Our first day at Sabi Sabi was truly an adventure of a lifetime. Seeing the lion and her cubs was worth the trip. Getting stuck in the dry river bed added an element of adrenalin pumping excitement that we hadn't counted on. It was getting dark, and even though they made safari's into the bush after dark we hadn't had our evening meal yet.

Sundowner with our guide

On the way back to camp we stopped at a bridge that crossed a small dry stream for a "Sundowner", which is the South African's slang name for an evening cocktail. The Afrikaans word for cocktail is skimmerkelkie, one of my favorite Afrikaans words. As luck would have it, the guide had a cooler with drinks in it in the vehicle and we all got out of the vehicle onto the bridge for a cocktail. One would think that the bridge would have afforded us some protection, as any animal who might consider us for dinner would only be able to come at us from either end of the bridge. Or so I thought. 

However, Peggy had read recently that a ranger had been attacked at Sabi Sabi from behind while sitting on just such a bridge railing. The leopard broke his neck and killed him instantly. I was glad I didn't know about that incident at the time. This kind of happenstance makes one realize that we are only at the top of the food chain by virtue of our brain power and our guns. The guide kept his rifle nearby just in case. Leopards, of course, hunt at night. Their eyes, like most predatory cats' eyes, are specially adapted for night vision. They aren't affected by lights like those of a vehicle or spot lights.  They can see far better than humans at night.

We returned to camp and were escorted to our cottages by a ranger to wash up for dinner. One never walks alone after dark. We had a wonderful dinner in the open air dining room, then retired to our quaint cottage by the light of oil lamps. We had an exciting afternoon and looked forward, with anticipation, to the next day's adventures.

(read more in "Day Two" published 09/12/2007)