Serengeti

My last two posts have been a bit cynical but let me assure you I am much better at keep my opinions to myself during the event.

Serengeti is beautiful. Each time the car would stop at a game sighting, I would relish the sound of the wind. No birds calls (no trees), no insect sounds (at least during the day), no man made noises, just the wind. I learnt that the sound of the wind can be most soothing.

Our first lion viewing was the best. Maluta, our driver and guide, stopped short while driving down the road and started staring into what seemed like the horizon. He reached for his binoculars and screamed "Two big lions!". He looked over his shoulder to make sure there were no rangers in the vicinity and took the car on to the plains towards the lions. He got incredibly close (maybe even too close, the lion had to get up an move at one stage because of the car) and I found myself getting a bit nervous. The male lion in all his grandeur was just 3 mtrs from us. I asked dad to roll up his window which seemed to have been designed for a pissed off lion to fit perfectly. Maluta would have nothing of it and insisted that the window stays down.

le lion

for my Egyptian friends

I have one from every angle. We did circles around them.

Getting this close to a capricious animal, fine tuned through many millenia of evolution to eat you is kind of thrilling. Though he did look quite satisfied and in a contemplative mood.

The second highlight involved a lion pride. There were 6 lions lying over each other, keeping out of the sun and just being generally lazy.

lions sleep a lot... WHEN THEY ARE NOT KILLING YOU

After watching them do nothing but shuffle to find a position even more conducive to lazing around we decided it was time to go. As we drove around the kopje, 4 cubs ran in front of the car towards their crib. In my excitement and surprise, I fumbled the camera and only managed to take pic from the back once they had gone past us.

Awwwww...

These cubs had probably been out gallivanting the countryside, teasing the impalas and getting up to general mischief as animals on top of the food chain are wont to do.

As they were about to enter the shelter, the mother (I assume - At the risk of sounding like a xenophobe, all lions look the same. I guess it's okay since they are varelse and not ramen) came out and gave them the "you-didn't-come-home-for-lunch-and-didn't-even-bother-to-call-and-tell-me-and-I-made-your-favourite-dish" look. You know the one but here it is anyway:

Grrr

The cubs immediately ran to the other end of the kopje and looked back sheepishly from a distance. 

Awww... How can you stay mad at these kitties

This standoff last for about 10 mins after which the cubs were forgiven and the entire family went for a drink in the pool of rain water collected between the rocks. The end.

they be drinkin

Then there was the time the leopard went under our car trying to hunt a hare. So awesome.

I could bore you to death with all the photos, 538 of them, of lions, leopards, cheetah, giraffes, rhinos, elephants, zebras, antelopes, hippos, wildebeest, buffaloes and pretty birds. I like you so I will stop here. I will just leave these here:

That's a zebra all eaten and shit

Just 'illin

Scoping out a snack from the hill

Typical kitty. Acting like she hasn't seen me