Altered Perspective
Marius (former Leopard Hills ranger) is here as a consultant to assist our wildlife photographic results. The LEOPARDS took turns gettting tips on exposure compensation (where do I find THAT on this camera?), aperture priority, portraits need an F-stop of 8 .. the list goes on. We've got the true SLR specialists along with those of us in the digital point-and-shoot stock in trade. No matter - Marius is up to the task!
Marcie won the award as our most improved photographer. She asked everyone with the long lenses to donate to her picture collection on behalf of "Photos for the Poor". Brilliant, creative . that's our Marcie!
We headed off in the early morning light into very fresh weather. Back where I come from, we'd call it downright cold. But I digress .. Remember got the call about leopard, adding wind chill to the mix as he barrelled down a tarred road. The leopard just crossed over the area where we cannot traverse; so we snuggled more tightly into the blankets and hoped our fingers will regain their feeling. Why does a leopard cross the road? ... The highs and lows of the safari drive had begun.
We then worked out how to improve our sunrise photos on the way to finding two of the remaining members of the Machatten pride of lions. The grandmother and a 1-1/2 to 2 year old male cub were doing what lions do best: snooze. It's a sober wake up call for me .. the Machatten pride sightings just 16 months ago were among the highlights of that trip. There were about 20 lions in all, strong and filled with cubs. With new male lion sheriffs taking over, the culling part (gruesome but necessary) of rebuilding the pride is well underway. The cub is thin and unlikely to see his next birthday; the grandmother is battle worn and approximately 18 years old. Her sister has already died, leaving her to shoulder the entire burden. Her time is running out.
A comfort stop occurred on the way to our next sighting. All the males in our rover hopped off towards an enticing bush; the females were channeling their inner camel so as to wait for proper toilet facilities.
Next up was the rhino calf. Her mother is sharing space with a bull rhino, all the while reminding him to stay away from the calf and to give her plenty of space. He seemed pained she didn't appreciate his good looks and companionship. The calf was doing what calves do best - be cute, curious and serve as wonderful photo subjects. She was talking to her mom; it never fails to surprise me how such enormous animals were equipped with only a high pitched, soft squeak and squeal. A barking chihuahua could drown them out without much effort. She obligingly needed to nurse in perfect light, then used her milk coma to lie down for a well-earned nap. What could be a better safari sighting than that?
Marius suggested we stop for the bush coffee and comfort break; yet Ranger Remember had a different plan. We drove past many a suitable drink stop location. It was near 9 am and the need for a comfort break was alive and well throughout our range rover. Hmm .. where IS that coffee stop? We turned a corner to find a gorgeous bush breakfast set and ready for our company. The females made fast tracks towards the proper toilet facilities and we enjoyed a lovely cold buffet with cooked to order hot items. Nikon Ken put his new photo knowledge to use, taking a magnificent picture of Marius and Ngaire. He assembled many montages of the LEOPARDS in small and large groupings. All in all, a delightful morning's drive.
Next up for those interested (ie, everybody) was a short slide show in the library by Marius showing many different ways to create a memorable photograph. Bottom line: an altered perspective produces exceptional photos. My favorite was the pan shot around motion. Translation? Blurred pictures. They are all the rage! Delete no more - your blurry picture may be the next cover of National Geographic.
A warm shower led to a two hour nap. One has to prepare for the rigors of camp life, and the next great challenge was Comfort Food Fest. Yep - American style hamburgers, fries and beer. The King's Camp staff rose to the challenge and
served up gorgeous burgers on a freshly baked, toasted bun, accompanied by trays groaning with tomato, onion, pickle, lettuce and condiments to build the perfect burger. Crisp french fries were served in espresso cups, followed by a hot tray for each table to devour. Contentment was achieved.
Go grab your cameras, coats and hats to giddy up for another push through the bush. Ranger turnover time began. Patrick was off to enjoy his two week leave, and tracker Albert was following after our drive. Cynite (pronounced sign-it) took the wheel, laughed at our outlandish requests and pointed out his version of ostrich every chance he got. The big sighting was a lone bull elephant with awesome tusks on the river bed, using his trunk to dig a well and find water. It was fascinating to watch him plunge his trunk into the sand, screwing and extending it ever deeper, pull it up to hose down his mouth and then spew the rest from his trunk, so he could do it once again. We went to the boundary of the reserve, spending time near a dam with hippo, birds (saddlebill storks! haven't seen those since Botswana, 2006) and great possibilities for the sunset shots. We teamed up with another rover for joint sundowners and then made our way back to camp.
Our farewell cocktails were underway in no time. Those handy flashlights meant we could all safely find our way to and from the party and dining room. We finished off dinner with a celebratory toast to Richard and Joan on the occasion of their 37th wedding anniversary. As Richard so eloquently said, they were glad to share their special day with us, and to be accepted into such a fine group of fellow travelers. I can safely say we all share that sentiment. This has been a
remarkably congenial group of fellow travelers, and I am most grateful to share our safari with them. Our heartfelt thanks to Ngaire and Ken for organizing such a wonderful trip. We REALLY can't do it without them.
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
This morning, single sex range rovers were sorted and we headed off for the last King's Camp game drive. It would not be a Ngaire trip if we didn't have acronyms for this adventure. The men chose DUNG: Dudes Unearthing Nature's Glories and the women chose GALPALS: Great African Ladies' Princess Approved Luxury Safari. Vive la difference!
Ngaire was all over winning the prize for largest number of documented animal sightings. She imposed a stiffer rule on her rover than the rest of us - no feathered creatures to be included in the tally! They zipped from animal to animal, thoroughly confusing the ranger who is used to long photo stops with the call of "GO! GO! GO! We've already got the Cape Buffalo!!" The gents were virtually playing the river course and scoring their virtual strokes, while our range rover was enjoying the considerable skills of Cheron as Range Rover Director and not bothering to document much of anything. We included birds in our count and enjoyed a large herd of elephants. I did get my new favorite ever elephant photo, so it was a complete success.
The PHOTO group (Picture Heaven: Occupants' Total Objective) got the Rockfig Jr. leopard sighting, along with Ngaire's group. We crashed around looking for RJ after she gave everyone the slip into dense foliage. As Morne reminded us, "It's said we only see 6% of the creatures that see us." And on THAT note .. EEK! Can we return to camp? Please??
Breakfast was lovely, as Ngaire digested the news she'd won the competition because the rest of us forgot to participate. Gary gave her plenty of guff, though, about the guys having won, so all was not lost. Congrats to Ngaire and her highly effective, well run rover.
We're at the point where the King's Campers now split and head in many directions. Sixteen are on their way to Leopard Hills; six are headed to Johannesburg and points beyond. Gary and I are here until tomorrow; then whisk ourselves back to Joburg International and make the no so long journey home on the South African JFK nonstop flight.
Spoiler Alert:
Internet is iffy at Leopard Hills. Further communication is guaranteed to be sporadic. Band width matters!
Thanks for following our travels - hope you can be here next time!
Pleasure, No. 7
