Oh no! Eugene, please tell Gail for all of us we wish her a speedy recovery. We got a lecture about scorpions. Those with the big pettipaws (like lobster claws) and small tails are not too dangerous; those with the small claws and big tails are more worrisome. Ngaire flew to the phone and got further details. Gail is doing well, no pain, no signs of residual problems and is bound and determined to enjoy a top-notch afternoon game drive. WHEW!

We're working on the safari dictionary (based on our experiences) for those who may be new to safari or simply wanting to brush up their safari skills. Eugene, I'm adding your entry as well. Fortunately for all of us, we have a fully qualified librarian to help us with our definitions and reference points. Feel free to submit any others. So far we've got the following entries:

A pity: losing your camera

A great pity: losing your camera with a memory card full of photos

African safari photo shots: Those digital or film images of guests' safari memories. See 'butt shots' and 'flat cats' for more information

Bliss: morning muffins at Leopard Hills or King's camp, especially if shared with a friend. See "Pacifier" for additional information

Butt shots: Most mega pixels or film expended to record the memorable instances of one's African safari - animal or otherwise.

Fashion accessory: gaiters to complete the safari short, bush shirt and hiking boots ensemble.

Flash photography: What happens when the sun goes up, the range rover occupants remove enough layers to bring skin into play and the cameras go off

Flat cats: large felines sleeping, dozing or otherwise inert on and off for up to 18 hours per day. See "african safari photo shots" for more details

Guest service: Breaking off a stick for retrieving a camera. See 'Inopportune' for further information.

Hippo inspection: Finding an uncooperative, victorious hippo blocking your path to a beautiful bush dinner location. Bonus points if said hippo is bloody from recent battle with vanquished members of equal or lesser species. See "Trevor .." for further information.

Idiots: those who voluntarily get out of bed before 6 am

Inopportune: dropping your camera within 5 meters of a feeding lion.

Italian lover strategy: The general description for male animal or insect behavior which results in stealth, cunning and other trickery to woo and cover the female of the species without being eaten alive during or afterwards. Preferred strategy for metrosexuals.

Mamma Pooch: Mama Sup, armed with Mudman cards and a voracious group of Pooch players.

Metrosexual: rangers with a broad view, hair gel and a stash of Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton bedroom slippers for lounging between shifts

Normal: those who get out of bed at 7:30 am

Pacifier: morning coffee stop of coffee, hot chocolate and amarula cream in equal portions, coupled with "bliss".

Runway inspection: the process of sweeping a bush airstrip of its giraffe, impala or other wayward animals who mistakenly assume they have free passage when a Caravan comes in for a landing. See 'hippo inspection' for range rover equivalent.

Trevor .. Trevor .. come in Trevor: Response to 'hippo inspection' when said hippo has no intention of making way to said bush dinner

Village visit: activity between drives guaranteed to produce the best game sightings of one's entire trip, along with seeing the local tribe and enjoying a brief glance of village life, shopping opportunities and the children working at school.

We went to see the sleep-out in the treehouse between drives. Thinking this may satiate my quest for experiencing lots of what a safari has to offer, I was toying with a dinner and sleep in the bush. Tempting .. but having the two umbrellas in the stand and nothing but mosquito net on the bed resting on the floor gave me cause for pause. So lovely, though. Honeymooners should file this idea for future reference. Along the path, we saw a breeding herd of elephants. A seven and five month old were hard at play, trying to test out their trunks on one another. I sure hope my video of that episode is a good one.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed a rare sighting of a month old hippo. The darling came up onto the beach so we could see Mamma's beautiful baby in all his/her wet splendor. That was a simply breathtaking sighting. This all happened within 100 feet of the matriarch of the elephant breeding herd we saw earlier in the day. Thankfully, it threatened neither hippo nor elephant matriach.

Lion Sands is simply remarkable. Love this place! The bush dinner was all set up with lanterns in the trees, the candles in paper bags (can't remember the name right now) marking the path and a roaring bonfire to light our way. Slow cooked springbok was divine; the kingclip fish was the best Ngaire has had for the entire trip. We had about 5 choices to sample for mains, along with side dishes and sweets. We simply laughed and laughed through dinner, and all the way home on our jeep. Any wonder no animals were to be found on the way back?
Stars alight, we made our escorted march back to Malachie. A picture-perfect view of the constellation "Scorpio" was centered in our bedroom window. A full-on star show is available from the comfort of your own 8' wide bed, or you can draw blinds for a deeper sleep. Finding your partner on the other side of the bed? Priceless. Email may be required.


Today, we are all trying to identify the bird life around our rooms. We've got probably wire-tailed (or barn) swallows nesting in our open courtyard. The pair of African fish eagles shows up each day around 12:30 pm for their song and dance show. We're all still trying for the grey/taupe backed birds with the olive green/drab yellow bellies. Haven't made a positive ID as of yet.

More vervet monkeys hanging out on our room's rooftop. Be gone, you little beasties! You may not share my treasure trove of shiny or tasty things.

Time for a light lunch and more flash photography wink

Pleasure, Malachite RM