Warning! One graphic image in this post.
[Again writing in the evening; no idea when this will post.] Today the safari toured its first day of the Serengeti, which is where Disney filmed The Lion King. The day was pretty uneventful in the sense that the car stayed in one piece and nothing else f'ed up. My companions continue to be nice, and we chat a little throughout the drive and at lunch, but I for one am content being quiet and watching the scenery. The others seem happy doing the same. And of course it's the scenery, especially the animals that we came to see.
Hippos look cute, but they apparently are the deadliest animal in Africa and are quite disgusting to boot. The Straight Dope says: "The hippopotamus, for instance, is said to mark jungle trails by excreting a lethal mixture of urine and feces while twirling its tail like a propeller. This may explain the historically sluggish market for pet hippopotamuses." Moving on...
The highlight of my day might have been the ride to my lodge at the end of the night. When I booked my trip, I was told the lodges and campgrounds were very close to one another. But it turned out that those lodges were all full, so I was booked into different lodges, much farther from the campgrounds. I also suspect I got upgraded from the "cheap" lodges to the intermediate lodges, which would account for why they are so nice. [I later learned this was the case tonight, but the other lodges are really the "cheap" ones.]
So my guide had to drive me separately to my lodge after dropping the guys off at the campground. We had a 25 miles drive through the Serengeti at sunset. It was so beautiful and calm and we saw only one other vehicle the whole ride. It was nearly dark when the reached the lodge. You know I like feeling I have something special all to myself, and that's how the night ride felt... like the Serengeti was all mine!
[Again writing in the evening; no idea when this will post.] Today the safari toured its first day of the Serengeti, which is where Disney filmed The Lion King. The day was pretty uneventful in the sense that the car stayed in one piece and nothing else f'ed up. My companions continue to be nice, and we chat a little throughout the drive and at lunch, but I for one am content being quiet and watching the scenery. The others seem happy doing the same. And of course it's the scenery, especially the animals that we came to see.
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| She just ate her lunch. |
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| Her lunch. |
The highlight of my day might have been the ride to my lodge at the end of the night. When I booked my trip, I was told the lodges and campgrounds were very close to one another. But it turned out that those lodges were all full, so I was booked into different lodges, much farther from the campgrounds. I also suspect I got upgraded from the "cheap" lodges to the intermediate lodges, which would account for why they are so nice. [I later learned this was the case tonight, but the other lodges are really the "cheap" ones.]
So my guide had to drive me separately to my lodge after dropping the guys off at the campground. We had a 25 miles drive through the Serengeti at sunset. It was so beautiful and calm and we saw only one other vehicle the whole ride. It was nearly dark when the reached the lodge. You know I like feeling I have something special all to myself, and that's how the night ride felt... like the Serengeti was all mine!
Just before bed I went out on the balcony. It was as close to pitch black as I've seen in about 25 years. Too bad it was partly cloudy, so I couldn't see the Milky Way. It still felt really good though, just hearing and feeling, not seeing.
That second picture was sooooooo awesome to see while eating Wendy's.....i think i lost my appetite.
ReplyDeleteIt's very paleo. I approve.
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