Monday 19 September 2011

Rippons Safari day 2 – Termites, slippers and little sleep


Our summer vacation
Safari day 1

The second day once again dawned nice and early.  An enthusiastic Mrs B leapt from her bed to greet a brand new day – or, to be honest, the Mrs B equivalent: her eyelids fluttered slightly and a feint whisper broke the silence, like the death rattle of an elderly relative uttering their final words.

 ….."Tea"….. 

A quick boil of the kettle, a leisurely dunk of a bag and a splash of milk and Mrs B’s liquid  defibrillator soon got to work and by the second mouthful most of her vital systems were coming back-on-line..

Bleary red eyes glared at me across the room – "who’s suggestion was this?".....…she uttered

Me – "I would say it was a joint decision"

Mrs B - "zzzz"

This was a vital moment, if Mrs B slipped back into her comatose state now it might well be lunch time before signs of life returned – Mars missions would have more chance of proof of life than a second or even third phase sleeping Mrs B…

As it was a little prodding and the mention of all the fabulous animals awaiting our viewing pleasure and Mrs B was heading for stage 2 recovery….

Mrs B - “I’m a sleepaholic and it had been 15 minutes since my last meaningful nap….”

We reached the truck to find Stephen and Jan (a couple who had got in after the first evening game drive) sitting in the middle seats and Rachel and Peter the Irish honeymoon couple at the back – The coveted front row seats had been left for us – The Beast seems to earn me a privileged place, as if I’m a professional photographer as opposed to a strictly amateur snapper with his own considerable weight in camera equipment …  We protested: but not too loudly.

We set off on our 40 minute drive, to the main part of the reserve, in almost total darkness only for a loud  shout from the back –

Peter – “I think I saw something – it might have been a cheetah”

I was thinking – Honeymoon, Irish groom, reasonably priced alcohol in the Rippon’s bar – he was still hung-over from last night…

Frances slammed on the brakes and we juddered to a holt – he selected reverse and we were soon careering backwards at high speed up a fairly steep dusty track…

Peter – "keep going!  It was much further back"

I was still thinking “That must have been some session – it will be leprechauns later” (It’s OK, my Mum’s Irish so I’m officially allowed to make comments like that) 

Peter – "Just a bit further, there over by that fence…"

Sure enough it was a Cheetah – and a living breathing one at that

I silently took back what I had been thinking and can honestly say I was impressed that Peter, from the back seat of the vehicle, being bounced around in almost total darkness had spotted this wonderful creature – Now, being picky, I feel Peter could have waited until it was a bit lighter before spotting a member of the Big Five (not the official version of the Big Five African wild animals but my unofficial, totally illegal and made up on no sound basis whatsoever, other than I want them in my big five version of African wild animals I most want to photograph)

I have a problem with the official big five – not all of them mind – but certainly one of them.

There was some discussion on what made the big five the big five and the initial answer from Ranger Frances was that it is the most dangerous animals.  OK, so….

Lion – tick no problems with that, king of the beast and all that , he has earned his place
Leopard –  beautiful creatures and as we all know it’s the beautiful ones that get you every time - Tick
Rhino –    With those huge horns you always feel they could do a bit of damage – a bristly tick
Elephant – Despite their reputation for being docile – I know they can turn nasty – Large tick

It’s the fifth one that I have the real problem with

Buffalo -  I can’t have what is basically a cow with overgrown horns and a coat that almost any English football manager in the 1970’s would crave, in My Big Five.   I have standards - they might be low - but I do have them….it’s not like I have anything against buffalo, I’m sure when push comes to shove they are a very wild and dangerous creature,  It’s just that, like I said, I can’t face having a cow in my top five. A big fat cross….

“Francis”, I piped up, “If it’s the 5 most dangerous animals, why is there no place for the Hippo?”
I read somewhere that they were one of the most dangerous animals in Africa and responsible for more deaths than most of the other dangerous animals put together…

Francis refined the reasoning behind the list and said it was the five most dangerous animals for man to hunt – and as hippos mainly stayed in the water, drowning anything in sight, they tended not to be hunted by man, because it was such a bugger to drag them out of the water…

As it happens we saw 2 ½ out of the Big 5 – Lion, Elephant and white Rhino (but not the black Rhino – thus the half)

I have selected a Big Five on the animals I most wanted to see

Lions
Leopards
Cheetah’s
Rhino (both black and white – ½ each)
Hippo

I have discounted Elephants and Giraffes on a technicality – they are almost impossible not to see…. The same goes for Blue Whale but based more on that they are so big you probably won’t recognise them scampering across the African savannah…

So what would your Big Five be….?  By the way you are free to select buffalo.  It is after all your choice,  just don’t expect me to respect you in the morning…

It turns out that Peter’s cheetah spot was very fortuitous as that was the last we saw of them….

Other highlights of the second day
Mrs B vs the termite mound.  Mrs B had mentioned to Frances that she was fascinated by termites.  Their high rise (although not to a giraffe) mounds can be seen littering the plains.  Francis explained that the queen can be found 5 metres underground (in a strange symmetry with those giraffes, whose heads can often be found 5 metres above the ground) – to keep her safe from aardvarks and other hive raiders such as Francis, who stopped the truck and did his best aardvark impression breaking into the side of a mound* to demonstrate the interior and bringing a whole heap of activity to the surface….soldiers to defend and workers to repair, I’m pretty sure there were some bureaucrats in there as well, sitting around with tiny little clipboards doing nothing except drink tea and fill in endless time and motion studies…

* I told him his name would be mud with the termite community

The similarities between termite life and a bee colony were startling, with the different roles for each Bee/Ant being decided by what they are fed – so creating workers, soldiers and the queen itself…Even down to the honeycomb interior design

Never underestimate the importance of having the right footwear on safari
During the afternoon game drive I noticed that Rachel (half of the Irish honeymoon couple) had not got out of the truck to visit Mrs B’s termite demolition site. Since  Jan had not got out either I assumed it was a fear of termites ….It was only when we stopped at sunset for drinks – which was enough to lure Rachel out of the truck, that I noticed Rachel’s footwear…. Pink fluffy slippers, surely the way forward for any self respecting Safari adventurer…

When I enquired Rachel informed me that it was better than the socks and flip flops she had worn on the previous two drives – Despite all of our assumptions about South Africa being permanently hot, dawn and dusk were pretty cold, especially when you are travelling at some speed in an open truck….

"What?"

Further enquiries revealed that Rachael was not some kind of Safari footwear nutter but had been forced down the route of “necessity is the mother of invention” when she had lost one of her bags which happened to have her shoes in, except the flip flops on her feet and the special edition pink fluffy Safari slippers which were in another bag….
Animals seen and our companions on day 2:
Francis - Ranger
Steve and Jan
Peter and Rachel

Morning Drive
Cheetah
Elephant
Giraffe
White rhinoceros
Warthog
Black wildebeest
Springbok
Impala
Eland

At Rippons Lodge
Various birds

Evening Drive
Francis
Steve and Jan
Peter and Rachel
We were joined halfway through by a second Honeymoon couple Andy and Rachel No. 2

Lion
Elephant
White Rhinoceros
Burchell’s Zebra
Warthog
Giraffe
Springbok
Impala
Termites
  
I had planned to cover the second and third day’s drives this week but since day two has already taken up enough of your time and I know some of you have lives to lead,  I’ll leave you with day two photo finish and pick up day three next week….

Photo finish
All pictures this week courtasy of The Beast
Thank you to Carl Chapman from http://www.wildlifetoursandeducation.co.uk/ for providing the bird information

Morning drive - day 2

"Was that Usain Bolt I passed back there?
I thought he was supposed to be a sprinter..."
"What do you mean I'm not one of the big 5?"
Just for Static, a Vervet Monkey

Even though we didn't see any on the second
day, Static was horrified when I failed to
publish a picture last week.

If you click on the picture and then rapidly 
close and then open your PC screen 
you get a sort of pop up effect...  
Francis -
The mirror image of a perfect Ranger
Barry, was mortified when he managed to
stall his Rhino on the start line...
Remote control warthogs have
proved very popular this year.... 
Walter was not convinced that these dry
showers would prove very popular?
"I taught Gordon Brown how to smile...."
 Rippons Lodge - Day 2 

1 of 2
An Eastern Blackheaded Oriole

"Can you guess my favourite hobby?"

2 of 2
"It's flower arranging..."
A female Pin Tailed Whydah

On a wing and a prayer...
Evening drive - day 2
"Of course I wish I could afford the colour licence...."
The termites were devastated to discover that their
moundhold Insurance policy did not cover them
against acts of Francis…
Francis -
"Rachel, I think you should probably stay in the truck
bright pink is a very edible colour this year…..."
 
The Lions were always pleased to see
a fresh “meals on wheels” delivery....

A male Crowned Hornbill
No I'm not a big fan of Guinness, I'm more
your two pints of larger and a packet of
eyeballs kind of date....

Molly decided she was going to take legal action
against the makers of her anti aging cream, not
because they had exaggerated the anti wrinkle
properties but also because she found out  it
contained extracts of her Great Aunt Enid…

Ethel liked basking in the moonlight...


Not bad for a shot taken in almost
total darkness....

Tune in next week for day three....

28 comments:

  1. gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. The warthog looks just like The Farmer...

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  2. Cathryn said...
    gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. The warthog looks just like The Farmer...
    A little harsh on the poor warthog….

    Thanks for commenting it was getting mighty lonely down here….

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  3. Some good photos here Niel – I particularly like the Lion.

    As for the birds there’s a gift from Amazon in the post for you. In the meantime the flower arranger is an Eastern Blackheaded Oriole. The bird on the Rhino is probably a Glossy Starling. The jobbie in flight is a female Pin tailed Whydah and the Guinness ad is a Crowned Hornbill; a male no less.

    Looks like you had a great time.

    All the best

    Carl

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  4. Carl said...
    Some good photos here Niel – I particularly like the Lion.
    Yeah, it was not bad (even if I say so myself )considering it was almost dark and without flash…Well done The Beast….

    As for the birds there’s a gift from Amazon in the post for you. In the meantime the flower arranger is an Eastern Blackheaded Oriole. The bird on the Rhino is probably a Glossy Starling. The jobbie in flight is a female Pin tailed Whydah and the Guinness ad is a Crowned Hornbill; a male no less.
    It is just as well I don’t need to name them before I hit the capture button…

    Thank you for your determined attempts at edumacating me in all things bird, I’m afraid I might be a lost cause to ornithology….

    Although something did stick in that gaping empty cavern, between my ears, I think you will find that the bird controlling the Rhino is a “Lesser Blue-eared Glossy-starling” A.K.A “Lesser Blue-eared Starling” always glad to help with developing your bird knowledge…

    Thank you for filling in the gaps on our other feathered buddies


    Looks like you had a great time.
    We most certainly did, looking forward to whale watching next year

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  5. I did say probably!! ;0)

    I can understand you not wanting to get closer to that one!

    Carl

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  6. Carl said...
    I did say probably!! ;0)
    Don’t feel bad I only remembered the Blue and Starling part and had to Google the rest…

    I can understand you not wanting to get closer to that one!
    If only he would brush his teeth and stop giving us the bird….

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  7. Mrs. B cracks me up. She is good peeps. Francis looks badass. Awesome photos as usual. Love the oriole.
    But why you gotta go bursting my bubble over at my place with your talk of cabbage?

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  8. Dawn @Lighten Up! said...
    Mrs. B cracks me up. She is good peeps.
    She is a good egg, if not an early riser

    Francis looks badass.
    He was a really nice guy – he just had his work head on and looked a bit serious when he was out on a drive

    Awesome photos as usual. Love the oriole.
    I know what you mean, about the only edible American biscuit – great with an ice cold glass of milk…

    But why you gotta go bursting my bubble over at my place with your talk of cabbage?
    I was trying to save you from that Ukrainian Princess – who was probably actually a Pittsburgh steel working looking to empty your bank account – first it would be the air fare, then money for an operation for their grandmother…..

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  9. Ooh, I love the animals this time! Esp. the cheetah, the monkey & the rhino. Those warthogs are downright ugly, though.

    Beautiful birds, and beautiful pictures of them!!

    God forbid an animal were ever to try & chase after anyone. Rachel would certainly be the first person to get chased across out there by a cheetah in pink, fuzzy slippers for sure.

    I know, that looks as though I'm saying "a cheetah in pink, fuzzy slippers", which is even funnier. Though, there's nothing funny about a person being eaten.

    I'll shut up now. I think I'm starting to take a turn for the worst here.

    Seriously good stuff, though. How fun a safari would be! I'll have to think about my top 5.

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  10. Good photos. Are you sure you weren't in Mississippi? :)

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  11. LilPixi said...
    Ooh, I love the animals this time! Esp. the cheetah, the monkey & the rhino. Those warthogs are downright ugly, though.
    Just as well they are comic geniuses, otherwise they would never get laid….

    Beautiful birds, and beautiful pictures of them!!
    Yeah, way out of the warthogs league, even if the warthog had a humour level as high as Billy Connelly, Eddie Izzard and Eddie Murphy (when he was funny) mixed together.

    God forbid an animal were ever to try & chase after anyone. Rachel would certainly be the first person to get chased across out there by a cheetah in pink, fuzzy slippers for sure.
    To be fair there are a few people out there who could do with being chased if only for the exercise. To be honest I could do with losing a little weight myself…pass me the pink slippers and don’t forget to put a gum shield on those cats, those teeth look sharp....

    I know, that looks as though I'm saying "a cheetah in pink, fuzzy slippers", which is even funnier. Though, there's nothing funny about a person being eaten.
    It would be hilarious to see a cheetah in pink, fuzzy slippers running across the plains – Although if all the cheetahs and their victims were in pink fluffy slippers I suspect there would be a world shortage of them…

    I'll shut up now. I think I'm starting to take a turn for the worst here.
    Sorry I fear I’m a bad influence

    Seriously good stuff, though. How fun a safari would be! I'll have to think about my top 5.
    I can assure if you ever get the chance you should go on Safari….Looking forward to your top 5 and pleased that you are taking your time to think about it…

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  12. Audubon Ron said...
    Good photos. Are you sure you weren't in Mississippi? :)
    Are you looking for an alibi Ron?

    Do you get lions, giraffes, elephants and warthogs walking down the highways in Mississippi?

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  13. Mr Jack House said...
    nice blog, nice post
    Thank you Mr House – Not sure why but most of your comments seem to get trapped in my spam filter – and no that is not some sort of sexual deviant device

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  14. I'm with you about the buffalo. Cows don't belong anywhere but on my plate. I'm thinking, though, that leopards and cheetahs should only count once. They're pretty much the same things but with different upholstery. To make up the fifth, I'd go for gorilla.
    Or talking meercats. I saw one in a Disney movie.

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  15. Al Penwasser said...
    I'm with you about the buffalo. Cows don't belong anywhere but on my plate.
    Oh, so you are a voyeur…. personally I prefer them in my tummy – mixed with roast potatoes and horseradish sauce…

    I'm thinking, though, that leopards and cheetahs should only count once. They're pretty much the same things but with different upholstery.
    To be fair one has jacked up back legs and one hell of an engine, 3L super charged turbo… while the other looks good but only has a 1.1L

    To make up the fifth, I'd go for gorilla.
    Or talking meercats. I saw one in a Disney movie.

    I could only allow a talking meerkat if it was inside (no not sexually, as in eaten by) the gorilla…Hate them with a passion ever since a stupid insurance advert campaign in the UK….Compare the Meerkat….Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh

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  16. There's the little bastard. What a lovely creature the vervet monkey is. Looks a bit like a domesticated cat, doesn't it? Does he do tricks? Pee on your carpet? I think he's the one that stole my wallet when I was there. It could have been Francis, but I am pretty sure it was that monkey.

    Incidentally, I found a better way to get the pop-up effect by simply minimizing and then restoring the browser window from the task bar! 8D

    Gosh, when you told me you had a pic of a vervet monkey I didn't know what to do. Do I save the poor vervet monkey, OR do I let him become dog meat? Such a conundrum. I was going to ask if I could have a few days to think about it, but I do hope he's still alive...so I can swing him by his tail and toss him head first to the lions.

    I better go now. I think I hear PETA smashing at the door with a battering ram again.

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  17. I'm glad the cheetah wasn't just a figment of drunken imagination. And you're right, a furry cow doesn't belong on the Big 5 list. And your captions here with the photos were great. Not sure if you're familiar with Gary Larson, but these could have been live-action shots of his Far Side cartoons. Very funny stuff. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of the safari.

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  18. "I silently took back what I had been thinking and can honestly say I was impressed that Peter, from the back seat of the vehicle, being bounced around in almost total darkness had spotted this wonderful creatur"

    Why would you take it back? He probably was hungover to all hell, it's just that we Irish have the fantastic ability to operate despite these incapacitating hangovers. It takes years and years of practice, but eventually we can pass ourselves off as normal individuals.

    Fantastic shots by the way. The Beast probably weighs about half as much as the car, but it snaps some fantastic shots. Oh, and the photographer helps too......

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  19. Where did you go on Safari? I haven't been to Mauritius yet, but would love to go someday. Great photos!

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  20. Static said...
    There's the little bastard. What a lovely creature the vervet monkey is. Looks a bit like a domesticated cat, doesn't it? Does he do tricks? Pee on your carpet? I think he's the one that stole my wallet when I was there. It could have been Francis, but I am pretty sure it was that monkey.
    What sort of domesticated cats are you hanging out with? I don’t think Francis did any tricks or even peed on the carpet and didn’t seem like the type of person to steal wallets

    Incidentally, I found a better way to get the pop-up effect by simply minimizing and then restoring the browser window from the task bar! 8D
    Call me old fashioned but way to new fangled for my tastes, takes it too far away from the origins of the pop up book…

    Gosh, when you told me you had a pic of a vervet monkey I didn't know what to do. Do I save the poor vervet monkey, OR do I let him become dog meat? Such a conundrum. I was going to ask if I could have a few days to think about it, but I do hope he's still alive...so I can swing him by his tail and toss him head first to the lions.
    I’ll keep him fit and well and ready for you to sacrifice

    I better go now. I think I hear PETA smashing at the door with a battering ram again.
    Don’t worry, it’s that damn white rhino – that bird can’t drive for shit…..

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  21. A Beer for the Shower said...
    I'm glad the cheetah wasn't just a figment of drunken imagination. And you're right, a furry cow doesn't belong on the Big 5 list.
    I might have to start a media campaign to get the bovine removed from the big 5….

    And your captions here with the photos were great. Not sure if you're familiar with Gary Larson, but these could have been live-action shots of his Far Side cartoons. Very funny stuff. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of the safari.
    Big fan of the Larson so that is a huge compliment – thank you, I’ll try not to let my head expand too much ….Oh no the pressure for future comments….

    ReplyDelete
  22. JOutlaw said...
    "I silently took back what I had been thinking and can honestly say I was impressed that Peter, from the back seat of the vehicle, being bounced around in almost total darkness had spotted this wonderful creature"

    Why would you take it back? He probably was hungover to all hell, it's just that we Irish have the fantastic ability to operate despite these incapacitating hangovers. It takes years and years of practice, but eventually we can pass ourselves off as normal individuals.

    Being 50%* Irish and 50% Scottish and 100% English I am duty bound to apologise

    * My mother never made it to the normal stage and she’s been out of Ireland for over 50 years


    Fantastic shots by the way. The Beast probably weighs about half as much as the car, but it snaps some fantastic shots. Oh, and the photographer helps too...... Sadly I think The Beast and I weigh more than the car…Glad you liked the pictures.

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  23. my day in a sentence said...
    "Remote control warthogs"
    XD

    I’m glad at least someone appreciated that one….

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  24. Azra said...
    Where did you go on Safari?
    We were at the Shamwari game reserve near Port Elizabeth, South Africa – small but perfect for a first Safari

    I haven't been to Mauritius yet, but would love to go someday. Great photos!
    It was quite a trip from south Africa to Mauritius – we left at 3am and spent the whole day travelling – we kind of thought it was just next door…

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  25. More like the Win Tailed Whydah. That thing is awesome.
    +followed

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  26. Elliot MacLeod-Michael said...
    More like the Win Tailed Whydah. That thing is awesome.
    +followed

    I’ll do my best…

    ReplyDelete

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