“What’s the frog doin?” I thought I might add that quote from my buddy Milton because we had a little visitor in the shower of our semi-permanent tent. Mr. Frog himself seemed to be an esteemed gentleman, and therefore became our most welcome guest. Hopefully he enjoyed some time away from the busy work week (being a cute frog which definitely gets absolutely destroyed in Africa) as well as the amenities – including our shower. I’m going to be honest in saying that I have no idea how he got in, but at the very least I am glad he had the chance to hunt and kill any bugs or other critters which might give us trouble. Thank you Mr. Frog.
Most of my life I have been very unlucky, never winning the cake walk at the church bazar for example. However, it seems that perhaps my debt was saved so I could “splurge” during this trip, that maybe for once in my lfie St. patrick decided to smile upon me. its apparent because soon after departing from the lodge for our very first safari which was meant to span the entirety of the day we spotted our first creatures. “Creatures” being about the luckiest, most unexpected, and interesting of all possible – a large family group of elephants, crossing directly in front of us (exciitng to say the least). The babies clung to their mothers, the matriarch led the way with her notched tusks, and their trumpets and low groans filled the dust flecked, golden morning air as they went along.
That was lucky. Elephants so close, so loud, so numerous. In that moment I for the first time began to grasp the scale of the adventure I had gotten myself into – a very big one indeed (fittingly in light of the elephants) And perhaps it really was my Irish heritage blessing up the group as the rest of the day remained much the same (you are welcome). We saw many creatures – beautiful birds such as the lilac breasted roller or the yellow bellied spurfowl which dined upon flowers or flicked up into their mouths the abundance of invertebrates. We saw a Zebra with the marks of a predator scrawled scarlet on its back, lonely Cape buffalo and sausage trees.
The day was ended upon “sunset hill”, and I think you can imagine why we were there. The African sun, hot and high, steamed toward a watercolor of placid blues and yellows and purples and greens. It was beautiful. The wind whipped, the distant fauna crossed fields of glowing grass, and the group of us which stood there for the first time embraced the reality of the trip. It was an adventure, it was unfamiliar, and perhaps most exciting – it was only just beginning.
I hope I return to see Mr. Frog, and I pray to experience an evening as spectacular. Also as an obligatory sidnote, I have seen no primates as of yet which is important due to their being my taxa of expertise. They may be absent from this landscape merely because there is a lack of a more forested or densely wooded area with trees; however, I believe that while in the savanna it is very probable we will come across the more terrestrial olive baboons. Here’s to hoping that is the case. Regardless…
Godspeed,
Kamden and the cordially accepted Mr.Frog
