Hi all

We are in Rwanda starting ROAR SOME MORE, gorilla division.

We were very, very lucky for our nine day safari - the choice of camps were wonderful, our traveling companions were terrific, and as Grant said, we had lots of unique sightings. We hope Grant and Dena enjoy their Victoria Falls trip as much as we did.



We also were pleasantly surprised on our return trip to Joburg. We touched down about 5 minutes way from Ulu Saba International to drop off 4 passengers and to pick up 7. Yep .. our other ROARers from Lion Sands hopped on board. We got to visit with Sheila and Ken for a while as we figured out if you flight leaves from Terminal A, then you must have to drag all your stuff to check in at Terminal B.

For those of you about to embark to Capetown, let us share a little bush wisdom to help you enjoy your stay. for any confusion, unexpected happenings or missing underwear, follow these rules:

1. TIA (This Is Africa)
2. If rule #1 doesn't help you, follow rule #1 again.

I'd add the rhino sighting and the yellow billed oxpecker frenzy to the Leopard Hills list. I wish I'd gotten a video of the rhino daughter crying to her mother to get out of the d#@$N mud wallow and pay attention to her. The daughter must have been pushing 800 pounds in bulk .. but her whining is very, very soft. Contrast that to the crowned lapwing bird (all of 10 inches stem to stern and perhaps 1/2 a pound in total weight) who you can hear for MILES when they are irritated about something or another.

We loved the light and the clearings at leopard hills, so we were nearing the end of our game drive amidst a herd of cattle. someone spotted and Gary confirmed a yellow billed oxpecker in the midst of all the red-billed oxpeckers on the backs, heads, ears, noses and flanks of the buffalos. The call went out .. and range rovers quickly moved in. This was the first recorded sighting amongst the ranger group in over a year. meanwhile, back at the pups .. not much range rover action. So there you go .. fame is fleeting, lil doggies.

The next morning was the sighting where I shot the video on the website. Background: the beta female had the audicity to have pups. The alpha female is presumed to have headed to her den and killed those puppies as payback. I was speculating if the alpha male was the responsible party, he's got an awful lot of 'splaining to do for that indiscretion.

We arrived to the beta female dropping sticky poop all along our entry to the site. Let me tell you, wild dog sticky poop is the most effective ranger deterrent known to South Africa. It was hard to hold on to our cookies (if you know what I mean) after she let loose with that weapon of mass destruction.

She then went back and forth with one of the older dogs (age is determined by how much black is left in the coat - kind of like humans turning grey, eh?) when they went on high alert. The alpha female came back with a full-ish belly (the rest looked hungry) and headed to the den. The beta female threw herself into a frenzy of rolling over and keeping her belly up, the height of submissive behavior. The pups ran over each other to grab a teat. They all were standing on their hind legs as Momma surveyed the site for safety. The rest of the pack was in the grass nearby the den entry. Finally, Momma gives the cue and the puppies spill out of the den and down the pathway to the grass. This was among the first times the alpha female has let the rest of the pack be near the pups (except for an occasional feeding by their poppa).

Let me tell you, there's a reason wild dogs are efficient (read that vicious) killers. She is one very mean momma. Think Ma Barker (if you don't know the reference, just read the first line or two in Wikipedia). She was aggressively grabbing the pups who strayed a little further, tossing them on their backs, licking and rubbing their bellies. One can evidently never learn submissive behavior soon enough. Then .. she grabs a few (not sure if it was the same one or different pups) in her mouth BY THE BELLY using those handy-dandy razor sharp teeth. The more they cried, the harder she bit down. Wowser .. you surely don't want to mess with her. Grant's picture is perfect - head hanging down, legs immobilized.

Back to our current adventure. We arrived in Kigali after an easy 3 hour flight from Johannesburg. All eight (ken, ngaire, linda, ron, michele, don, gary and I) were back at the hotel around 8 pm. We found the hottest restaurant and bar in Kigali (per our helpful hosts) and had beers and burgers. The best part? A 10 AM departure. It feels like heaven.

Time to hit the breakfast buffet and get ready for the three hour tour to Volcanoes National. Please, please please put your weather juju behind ours and pray for little or no rain on our gorilla treks tomorrow & the day after. Golden monkeys away on the third day.

Cheers, Anne