Gorgeous Giraffes

We see many elephants which is lovely until Charlene explains that they can be rather unpredictable and can charge at cars if annoyed. Indeed quite soon we see an elephant coming towards us rather fast flapping its ears angrily. Luckily we are a few cars back and reverse quickly but the car in front was having difficulty getting out of the way. Very scary as they are enormous animals. My view of elephants undergoes a change and I prefer from then on to see them at more of a distance. It is great fun looking for all the animals on our list and we soon see many kinds of deer and antelope including a huge herd of buffalos. It is nice getting to know the other women - Becky who is from England and Wendy who is from the U.S.

At night we have a traditional BBQ which South Africans are very partial to and call a Brai. I tasted my first meal of pap, a kind of cornmeal mixture with a spicy sauce, very tasty. We also get to try a number of nice South African wines and talk to many interesting people working on Antarctic conservation from around the world. Our next safari is exciting as we see lions sleeping and then later four lions eating their kill, a buffalo. The event causes a lot of road rage with people eager to get photos and not behaving very considerately. It was all pretty gruesome rather like a national geographic programme but fortunately we were too far away to hear the sounds! I decide I much prefer herbivores and that afternoon we see a lovely giraffe placidly feeding by the side of the road. Again I was looking at the giraffe without noticing it for five seconds, so well does it blend into the environment huge and unlikely though it is.

That afternoon Hugh and I visit the local bird hide and we get up close to a group of hippos snorting and groaning in the water. It was very peaceful listening to them blow water out of their nostrils and flick their cute pink ears. They are very zen and I decide that if there is such a thing as reincarnation I would like to come back as a hippo. We walk around this amazing golf course nearby somewhat anxiously avoiding the crocodiles and the wart-hogs. We see lots of wonderful birds including a multi-coloured purple-crowned Lourie which pleases Hugh greatly. My favourite bird however is the lilac-breasted roller which likes to perch in dead trees so as to be more easily seen. When it flies it has these long blue tail feathers and is extremely gorgeous.