Today I woke up at 4 AM to get ready for our safari, which started at 5:30 when the gates opened we were all excited albeit a little tired from waking up so early, but that's the life. Right off the bat, we saw a hyena laying by the road. I took it as a good sign because hyenas are the spirit animal of TSD's class of 2018 (Go seniors!!). Along the way, our tour guide told us more facts about the hyenas and how they have a bite force. Arun, our guide, said that the hyenas are the true kings of the reserve, not lions who have a measly success rate of 3 out of 10 in hunting compared to hyenas 6 out of 10 rate.

Later down the road, we saw vultures circling in the air and Arun told us that vultures tend to circle around dead animals and eat their bones. So, we followed them and found four other vans looking for the corpse. Arun asked his fellow guide what animal was being eaten and found out that it was a lion which I though was so cool. I looked harder for the lion but our view was obscured by the trees but Jack said he saw the paws of the lion. Disheartened, we continued on and as luck would have it, we saw two lions nearby a male and female. I saw the female through the trees but I couldn't see the male. I was so ecstatic I could check off lion in my list of the big five animals left (woohoo). As the sun was rising (a beautiful pinkish orange that reminded me of the opening scene from the lion king I felt the urge to sing the song), we drove up a nearby hill which had a picturesqueview of the 50-million-acre park. You could see for miles and mile. There are no words to describe the view except amazing, jaw dropping and awe inspiring. After taking a few individual pictures and a group picture, we made our way down the hill. On our drive down from the hill, we stopped by a nearby river famous for a local crocodile, but we didn't see it sadly. However, we did see a dagboy (dag means mud ins African language).

At 10 AM, we stopped for breakfast at Cattle Hill buffet where we tried pap, a staple of South Africa (similar to American grits) with a type of red sauce on top. We tried under the supervision of Jennifer after we stupidly thought the red sauce she was talking about was jam. She steered us towards the right sauce and watched us try it. I thought it was delicious along with a type of African meat dish, mince, that tasted like sloppy joes without the buns. After we all ate to our hearts content, we clambered back into the van and drove off down a beaten dirt path where we saw lemurs and koekos. During our drive, we reached a trident split in the road where Arun made a joke about Vegas and offered us a choice on where to go the decision was unanimous everyone picked left. So we veered left and later saw a lake where a baby crocodile was playing. Disappointed at not seeing an adult crocodile, I looked at the lake and noticed air bubbles forming and excitedly point out the adult crocodile emerging from the water and snapped a few pictures of the crocodile swimming. On our way out, we saw the last of the ugly five, the Ibis bird. While driving, Jennifer asked why do elephants poop on the roads instead of the grass to which Arun responded this is their home they can poop where ever they want we're just tourist in their house. Speak of the devil, not 5 minutes later, we saw a herd of (7) elephants crossing the road. Arun told us that elephants were matriarchy which meant that the grandma was the boss of the family and everyone listened to her. I noticed that the grandma elephant had streaks on her face to which Arun told us that elephants have glands between their ears and eyes that leak when the females are stressed and when males are hormonal (they're like drunk men you can't trust them). We drove by slowly as to not stress the grandma out even more and went back to Cattle Hill for lunch, but we just grabbed snacks instead. I also spotted koeksisters, a famous south African treat that we learned about in class. It felt hard, but tasted like a funnel cake, only a little harder and without powder. On the tour, we saw a Hammerbock bird which is known to build the world's 2nd largest nests. Worn out, we drove back to our village to eat dinner, but on our way, we saw guards who were not supposed to take pictures as to keep their identities safe from the poachers knowing them. They let Precious (the birthday girl) to take a picture with them. Happy Birthday, Precious!!

TK

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Comments:

Crystal Schwartz: Good information that you shared regarding the Hyenas and grandma elephants. By the way, a herd of SEVEN elephants that crossed the road, definitely another good sign! Also, thanks for sharing what Precious got to do on her brithday. Appreciate it! Stay safe, everyone.

Claire Bugen: I remember how important it was when I was in Africa to check off the Big Five. On our last day of safari we saw a white rhino and we were all ecstatic.

Claire Bugen: I also remember being surprised that the hyenas were more ferocious than the lions. But true they are a good omen of the spirit of the Class of 2018! I am so very excited for all of you.

Kat Murphy: How fascinating to see and learn about the different animals of Africa. I had no idea that hyenas are so ruthless! Just goes to show that looks can be deceiving. I had to laugh about the elephants, my grandma is also the boss of our family. I am so glad that you all were able to check the big five off your bucket list! Happy Birthday Precious!

Brenda: So glad you all got to see all five animals! And so many more animals. Fascinatling about the stress on female elephants. Looks like you are really experiencing all of Africa's food. Happy Birthday Precious!

Wanda Kelley: So Happy you all were able to celebrate Precious's Special Day with her!! Enjoy.

Traci: Enjoy reading this, glad you all got to see the BIG 5. Precious, I'm sure your birthday was the best one :)

Russell: Congrats on checking off the Big Five.

Marcus: All of you can check off the bucket list, going to safari and see the big 5! So fascinated by hyenas being truly the king of the jungle. It's interesting to learn that hyenas have a better success rate in hunting. Wonder if I would like the pap? You know I love grits! Glad that the guards were in good mood to celebrate Precious's birthday! Happy belated birthday Precoius! It's going to be a birthday to remember for a long time!

Marcus: TK, since you tend to get up early in AM was it different getting up in morning on another side of the world?