First we run across a herd of elephant. Instead of their midday amble, they seem giddy and alert. We see some minor scuffles - perhaps as they jostle for position for the day. They are scratching themselves on trees (and knocking not a few of them over) and being somewhat playful and touchy. They nuzzle and jostle with each other.
Watching the sun rise behind a herd of giraffe on the Serengeti is on of those happy moments that will stay with me forever.
So now we are fully on a search for Leopard, We're all up and scanning the surrounding area for anything that doesn't completely blend in with the surrounding grass. And wishful thinking makes everything look like a cat.
As we round one of the huge rock outcroppings, I note a couple of ears in the mouth of a cave. That's right, yours truly spots a leopard in her cave 40 meters away half way up a rock. We all get a quick glimpse before she ducks back in - likely to guard her young. We wait quite a while but she never returns.
Much of the remainder of our day is spent driving around looking at grass. We search for another cheetah to no avail. Not a problem though. We see many other animals (including jackal which look like big foxes) and plants and the landscape is beautiful. Couldn't ask for more!
Then it is time for the long drive back to Ngorogoro. Tonight we stay on a campsite right on the rim of the crater and tomorrow we head in.
Oh and i finally found the big dipper. It is LOW in the sky, under the horizon until about 11pm and then rises upside down. The north star is at or below the horizon here. I do have a beautiful view of the southern cross and the milky way of course.
1 comment:
So I've been watching the Planet Eartg series produced by the Discovery Channel. So many stunning images take my breath away... And I'm just gazing at my little computer screen... I can't imagine what it must feel like to actually see these things in person...
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