Thursday, September 17
The highlight of this drive: for an hour we watched the two adult females and the baby rip down and munch on tree branches. There is no mistaking the groaning, cracking, and popping as elephants tug branches and push tree trunks.
We witnessed moments of tenderness in the wild when the matriarch found a ditch to back into and she bent down on one knee to match the height of the baby. The two then softly played with their trunks twisting and entwining them gently and lovingly.
This drive was a short one as Martha as I were to head this morning to Phinda for our final two days. The somewhat teary goodbyes surprised us all but on reflection, they shouldn't have. Our guide Alan, Jeff, Pam, Debbie and Barbara are new friends now from South Africa, Colorado and New Hampshire. Our six days together were filled with gentle fun-loving Zulu people, shy and aggressive animals, birds and plants we'll likely never see again and stunning sunsets. You miss it all well before you leave it.
Phinda is a gigantinc neighboring reserve.
Eunice met us at the end of the path in the sand forest with fresh grape juice and towels to clean our hand and faces. Our luggage was wisked away and we headed to wait by the pool
until our room at Forest Lodge was ready. Enter more monkeys wondering what treats await their swift hands. Not at all sneaky as they jump and skip through the tree tops, once on land though, they become the best of thieves.
Both Zulu Nyala and Phinda provide the vervet monkeys with excellent opportunities to steal the food of visitors. They know a good thing when the see and smell it. The cooks at the game reserves create masterpieces of beauty and flavor on every plate. Monkey bouncers, as I called them, walked through the open air dining areas with big sticks threatening the monkeys.
On our last morning drive at Zulu Nyala, Alan took us in search of the elephants and cape buffalo again. We found the buffalo herd at a pond. They're eating machines and vacuum up the grass as they wander.
The highlight of this drive: for an hour we watched the two adult females and the baby rip down and munch on tree branches. There is no mistaking the groaning, cracking, and popping as elephants tug branches and push tree trunks.
We witnessed moments of tenderness in the wild when the matriarch found a ditch to back into and she bent down on one knee to match the height of the baby. The two then softly played with their trunks twisting and entwining them gently and lovingly.
Both Zulu Nyala and Phinda provide the vervet monkeys with excellent opportunities to steal the food of visitors. They know a good thing when the see and smell it. The cooks at the game reserves create masterpieces of beauty and flavor on every plate. Monkey bouncers, as I called them, walked through the open air dining areas with big sticks threatening the monkeys.
The monkeys are patient and fast. They win often enough that the threats really don't seem to matter.
Our room is ready.
Wish I could see the elephants caress and the monkeys be naughty but second best is through you two. I also know how friedships are made through travel and sharing. So many experiences made better through sharing with fellow travelers. It should "never" end. I'm gonna get mushy here in a minute...
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