When going on safari, everyone wants to see the "Big 5". What are the "Big 5" and why are they called that? The "Big 5" is a term coined by big- game hunters in the late 1800's. The "Big 5" were chosen based on the difficulty and danger involved to hunt them. They are: the lion, leopard, elephant, cape buffalo and rhinoceros.
There is no guarantee that you will see the "Big 5" when you go on safari. But, if you are lucky to see the "Big 5" in their natural habitat like in the Okavango Delta, it is amazing. While you are not allowed to walk near the animals, vehicles can approach them without disturbing them. Thus, you might find yourself parked next to a pride of lions, which was our case. There were ten lions, two females and 8 cubs, relaxing and playing.
Elephants and cape buffalo were rather numerous, so we often saw them, but rhinos and leopards are more difficult to find. We were lucky as we were able to see two of each. One morning we saw a beautiful leopard in a tree. She was scouting the area for food. She had two young cubs to feed. Nearby were two groups of impalas. She was trying to decide which one to ambush. Leopards do not pursue long chases of their prey. They rather quietly sneak up on them and then pounce on the unsuspecting animal. We tried to watch the ambush, but unfortunately some birds alerting the nearby impalas and they fled.
Later that same morning we spotted a rhinoceros. We quietly approached him and tried to take many photos of him. He was not interested and ran off in the bush, alluding our 4X4. Fortunately, our afternoon drive provided us with another chance, but this was a different rhino and he was eager to have some fun with us. His name was Sargent. He is known by his broken horn. Several times he tried to charge or 4X4, but out driver was quick and nimble, so we were never in danger. Can you imagine staring at a 3500 kg (77,000 lb) rhino and he wants to have some fun with you?
28 November 2011
24 November 2011
Wi-Fi in the Bush
It has been awhile since my last posting. The reason is; I was on vacation. This year our travels took us to Botswana and Zambia followed by some R&R in the Alps.
As a child my father taught me about photography. I was a photographer for my junior high school. I continued with photography a bit in high school and then just took pictures on vacation. About six years ago my husband bought me a digital SLR. I had used SLR cameras in high school, but in the digital age I was using more of the compacts. I was starting to rediscover my love for photography again, when my father decided to give me his professional digital SLR. If you have never seen or used a professional digital SLR let me just say that there are so many functions to learn, that it takes a lot of time to understand what to do. The manual itself is over 300-pages. Once I mastered many of the functions and took pictures of just about everything I could, I really wanted to go on safari.
Last year hubby and I almost went, only to cancel and take a cruise instead. On the cruise we met some wonderful people who suggested that if I loved taking pictures that we really should go to Botswana for safari. We, of course, knew of Botswana, but were considering more to go to Kenya or Tanzania. After our friends told us of their visit to Botswana, we investigated and decided to head there for safari.
My hubby researched and organized everything. When he told me that we would sleep in tents, I was about to change my mind about going to Botswana. He said not to worry, these tents are like hotel rooms. The second issue that was difficult to accept was that we had to fly in small planes. Now, I don't mind flying and I know something can happen to all planes, irrespective of size, but I prefer those planes that hold at least 50, if not 100 passengers. Flying over the bush, a 12-passenger is considered a large plane. The thought of taking pictures of the "big five" was too strong to let those issues interfere.
After six months of planning and preparations we were off. It took us four flights to get to our destination. We left a balmy Europe for the hot climate of southern Africa. We transited through Johannesburg, South Africa, before flying to Maun, Botswana. Once in Maun, our adventure began. Waiting on the tarmac at the Maun International airport were rows of small-passenger planes to take guests off to their camps in the bush. Once all of bags were collected, a guide walked us to a small plane, a six-passenger, including the pilot. There was a couple on the flights from Europe to Maun, who joined us on this small plane. We were a total of five people. Our flight to our camp was 15 minutes, but it seemed like much longer than that. Once my feet were firmly on the ground, I could begin to enjoy our new adventure.
Our plane landed on a small airstrip in the bush. A 4X4 was awaiting our arrival with our guide, Carter. Once we had all of our gear, the pilot and the other couple left and hubby and I were standing in the beautiful African bush. Carter told us that it would take about 40 minutes to reach the camp. On the way he was pointing out different animals, plants and birds. We saw a baby Nile crocodile, giraffes, warthogs, and impalas. With all of this natural beauty, I was way too excited to be tired after such a long journey. The camera was already in action.
We arrived in the camp to find the hotel staff singing us a welcome song, We went to the reception area for welcome drinks and check-in. The manager explained all of the safety rules and ended by saying we have wi-fi in the reception area. Wow!!! I had never thought we would have had internet services in the bush, never mind that we did not have phone service. I quickly connected to the wi-fi and sent a text message to my friend. We were both so surprised that we would be able to communicate easily during my trip. I was able to send a few pictures from my phone. Photos from my DLSR were simply too big and they could wait until I returned home.
As a child my father taught me about photography. I was a photographer for my junior high school. I continued with photography a bit in high school and then just took pictures on vacation. About six years ago my husband bought me a digital SLR. I had used SLR cameras in high school, but in the digital age I was using more of the compacts. I was starting to rediscover my love for photography again, when my father decided to give me his professional digital SLR. If you have never seen or used a professional digital SLR let me just say that there are so many functions to learn, that it takes a lot of time to understand what to do. The manual itself is over 300-pages. Once I mastered many of the functions and took pictures of just about everything I could, I really wanted to go on safari.
Last year hubby and I almost went, only to cancel and take a cruise instead. On the cruise we met some wonderful people who suggested that if I loved taking pictures that we really should go to Botswana for safari. We, of course, knew of Botswana, but were considering more to go to Kenya or Tanzania. After our friends told us of their visit to Botswana, we investigated and decided to head there for safari.
My hubby researched and organized everything. When he told me that we would sleep in tents, I was about to change my mind about going to Botswana. He said not to worry, these tents are like hotel rooms. The second issue that was difficult to accept was that we had to fly in small planes. Now, I don't mind flying and I know something can happen to all planes, irrespective of size, but I prefer those planes that hold at least 50, if not 100 passengers. Flying over the bush, a 12-passenger is considered a large plane. The thought of taking pictures of the "big five" was too strong to let those issues interfere.
After six months of planning and preparations we were off. It took us four flights to get to our destination. We left a balmy Europe for the hot climate of southern Africa. We transited through Johannesburg, South Africa, before flying to Maun, Botswana. Once in Maun, our adventure began. Waiting on the tarmac at the Maun International airport were rows of small-passenger planes to take guests off to their camps in the bush. Once all of bags were collected, a guide walked us to a small plane, a six-passenger, including the pilot. There was a couple on the flights from Europe to Maun, who joined us on this small plane. We were a total of five people. Our flight to our camp was 15 minutes, but it seemed like much longer than that. Once my feet were firmly on the ground, I could begin to enjoy our new adventure.
Our plane landed on a small airstrip in the bush. A 4X4 was awaiting our arrival with our guide, Carter. Once we had all of our gear, the pilot and the other couple left and hubby and I were standing in the beautiful African bush. Carter told us that it would take about 40 minutes to reach the camp. On the way he was pointing out different animals, plants and birds. We saw a baby Nile crocodile, giraffes, warthogs, and impalas. With all of this natural beauty, I was way too excited to be tired after such a long journey. The camera was already in action.
We arrived in the camp to find the hotel staff singing us a welcome song, We went to the reception area for welcome drinks and check-in. The manager explained all of the safety rules and ended by saying we have wi-fi in the reception area. Wow!!! I had never thought we would have had internet services in the bush, never mind that we did not have phone service. I quickly connected to the wi-fi and sent a text message to my friend. We were both so surprised that we would be able to communicate easily during my trip. I was able to send a few pictures from my phone. Photos from my DLSR were simply too big and they could wait until I returned home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)