front wheels of the rover as if a place squarely under the tires would be the safest place to be! Darwin is definitely scratching his head at these evolutionary outliers.
as darkness falls, we spot a leopard, not an easy sighting, we are told. it's a young male. about 15 feet away. he's wary at first at our presence, but soon enough emerges from the bush to continue his nocturnal hunt. beautiful.
we leave our porcine friends to head out to the Pondoro Game Lodge, some miles north. on the 10 mile dirt, and heavily rutted, road to this private reserve we see giraffes by the side of the road, impala, wildebeast, and zebra. crazy. and, we have yet to go on our first game drive.
a word about the lodge: outrageous! check it out online (http://www.pondoro.co.za/). canopied beds in their 6 mini-lodges; a bath tub out on a deck overlooking the Oliphants River; a shower with a full glass wall revealing another nice view of the river; a shower head reminiscent of the one that almost killed Kramer; 3 gourmet meals a day; 2 4-hour driving safaris per day, one at 5:30 a.m., the other at 4 p.m.; a walking safari after breakfast; and a full menu of spa offerings. (alex gets his first ever full body massage and a pedicure!)
on our first game drive the afternoon we arrive, the giraffes, zebras, wildebeast and impala show up in earnest. they are simply everywhere. oddly, though, the comic star of the afternoon is a quirky bird they call the helmeted guinea fowl. apparently, these sorrowful birds are seriously contending for the honor of most stupid animal on planet earth. unlike most flocks of birds who flee in a flash when one of their tribe is either threatened (or even thinks he's threatened), these bozos -- we are told -- actually are happy to sit on a branch while the friend immediately next to him or her is shot out of the tree, completely oblivious to the notion of danger. we take note that as our land rover approaches them, it doesn't occur to them to get out of the way. no, no. they run -- imagine what a bird on fire might run like -- skirting the front wheels of the rover as if a place squarely under the tires would be the safest place to be! Darwin is definitely scratching his head at these evolutionary outliers.
as darkness falls, we spot a leopard, not an easy sighting, we are told. it's a young male. about 15 feet away. he's wary at first at our presence, but soon enough emerges from the bush to continue his nocturnal hunt. beautiful.
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