An entry in the TFS Travel Journal
As we went to sleep last night, we could see through our tent window a most amazing full-moonrise amongst striated clouds through a big acacia tree. Then, as the morning light awakened us, we could see the same strips of clouds, now glowing purple and blue with a small orange sun rising through the acacia. Hope the pictures come out. . . We then dozed a bit more, no small feat with the chorus of screeching, cawing and various other aviary singing that greets the new day here. Our good-morning tray of tea and oj arrived, and we were able to sit out on the tent’s veranda and read a bit before breakfast, without too much bother from the bugs. Breakfast was the now-familiar civilized experience here in the bush, then we set off for a full-day game drive with Stanislaus.
It was a pretty light day as game viewing goes. The morning passed without too many interesting sightings, though we did see a Kori Bustard (one of the world’s largest flying birds) strutting high through the meter-high grass, an elephant, innumerable gazelles/oryx/impalas, and some baboons as we drove through the African savannah. We stopped for lunch at a place near the river, where many baboons were lounging on the ground and in nearby trees, as that told Stan that the area was safe from predators (otherwise, the baboons would all be high in the trees howling and loudly bellowing as a warning). He is (as are most guides in these parks) amazing in his ability to spot animals of all types and sizes, near and far, and while driving (and while frequently swatting away insects). Lunch was a most civilized picnic of pasta/tuna salad, quiche and good cole slaw, enjoyed while the baboons frolicked in the trees around us.
On the drive back, we came across a group of about 20 giraffes. We spent a while admiring them as we crept closer in the Land Rover, getting quite an up-close view as they ate, walked, ran and stared at us. We saw a few more on the way back, along with a few dik-diks (rabbit-like tiny deer), a large water-buck, and many superb starlings - birds of electric blue with yellow breasts . We also became intimately acquainted with the tse-tse fly. (contrary to our preconceptions, they are not harmful to humans, unless one has a reaction to their bite, but can be fatal to some animals) This was the most annoying pest since the dreaded Chilean tabanos! They can bite, or sting, through clothes and even through our sneakers. We encountered them in swampy areas, which after all the recent rains was about 1/2 of the drive; they were relentless in their pestiness and were repelled by absolutely nothing, including the pure deet spray we brought and sprayed repeatedly. At one point, Milton felt something up his pant leg near his knee and squished it through the pants only to then have a large stain of blood appear. No residual ill effects or pain, but all part of the safari experience. . .
We returned to base camp where we showered and relaxed in our sealed tent. We went for cocktails (along with some tasty meat samosas) with Linda and Ivan, before being joined by Joan and Peter from Essex, England. He’s an editor for a travel trade publication, though they ended up on this week-long trip by winning a raffle. We dined on a tasty appetizer of mushrooms, mangos and avocado, then beef wellington, and a sugary chocolately dessert that they called Manhattan remoulade. The bugs were ubiquitous - almost to the point of comical - as they ended up everywhere and in everything throughout the meal. We passed on tea and coffee by the campfire and were escorted back to our tent. As we attempted to read and type, the tiny bugs began to amass. After not too long, there were zillions of tiny, speck-sized bugs (and a few larger cousins) around us, so we were forced to turn out the light (and the computer, as they began to blanket the bright screen) and try to sleep even though it was just a bit after 10pm.