By Jain
At 4:00 a.m. we woke up to grunts and sound of brush crackling. We quickly went to our screened window and saw George the Hippo right outside our tented chalet munching grass, then leisurely taking a stroll through the grounds. It was a sight to see, but I have to admit a bit frightening.
Hippos are highly aggressive and unpredictable animals and are ranked the most dangerous animal in Africa. More people are killed by the hippo than any other animal.They are known to attack humans with no apparent reason or provocation and since they don't eat meat they can kill you just because they are in a bad mood. They spend most of the day in water, out of the African sun and graze throughout the night. For an extremely large creature they can run up 30 kilometers an hour and in the water give Michael Phelps a swim for his money.
Looking out the window we were both amazed how softly he walked. It is said for their size, bulk and power they have surprising agility and a sort of grace. It's no wonder Disney's movie Fantasia depicted hippos as ballerinas dancing in their pink tutus.
Of course there were lots of other sounds to keep us wondering how safe we are in our screened in luxury abode. There were sounds of crying and wailing. Our camp owner Leon said most likely the cries came from bushbabies (a small monkey with large eyes that only comes out at night) or hyenas. The howling and screaming combined with the other nocturnal sounds of crickets, beetles and who knows whatever else could have made for a great soundtrack for a horror movie.
In the morning as Jay was making coffee he spotted a cat. Don't be alarmed; it was a only a kitty cat on our porch, meowing. He is very pretty and healthy, with his fur the color of an Orange Julius drink. I named him Leo the Lion. Later, I found out his name is Boo Boo and he is the owner's cat that just decided to see what was happening in the camp. He likes us and makes himself at home taking a nap in our BBQ!
After breakfast on the deck we take a stroll around the property. It is very quiet. Everybody is out bird watching I suppose trying to tell the difference between the rosy faced lovebird and the peach faced lovebird. In the afternoon we lounge by the pool. It is hot, about 90 degrees however the night temperatures drop significantly. It gets very cold, good thing we have extra blankets.
At 4:pm we go out on a boat trip down the river to view the animals and watch the sunset. We see plenty of hippos, baboons, monkeys, crocodiles, giraffes and birds. Then it's wine time and another scrumptious dinner of potato soup, fish and rice with lemon mousse dessert.
Tomorrow we unfortunately have to leave this beautiful place. Our next destination is the David Livingstone Hotel at Victoria Falls.
See you there.
At 4:00 a.m. we woke up to grunts and sound of brush crackling. We quickly went to our screened window and saw George the Hippo right outside our tented chalet munching grass, then leisurely taking a stroll through the grounds. It was a sight to see, but I have to admit a bit frightening.
Hippos are highly aggressive and unpredictable animals and are ranked the most dangerous animal in Africa. More people are killed by the hippo than any other animal.They are known to attack humans with no apparent reason or provocation and since they don't eat meat they can kill you just because they are in a bad mood. They spend most of the day in water, out of the African sun and graze throughout the night. For an extremely large creature they can run up 30 kilometers an hour and in the water give Michael Phelps a swim for his money.
Looking out the window we were both amazed how softly he walked. It is said for their size, bulk and power they have surprising agility and a sort of grace. It's no wonder Disney's movie Fantasia depicted hippos as ballerinas dancing in their pink tutus.
Of course there were lots of other sounds to keep us wondering how safe we are in our screened in luxury abode. There were sounds of crying and wailing. Our camp owner Leon said most likely the cries came from bushbabies (a small monkey with large eyes that only comes out at night) or hyenas. The howling and screaming combined with the other nocturnal sounds of crickets, beetles and who knows whatever else could have made for a great soundtrack for a horror movie.
In the morning as Jay was making coffee he spotted a cat. Don't be alarmed; it was a only a kitty cat on our porch, meowing. He is very pretty and healthy, with his fur the color of an Orange Julius drink. I named him Leo the Lion. Later, I found out his name is Boo Boo and he is the owner's cat that just decided to see what was happening in the camp. He likes us and makes himself at home taking a nap in our BBQ!
After breakfast on the deck we take a stroll around the property. It is very quiet. Everybody is out bird watching I suppose trying to tell the difference between the rosy faced lovebird and the peach faced lovebird. In the afternoon we lounge by the pool. It is hot, about 90 degrees however the night temperatures drop significantly. It gets very cold, good thing we have extra blankets.
At 4:pm we go out on a boat trip down the river to view the animals and watch the sunset. We see plenty of hippos, baboons, monkeys, crocodiles, giraffes and birds. Then it's wine time and another scrumptious dinner of potato soup, fish and rice with lemon mousse dessert.
Tomorrow we unfortunately have to leave this beautiful place. Our next destination is the David Livingstone Hotel at Victoria Falls.
See you there.
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