Much of this morning was spent tracking rhinos. Our guides would jump out to the jeep and track to see if we could find them.
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| White Rhino |
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| Rhino sizes us up |
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| Lovely giraffe |
We also saw 2 male warthogs who were off on their own and then a little down the road we saw the female with the baby warthogs. Apparently, the males go off during the day to forage and the females stay with the babies. At night, they all come together and go to their den which is in old termite mounds. The babies first, then the Mom, and the Dad protects them by being last. They were funny digging for roots and digging for termites.
We also tracked 2 male lions who were brothers. They called out a few times as usually there are 4 brothers and the guide said they call out to find their family. We also always see kudu, antelopes, and huge termite mounds.
The mist this morning was beautiful over the hills. With all the mist, the huge spider webs glittered in the morning sun. Of course, the air is filled with birds and their songs as well. We have seen horn bills, gineau fowl, magpies, eagles, vultures, and many more.
From the river lodge, we can watch the warthogs, birds, baboons (who will come into your tents if you don't lock your door), hippos, an old momma elephant, and sometimes crocodiles and jackals. It is all so very exciting.
At 11 am this morning, I ran an exercise class for all the ladies. We have realized that 6 hours of sitting in safari jeeps and 3 delicious meals a day makes the pounds pack on quite nicely! We did a lot of functional exercises since we are a bit limited but it was enough to get the blood pounding.
In the early afternoon, many of us take a snooze, read, do Emails, or watch the animals that come to the lodge. It is very relaxing. Lunch is every day at 2:30.
Back into the jeeps at 3:30 for our evening drive. During this drive, we tracked the huge cape buffalos. There is a herd of 400-500 and we tracked them all the way to their watering hole. The sun was setting and we first saw the dust rise as all those buffalos were moving towards the water. Then you cupped your hands to your ears and you could hear the pounding of the hooves and their grunts coming. The anticipation was incredible. Then they started coming and coming and coming. They were so close to us. They are huge with their big horns and enormous bodies. The cape buffalo are some of the most dangerous animals since they can charge with little warning. However, the guides knew they would leave us alone as they were just seeking out the water. This was one of the most incredible sights as they just kept coming. There was one lone hippo in the water who moved a bit away as even he knew he was no match for this many buffalo. The only other cape buffalo we had seen before this was the half-eaten carcass that the lions were enjoying on the first day here. We stayed and watch this amazing spectacle for the remainder of this lovely evening. We did get to see a white faced owl on our road home who was sitting high in a tree.
Dinner was another delicious affair: Venison Pie (made with the local game kudu), chicken curry, rice, sweet potato and ginger soup, salad, carrots and zucchini and vanilla ice cream with a chocolate sauce for dessert. We have realized that Owen needs to get to bed earlier than dinner since he doesn't nap during the day. We are able to save lunch food or order him some other food for dinner so that he can be in bed around 7:45 pm when the rest of us have dinner. This works out well since Owen is refreshed and ready to go at 5:30 am for the rest of the day. Hannah and Alex have realized the benefits of napping and try to nap daily to make up for the lack of sleep at night. It is amazing how quickly your body adapts to the early rising/less sleep at night and a quick nap during the day. Another glorious day here at Simbavati.
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| Fish Eagle |
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