We've all turned into a bunch of HalloWEENIES, that's what has happened! If only there were some sort of societal protector of well-being. A vigilante - or two - that may be able to maintain the chaos....
#ThrowBackThursday
Thursday, October 30, 2014
ThrowBack Thursday - HalloWEENIES!
As the children (and adult children for that matter) prep themselves for a night full of "fright," it dawned on me that between the newly enforced Trick-or-Treating restrictions and rise in nut allergies, Halloween's survival rate must be plummeting. Right?!
What happened to the days when Halloween activities took place on actual Halloween night, regardless of the day of week? When siblings across America came home to re-group on their living room floors, separating their massive amounts of sugar into categories like only an obsessive compulsive older sibling can advise their younger one to do?
We've all turned into a bunch of HalloWEENIES, that's what has happened! If only there were some sort of societal protector of well-being. A vigilante - or two - that may be able to maintain the chaos....
#ThrowBackThursday
We've all turned into a bunch of HalloWEENIES, that's what has happened! If only there were some sort of societal protector of well-being. A vigilante - or two - that may be able to maintain the chaos....
#ThrowBackThursday
Friday, October 3, 2014
Friday Favorites
Claire & Jason - From the bottom of my heart, thank you. They are taking me in as their child for the next 3 months. Week 1 down, success!
New Digs - It's official, we are full time residents in Edwardsville now!
My Little Pukita - Cheers to Katie as she embarks on her new career journey! You will be greatly missed, but I'm sending nothing but well wishes for you!
Starbucks Gold Card - I registered a gift card and put the app on the phone, thinking it would be convenient for payment purposes. Next thing I know, they are keeping track of my drink intake and challenging me for more. The competitor in me cannot stop purchasing drinks daily until I get those 30 stars!
Birthday Wishes - Happy Birthdays are in order on the 2nd and 3rd for Trav and Randi respectively.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Throwback Thursday - Happy Fall Y'all!
It is officially October. That means the leaves are changing, football is commencing and lots of pumpkin spice flavored everything!
My brother sent me a picture last weekend of Elli and Graham playing in the leaves. It reminded me of the days when Andrew and I did the exact same thing. Raking the leaves into piles, taking off in a dead sprint only to face plant it right in the middle of all of them. Repeat process until bored...
I love pretty much everything about fall. The clothes are better. The shoes are better. The Bengals usually have a winning record for this portion of the season. And the weather is my favorite, lending itself quite nicely to the best types of foods - tailgate apps, soups, stews, ciders, etc. Comfort foods to the max!
There is really only one downside to fall... Winter is coming!
#ThrowBackThursday
My brother sent me a picture last weekend of Elli and Graham playing in the leaves. It reminded me of the days when Andrew and I did the exact same thing. Raking the leaves into piles, taking off in a dead sprint only to face plant it right in the middle of all of them. Repeat process until bored...
I love pretty much everything about fall. The clothes are better. The shoes are better. The Bengals usually have a winning record for this portion of the season. And the weather is my favorite, lending itself quite nicely to the best types of foods - tailgate apps, soups, stews, ciders, etc. Comfort foods to the max!
There is really only one downside to fall... Winter is coming!
#ThrowBackThursday
AFRICA - A Trip of A Lifetime
I totally get it. I am that incredibly annoying person who cannot stop talking about their vacation. I've only been back a total of 24 days, you guys... But who is counting?!
CAPE POINT TOUR/TRANSPORT TO FRANSCHHOEK
Wow. What beautiful coastal views we saw as we drove along the winding roads of the southern most tip of Africa. None of us had been so far south in the world before! This was a day filled with Game of Thrones style cliffs, panoramic ocean views and interesting wildlife.
SIMON'S TOWN
Above being said, I can assure you this is the final installment of my African journal. As I finished logging the remaining few days I was unable to do in real time, I remembered that we had kept track of our peaks and pits from each segment of our journey. While we physically shared in the same activities, our varying interests prevailed in terms of what stands out the most in each of our minds. I am so glad we decided to do this - it adds a personalized touch from 4 different perspectives.
CAPE TOWN
Cape Town ended up being the perfect way for us to begin the trip. A sort of "transition" into commencing all-things Africa. It is very much a westernized city, with a San Francisco type of vibe.
It is not surprising that we all ended up with very similar peaks and pits during the first leg of our travels, considering the similarities we share in daily life - adventurers, foodies, self proclaimed wine connoisseurs and lovers of great company. The accomplishment of hiking from the base to the very top of Table Mountain was something none of us had ever experienced as hikers. It was the most difficult climb any of us had ever done, and reaching the top was so rewarding.
The Old Biscuit Mill was also a fan favorite. We ended up having a number of meals at the wonderful restaurants in this particular area of the city, and it proved to be a lot like Wicker Park in Chicago. With a plethora of shops and restaurants in the surrounding spaces, we all felt right at home here!
- ALI
- Peak: Hiking Table Mountain
- Pit: Receiving word that our shark encounter had been cancelled
- BRANDON
- Peak: The Old Biscuit Mill
- Pit: The bus ride at Robben Island (surprisingly, not the boat road out there!)
- CLAIRE
- Peak: Hiking Table Mountain
- Pit: Receiving word that our shark encounter had been cancelled
- JASON
- Peak: Tie - The meal at The Test Kitchen and hiking Table Mountain
- Pit: Receiving word that our shark encounter had been cancelled
CAPE POINT TOUR/TRANSPORT TO FRANSCHHOEK
Wow. What beautiful coastal views we saw as we drove along the winding roads of the southern most tip of Africa. None of us had been so far south in the world before! This was a day filled with Game of Thrones style cliffs, panoramic ocean views and interesting wildlife.
There was nothing that even came close to being a pit on this day - with the luck we had with the weather and our great driver. We all relished in the good karma and hoped that it was going to follow us through in the days ahead.
- ALI
- Peak: Tie - seeing an ostrich in the wild and the many whale sightings
- BRANDON
- Peak:The weather
- CLAIRE
- Peak: Cape Point lookout
- JASON
- Peak: Cape Point lookout
FRANSCHHOEK
As if the scenery from the Cape Tour could not have gotten any better, Franschhoek went ahead and blew our minds! We arrived just as the sun was setting, shining beautifully off of the mountain ranges all around us. We knew this was going to be a great experience in such an amazing setting. Franschhoek is a small, quaint little town. It reminded me a lot of Sedona in a way - it somewhat shuts down after 9pm. A perfect set up for us to purchase wine and snuggle up in our amazing B&B penthouse apartment at night. We only had a short stay here, but we absolutely maximized our time - wineries, wineries, biking in the mountains and more wineries!
- ALI
- Peak: Tie - Maison Estate and Bike Tour
- Pit: The Tasting Room
- BRANDON
- Peak: Tie - Maison Estate and Bike Tour
- Pit: The Tasting Room
- CLAIRE
- Peak: Bike Tour
- Pit: Rain on the way to get coffee right before our Bike Tour
- JASON
- Peak: Maison Estate
- Pit: The Tasting Room aftermath
SIMON'S TOWN
The day of JAWS...or lack thereof! We had only a 1 day/night stay in Simon's Town, but it is just a small little bay town and likely did not warrant much more. The setting is gorgeous and our B&B was tucked away atop a mountain area, overlooking the bay. Truly the most relaxing way we could have ended the stresses of the shark encounter! We ordered food in, hung out around the fireplace and (of course) drank lots of wine!
- ALI
- Peak: Seeing a great white shark breach and swimming around the boat
- Pit: Not being able to get into the shark cage
- BRANDON
- Peak: Salty Sea Dog fish & chips
- Pit: The entire shark encounter (minus actually seeing the shark by the boat!)
- CLAIRE:
- Peak: Seeing a great white shark breach and swimming around the boat
- Pit: Walking up Ranciman Street, trying to get to the B&B (Trail of Tears!)
- JASON
- Peak: Seeing a great white shark breach and swimming around the boat
- Pit: Boat ride out to Seal Island
SAFARI
There is no such thing as a peak and pit on this portion of the trip. For 7 days and 6 nights, we called this haven of paradise home. I truly believe the 4 of us will forever be changed because of our experiences here.
Safari forces you to reset in a way, getting back to the basics. Before we had iPads or cell phones. Before we had the Internet or any of the other newly insane ways to stay constantly connected. Before that, there was life and the utmost of appreciation for it.
Safari makes you value the things you love the most. As cliche as it is, we saw first hand the circle of life. We now know what it means to truly be a survivor. The entire experience is quite humbling. To feel so insignificant is important, or at least it was for me. There is always something bigger than yourself, and the world is more than capable of functioning without you. I needed to be reminded of that...
I so often let work take precedence over not only my family and friends, but also myself. I shouldn't. I should live in the now. Jason harped on me a number of times throughout the trip when he noticed me dicking around on my phone. Sometimes reading work emails, though I made a very conscious effort not to respond to anything, and sometimes on Instagram. In my defense, Instagram was always used to document our experiences! But the point is clear - I need to be more present in my own life. I need to enjoy the incredible people in my world. I need to make the time for myself and those I love. While I am thankful for my career, I am slowly gaining a better perspective on what it means to be balanced. Sure, money can buy a smile, and afford us such opportunities to travel the world, but earning it should never be at the expense of your own sanity and personal well-being.
To spend the time in the African bush that we did allows for so many things, but for me - a total state of clarity. To look up at the stars and know this is a sky I had never seen before left me speechless. To take in the breathtaking colors of an African sunset filled me with warmth. And to find myself in the face of so many beautiful animals was (sometimes) terrifying, but mostly peaceful.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel quite a bit, always thoroughly enjoying myself and definitely saddened when I have to leave. But leaving the game reserve in South Africa? That nearly brought me to tears... This is very much my happy place - a personal paradise. I could have stayed on safari forever, staring at the exact same scenery day in and day out. Knowing each day is somehow very different than the last.
I will forever dream of going on just one more game drive - even with the 5:30am wake up call!
There is no such thing as a peak and pit on this portion of the trip. For 7 days and 6 nights, we called this haven of paradise home. I truly believe the 4 of us will forever be changed because of our experiences here.
Safari forces you to reset in a way, getting back to the basics. Before we had iPads or cell phones. Before we had the Internet or any of the other newly insane ways to stay constantly connected. Before that, there was life and the utmost of appreciation for it.
Safari makes you value the things you love the most. As cliche as it is, we saw first hand the circle of life. We now know what it means to truly be a survivor. The entire experience is quite humbling. To feel so insignificant is important, or at least it was for me. There is always something bigger than yourself, and the world is more than capable of functioning without you. I needed to be reminded of that...
I so often let work take precedence over not only my family and friends, but also myself. I shouldn't. I should live in the now. Jason harped on me a number of times throughout the trip when he noticed me dicking around on my phone. Sometimes reading work emails, though I made a very conscious effort not to respond to anything, and sometimes on Instagram. In my defense, Instagram was always used to document our experiences! But the point is clear - I need to be more present in my own life. I need to enjoy the incredible people in my world. I need to make the time for myself and those I love. While I am thankful for my career, I am slowly gaining a better perspective on what it means to be balanced. Sure, money can buy a smile, and afford us such opportunities to travel the world, but earning it should never be at the expense of your own sanity and personal well-being.
To spend the time in the African bush that we did allows for so many things, but for me - a total state of clarity. To look up at the stars and know this is a sky I had never seen before left me speechless. To take in the breathtaking colors of an African sunset filled me with warmth. And to find myself in the face of so many beautiful animals was (sometimes) terrifying, but mostly peaceful.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel quite a bit, always thoroughly enjoying myself and definitely saddened when I have to leave. But leaving the game reserve in South Africa? That nearly brought me to tears... This is very much my happy place - a personal paradise. I could have stayed on safari forever, staring at the exact same scenery day in and day out. Knowing each day is somehow very different than the last.
I will forever dream of going on just one more game drive - even with the 5:30am wake up call!
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Throwback Thursday - Made In The 80's
There is not much to dislike about growing up in the late 80's and early 90's. Neon wind suits, New Kids On The Block, slap bracelets, stirrup pants, trapper keepers, caboodles, pogs, Lisa Frank... The list goes on.
Being the innovator that I am, I have to assume I chose to combine a number of these iconic 80's and 90's staples on more than one occasion.
For example: stirrup pants paired with a neon wind suit jacket, while wearing a NKOTB slap bracelet and carrying a trapper keeper filled with Lisa Frank folders at school... MIND. BLOWN.
The late 80's and early 90's were pretty incredible by way of trends - some even making a comeback now (I'm talking to you, neon accent pieces and flannel shirts!). With such fashion forward thinking, along with necessary sass for days, I apparently felt that modeling was a realistic career choice as is evident by this week's Throwback.
Thank God I was made in the 80's, am I right?! Without my beautiful mind thriving during these specific decades, the world would have been deprived of such genius....
#ThrowBackThursday
Being the innovator that I am, I have to assume I chose to combine a number of these iconic 80's and 90's staples on more than one occasion.
For example: stirrup pants paired with a neon wind suit jacket, while wearing a NKOTB slap bracelet and carrying a trapper keeper filled with Lisa Frank folders at school... MIND. BLOWN.
The late 80's and early 90's were pretty incredible by way of trends - some even making a comeback now (I'm talking to you, neon accent pieces and flannel shirts!). With such fashion forward thinking, along with necessary sass for days, I apparently felt that modeling was a realistic career choice as is evident by this week's Throwback.
Thank God I was made in the 80's, am I right?! Without my beautiful mind thriving during these specific decades, the world would have been deprived of such genius....
#ThrowBackThursday
Travel Tales - Day 17
Day 17 - The final hurrah. With heavy hearts, we all stayed out a little later last night knowing the end was very much just hours away. While we didn't want to go to sleep, because that makes it real, we eventually did make our way back to our rooms to get some rest before the very last drive this morning.
To have spent 6 full days in this place has been surreal - a total dream come true for me. I really think I could spend 60 more and never get bored. I went into this thinking it is a once and a lifetime experience, something you only do once. I could not have been more inaccurate. If life will allow (and my husband will agree), I will without question find my way back to this paradise.
The mood was quite somber as we piled onto the game vehicle. I found myself looking at things a little bit closer on this last run. Taking deeper breaths of the cool, crisp air. Closing my eyes and letting my face bask one last time in the African sun. It was truly the perfect end to our journey - not a cloud in the sky as we watched the sunrise over Sabi Sands. That alone is a sight worth seeing - African sunrises and sunsets put all others to shame. Filled with vibrant orange and red hues, they are unlike any sunrise or sunset I have ever seen...
We were given our final game plan - find the elusive cheetah one last time. She had been taunting us yesterday, we knew we were so close and no new tracks had been found overnight. This meant she would still be in the same area of the reserve, so we knew exactly where we had to look. We also knew time would not be on our side this time, with the older couple who were not as keen on the whole tracking process as we were, so we tried to give it a go early in the drive.
We did come up empty handed, but it made our original sighting that much more meaningful. We think of these creatures with the most beautiful, precise markings. How could they be so difficult to find with such an elaborate pattern?! But their camouflage is unbelievable. I would argue that it rivals that of the lioness, which is nearly impossible to see! Combine this with their impressive speed, and the fact that they are solitary animals, it is impressive that we even found one at all!
Along the way we did get a glimpse of various other animals, which kept the older couple at bay, and we ended our safari with one final amazing sighting - the lioness and her two youngsters that we had seen just a few days ago. This time they were lounging in the bush, not on the move at all. We got to see the youngsters interact with their mother, who is clearly still protecting them from the coalition of males as long as she possibly can. A very good send off indeed!
Overall snapshot of our final drive:
Animal Sightings: Giraffe, Lioness and 2 youngsters, Elephants, Wildebeests, Warthogs, Birds (African Eagles, Egyptian Geese, Black Chested Bustards), Steenbok, Impala, Kudu.
Interesting Interactions:
1. The quantity of Impala, Kudu and other antelopes across the reserve seemed to be quite scarce this morning. A possible result of the 4 male lions and pride of lioness with her youngsters who had been hunting the night before.
2. The sighting of the Egyptian Geese came during our coffee break - the geese wanted to land in a nearby watering hole and felt that we were too close! They circled multiple times, calling out in warning before feeling comfortable enough to come into our area.
I think it is safe to say that our entire South African adventure will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Now about the travel back to the States though.... Unsubscribe!
To have spent 6 full days in this place has been surreal - a total dream come true for me. I really think I could spend 60 more and never get bored. I went into this thinking it is a once and a lifetime experience, something you only do once. I could not have been more inaccurate. If life will allow (and my husband will agree), I will without question find my way back to this paradise.
The mood was quite somber as we piled onto the game vehicle. I found myself looking at things a little bit closer on this last run. Taking deeper breaths of the cool, crisp air. Closing my eyes and letting my face bask one last time in the African sun. It was truly the perfect end to our journey - not a cloud in the sky as we watched the sunrise over Sabi Sands. That alone is a sight worth seeing - African sunrises and sunsets put all others to shame. Filled with vibrant orange and red hues, they are unlike any sunrise or sunset I have ever seen...
We were given our final game plan - find the elusive cheetah one last time. She had been taunting us yesterday, we knew we were so close and no new tracks had been found overnight. This meant she would still be in the same area of the reserve, so we knew exactly where we had to look. We also knew time would not be on our side this time, with the older couple who were not as keen on the whole tracking process as we were, so we tried to give it a go early in the drive.
We did come up empty handed, but it made our original sighting that much more meaningful. We think of these creatures with the most beautiful, precise markings. How could they be so difficult to find with such an elaborate pattern?! But their camouflage is unbelievable. I would argue that it rivals that of the lioness, which is nearly impossible to see! Combine this with their impressive speed, and the fact that they are solitary animals, it is impressive that we even found one at all!
Along the way we did get a glimpse of various other animals, which kept the older couple at bay, and we ended our safari with one final amazing sighting - the lioness and her two youngsters that we had seen just a few days ago. This time they were lounging in the bush, not on the move at all. We got to see the youngsters interact with their mother, who is clearly still protecting them from the coalition of males as long as she possibly can. A very good send off indeed!
Overall snapshot of our final drive:
Animal Sightings: Giraffe, Lioness and 2 youngsters, Elephants, Wildebeests, Warthogs, Birds (African Eagles, Egyptian Geese, Black Chested Bustards), Steenbok, Impala, Kudu.
Interesting Interactions:
1. The quantity of Impala, Kudu and other antelopes across the reserve seemed to be quite scarce this morning. A possible result of the 4 male lions and pride of lioness with her youngsters who had been hunting the night before.
2. The sighting of the Egyptian Geese came during our coffee break - the geese wanted to land in a nearby watering hole and felt that we were too close! They circled multiple times, calling out in warning before feeling comfortable enough to come into our area.
I think it is safe to say that our entire South African adventure will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Now about the travel back to the States though.... Unsubscribe!
Travel Tales - Day 16
Day 16 - Our last full day. I feel like it slowly started to set in that we were ultimately going to be leaving this little piece of paradise very soon. We were getting ready to make our way out to the vehicle when Claire called to inform us that we were going to need to be escorted through camp - this on account of the male leopard who just walked by their window. Pretty intense start to the day!
This was the same male leopard who was mating with the female earlier in the week. Because we knew he was nearby, and likely hunting, we made him our first priority for the day. We quickly found him walking along the river, and followed him for awhile to see if he was up to anything interesting. While our hopes of seeing a live kill never came to fruition, it was still enjoyable to observe the same leopard we had been seeing previously in a much different environment. We watched him drink from the river, lay down and roll around like a house cat - again, so easy to forget how dangerous these animals can be when you see them in their own element like this. And their fur....simply stunning. So bright and detailed, they are truly one of the most beautiful animals we have ever seen. For me, a close second behind my cheetah friend, of course!
Speaking of, tracks from a female cheetah were spotted this morning! We have had such an incredible journey up until this point, having the opportunity to see everything we could have hoped for and more, so at this point Mac was interested in the hunt - and we were more than happy to oblige...
We searched high and low, near and far. At some points, Mac and Prince leaving the vehicle to walk deep into thicket, just as they had done when we were searching for the mama leopard and her cubs. The 4 of us kept watch from the vehicle - mostly silent, focused on the task at hand. We had become quite the little rangers in training, if I do say so myself!
After awhile, I grabbed Mac's binoculars and kept scanning our surroundings. I think on some level I may have been searching for Mac and Prince as well - they had been gone for quite some time! After seeing the cheetah in plain sight previously, and knowing how camouflaged he was just sitting on a rock for all to see, I was not too hopeful that I would be the one to spot our female - even with the help of the binoculars!
This particular hunt went on for quite awhile, but we were ultimately not rewarded with the sight of our female cheetah. Such a bummer, but we did see some warthogs, elephants and various antelopes along the way. Even with the slight let down, I do still feel like the hunt itself can be as fun as the sightings - especially when everyone is working together, knowing just how difficult it truly is to track and find these animals as we have seen first hand.
We were en route back to camp, when we noticed Mac was starting to slow down. As he pulled off to the side of the road, we saw that off to our left was a pop up "breakfast in the bush" set up - complete with propane tank and grill. As Mac and Prince like to tell us, the "Bush Ferries" must have been hard at work this morning. Because we were so committed to the cheetah hunt, we were unable to make our usual pit stop for coffee. This more than made up for it - especially since it was just the 4 of us again. We are so lucky to have fallen into these private drive situations!
Mac and Prince quickly whipped us up some scrambled eggs and taught us how to make the most intense breakfast sandwich you have ever seen. Claire and I were literally squatting on the ground as to not get it all over our faces and clothing. It was definitely another perfect one-on-one type of experience with Mac and Prince before the new couple joins us on the afternoon drive.
Once we were all finished up, we headed back to camp. Prince offered to take Claire and I to the gift shop at our old lodge that afternoon prior to the next drive. So after lunch, we got all ready to go spend some money!
It has been so difficult to travel around the country with gifts for our loved ones, given the luggage restrictions we have had to comply with. We have definitely done our best to collect some items here and there, but any of the larger pieces we have had to plan ahead for, saving them for the end of the entire trip. We had previously seen some cute jewelry and little trinkets for all of our nieces and nephews and godchildren in the gift shop however, so that was our main focus for today's shopping spree.
As we were shopping around, we heard Prince outside. We came to see what he was doing and there was a spitting cobra! We did not get to see it raised up, ready to spit at Prince, but he said it had just gone back to the ground and was scurrying off. Neither Claire nor myself are fans of snakes, so we were glad to have only caught the tail end of that encounter - quite literally!
We made our way back to camp with enough time for afternoon tea and dessert, naturally timing it perfect. We also met our new vehicle-mates, a couple from Australia once again! We were hopeful they would be better sports about all-things safari than our other Australian friends, and so far they were proving to be pretty low maintenance. Shortly after introductions, we set off for our very last afternoon drive.
Mac had gotten wind of a male and female lion sighting, so we were all in agreement that this is a must see! We were even more impressed when we arrived to the location and there were 4 total male lions with one lioness. These were the members of the new male coalition that had taken over the pride, all together!
The largest of the males was laying next to the female, while two other males were laying nearby. There was another male who was relatively far away from the others, almost as if he were and outcast. We actually didn't even see the 4th of the males until we were making our way out of the area to allow other vehicles in - no one had spotted him yet as he was so far from the others!
Prior to sighting the last of the males, we got to witness yet another mating session! It was so much different than with the leopards. The male leopard was aggressive with the female, biting her neck and holding her down. The lions were much more intimate in a way, laying together after the fact and what not. Because this was a hot commodity sighting, we decided we would allow others to take a look while the sun was still up, and agreed that we would come back towards the end of the night.
As we were driving out of the bush, we noticed the lone male. No one had seen him yet, so we made our way towards him. As we got closer, we realized his face had some fresh wounds, evidence of a recent quarrel - perhaps with the dominant male! This could also have been reason for his distance - poor guy...
As we had previously agreed to spend time with the lions after sunset, we did not spend too much time with the loner - only enough to frighten our new female Australian friend that is. When the lion started walking close to our vehicle, she made it VERY clear that she was uncomfortable. Live a little, lady, you are on safari! Nonetheless, we left shortly thereafter and made our way to a large crash of rhinos instead.
Overall, the drive was not filled with a ton of sightings, but rather a couple of good ones. We did also get to enjoy one last cocktail hour where Mac and Prince encouraged us to have a photo shoot with the game vehicle. We took turns sitting in Prince's tracker seat and playing with the radio, rifle and what not. We forced our new friends to take photos of the 4 of us with Mac and Prince while we were at it as well. Success!
After cocktail hour wrapped, the sun had more or less set and we quickly made our way back to the lions. The male, female and two other males were all sleeping, nothing too exciting. But our loner friend was still on the outskirts of their area and was now on the move. We followed him for a short time, when what we had been hoping for since our very first male lion sighting finally happened. We were literally in the face of a lion roaring! Not too shabby for our last afternoon drive, am I right?!
On the way home, we learned that our last dinner would be another African braai. A perfect way to conclude our final night on safari. Because we were well versed in what the braai entails, we were so looking forward to participating in the dancing portion of the evening. Especially since we had gotten to know the staff so much better from that first night's braai. I think we all sang a little louder, danced a little harder and definitely appreciated the experience even more this second time around.
What an incredible group of people we were fortunate enough to meet. From the butlers, the chef, the security guards and, of course, our guides and trackers, I could not imagine this journey without each and every one of them. They are all such unique individuals in each and every way, and have left everlasting impressions on all of us. I am so grateful to have spent the last 6 days with such wonderful humans.
As if the night were not successful enough, we had a nocturnal visit from a large spotted Genet who found its way onto our deck in search of some food! I would say there is a definite toss up as to the most impressive portion of the braai - Brandon's dance moves (the staff had quite the affinity for them!), or the fact that this tiny wild animal came out of nowhere to join us. Either way, a memorable way to spend our last night at the lodge!
Animal Sightings: Male Leopard, Warthogs, Giraffes, Elephants, Zebra, African Inter-migrating Eagles, Wildebeests, Impala, Kudu, Inyala, Bushbok, Dika, Male Lions, Female Lioness, Crash of Rhinos, Buffalo, Spitting Cobra, Large Spotted Genet.
This was the same male leopard who was mating with the female earlier in the week. Because we knew he was nearby, and likely hunting, we made him our first priority for the day. We quickly found him walking along the river, and followed him for awhile to see if he was up to anything interesting. While our hopes of seeing a live kill never came to fruition, it was still enjoyable to observe the same leopard we had been seeing previously in a much different environment. We watched him drink from the river, lay down and roll around like a house cat - again, so easy to forget how dangerous these animals can be when you see them in their own element like this. And their fur....simply stunning. So bright and detailed, they are truly one of the most beautiful animals we have ever seen. For me, a close second behind my cheetah friend, of course!
Speaking of, tracks from a female cheetah were spotted this morning! We have had such an incredible journey up until this point, having the opportunity to see everything we could have hoped for and more, so at this point Mac was interested in the hunt - and we were more than happy to oblige...
We searched high and low, near and far. At some points, Mac and Prince leaving the vehicle to walk deep into thicket, just as they had done when we were searching for the mama leopard and her cubs. The 4 of us kept watch from the vehicle - mostly silent, focused on the task at hand. We had become quite the little rangers in training, if I do say so myself!
After awhile, I grabbed Mac's binoculars and kept scanning our surroundings. I think on some level I may have been searching for Mac and Prince as well - they had been gone for quite some time! After seeing the cheetah in plain sight previously, and knowing how camouflaged he was just sitting on a rock for all to see, I was not too hopeful that I would be the one to spot our female - even with the help of the binoculars!
This particular hunt went on for quite awhile, but we were ultimately not rewarded with the sight of our female cheetah. Such a bummer, but we did see some warthogs, elephants and various antelopes along the way. Even with the slight let down, I do still feel like the hunt itself can be as fun as the sightings - especially when everyone is working together, knowing just how difficult it truly is to track and find these animals as we have seen first hand.
We were en route back to camp, when we noticed Mac was starting to slow down. As he pulled off to the side of the road, we saw that off to our left was a pop up "breakfast in the bush" set up - complete with propane tank and grill. As Mac and Prince like to tell us, the "Bush Ferries" must have been hard at work this morning. Because we were so committed to the cheetah hunt, we were unable to make our usual pit stop for coffee. This more than made up for it - especially since it was just the 4 of us again. We are so lucky to have fallen into these private drive situations!
Mac and Prince quickly whipped us up some scrambled eggs and taught us how to make the most intense breakfast sandwich you have ever seen. Claire and I were literally squatting on the ground as to not get it all over our faces and clothing. It was definitely another perfect one-on-one type of experience with Mac and Prince before the new couple joins us on the afternoon drive.
Once we were all finished up, we headed back to camp. Prince offered to take Claire and I to the gift shop at our old lodge that afternoon prior to the next drive. So after lunch, we got all ready to go spend some money!
It has been so difficult to travel around the country with gifts for our loved ones, given the luggage restrictions we have had to comply with. We have definitely done our best to collect some items here and there, but any of the larger pieces we have had to plan ahead for, saving them for the end of the entire trip. We had previously seen some cute jewelry and little trinkets for all of our nieces and nephews and godchildren in the gift shop however, so that was our main focus for today's shopping spree.
As we were shopping around, we heard Prince outside. We came to see what he was doing and there was a spitting cobra! We did not get to see it raised up, ready to spit at Prince, but he said it had just gone back to the ground and was scurrying off. Neither Claire nor myself are fans of snakes, so we were glad to have only caught the tail end of that encounter - quite literally!
We made our way back to camp with enough time for afternoon tea and dessert, naturally timing it perfect. We also met our new vehicle-mates, a couple from Australia once again! We were hopeful they would be better sports about all-things safari than our other Australian friends, and so far they were proving to be pretty low maintenance. Shortly after introductions, we set off for our very last afternoon drive.
Mac had gotten wind of a male and female lion sighting, so we were all in agreement that this is a must see! We were even more impressed when we arrived to the location and there were 4 total male lions with one lioness. These were the members of the new male coalition that had taken over the pride, all together!
The largest of the males was laying next to the female, while two other males were laying nearby. There was another male who was relatively far away from the others, almost as if he were and outcast. We actually didn't even see the 4th of the males until we were making our way out of the area to allow other vehicles in - no one had spotted him yet as he was so far from the others!
Prior to sighting the last of the males, we got to witness yet another mating session! It was so much different than with the leopards. The male leopard was aggressive with the female, biting her neck and holding her down. The lions were much more intimate in a way, laying together after the fact and what not. Because this was a hot commodity sighting, we decided we would allow others to take a look while the sun was still up, and agreed that we would come back towards the end of the night.
As we were driving out of the bush, we noticed the lone male. No one had seen him yet, so we made our way towards him. As we got closer, we realized his face had some fresh wounds, evidence of a recent quarrel - perhaps with the dominant male! This could also have been reason for his distance - poor guy...
As we had previously agreed to spend time with the lions after sunset, we did not spend too much time with the loner - only enough to frighten our new female Australian friend that is. When the lion started walking close to our vehicle, she made it VERY clear that she was uncomfortable. Live a little, lady, you are on safari! Nonetheless, we left shortly thereafter and made our way to a large crash of rhinos instead.
Overall, the drive was not filled with a ton of sightings, but rather a couple of good ones. We did also get to enjoy one last cocktail hour where Mac and Prince encouraged us to have a photo shoot with the game vehicle. We took turns sitting in Prince's tracker seat and playing with the radio, rifle and what not. We forced our new friends to take photos of the 4 of us with Mac and Prince while we were at it as well. Success!
After cocktail hour wrapped, the sun had more or less set and we quickly made our way back to the lions. The male, female and two other males were all sleeping, nothing too exciting. But our loner friend was still on the outskirts of their area and was now on the move. We followed him for a short time, when what we had been hoping for since our very first male lion sighting finally happened. We were literally in the face of a lion roaring! Not too shabby for our last afternoon drive, am I right?!
On the way home, we learned that our last dinner would be another African braai. A perfect way to conclude our final night on safari. Because we were well versed in what the braai entails, we were so looking forward to participating in the dancing portion of the evening. Especially since we had gotten to know the staff so much better from that first night's braai. I think we all sang a little louder, danced a little harder and definitely appreciated the experience even more this second time around.
What an incredible group of people we were fortunate enough to meet. From the butlers, the chef, the security guards and, of course, our guides and trackers, I could not imagine this journey without each and every one of them. They are all such unique individuals in each and every way, and have left everlasting impressions on all of us. I am so grateful to have spent the last 6 days with such wonderful humans.
As if the night were not successful enough, we had a nocturnal visit from a large spotted Genet who found its way onto our deck in search of some food! I would say there is a definite toss up as to the most impressive portion of the braai - Brandon's dance moves (the staff had quite the affinity for them!), or the fact that this tiny wild animal came out of nowhere to join us. Either way, a memorable way to spend our last night at the lodge!
Animal Sightings: Male Leopard, Warthogs, Giraffes, Elephants, Zebra, African Inter-migrating Eagles, Wildebeests, Impala, Kudu, Inyala, Bushbok, Dika, Male Lions, Female Lioness, Crash of Rhinos, Buffalo, Spitting Cobra, Large Spotted Genet.
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