Our second day at Phinda began with a 5 a.m. wake up call and we dressed quickly in order to have a coffee before joining our guides and trackers. It was a very early night for everyone and a light but steady rain that had fallen during the night had cleared. I forgot to mention that once night falls at camp, you are not allowed to walk anywhere unless accompanied by a staff member. We were told that lions can sometimes be on the prowl and in fact we learned that a woman had been eaten by one many years ago.
Jonty and Tim informed us that we would be attempting to find lions that morning and so we headed off just as the sun was coming up. A mother lion with two ten month old cubs had been spotted the previous day and they were determined that we would not leave camp without seeing them. After driving for about 45 minutes, Tim found signs that we were close and we cruised slowly until they found the mother lying in some foliage. We watched her for a while hoping she would move out but Jonty decided we would attempt to locate the cubs who would be nearby. As you can see from the photos, we found one of them stalking a herd of wildebeast. She was not bothered by our presence and it was fascinating to watch her graceful movements as she moved carefully and silently in the direction of her prey.
After a few more minutes our experts pointed out that the mother was on the move again and we watched as she returned to the carcass of her morning kill. She had dragged the partially eaten animal under a tree so the buzzards wouldn't get at it and we were informed it was also a wildebeast. I didn't include a picture of the bloody remains but I do have one. We also told him we didn't need to watch what the cub was about to do so we moved on.
A visit to a nearby watering hole revealed a herd of hippos as they moved lazily in the water. Jonty began to make strange noises and we were amused as they all began to answer. It sounds like a croaky laugh and we all had a good chuckle as a chorus of hippos responded to him. A large crocodile came into view and we saw him catch a fish for his morning meal. All the vehicles met up again and we had coffee or tea and biscuits and shared our morning viewing stories which for us had also included more rhinos, zebra, giraffes and a large zebra tortoise spotted trying to cross one of the dirt tracks that pass for roads on the reserve.
After returning to the lodge and packing up, we were served a huge breakfast complete with bloody Marys for those who wanted them. I think I've included a shot of our bungalow and the Nyala who were resting near it. They are quite tame on the property and reluctantly moved to clear the path for us.
As I mentioned in the first report, it was an amazing experience and we all agreed that we were lucky to have seen so many different species in just two animal drives. It was worth every penny we spent on it.
Returning to the ship in Richard's Bay was only a 90 minute drive during which a light rain began again. Sadly, we learned that the African party on the ship's deck the night before had been rained out. Everyone was disappointed as they had been shopping for days for African clothing and jewellery to wear at the event. The elegant dining room must have looked funny with all the costumed passengers!
Pru and I were sharing our safari stories with some other passengers that evening and reported the fact that we had not seen any snakes. Peter then informed us that he and Ken had blocked our view of a sign posted at the front of the Lodge that said "Venomous snakes and insects may be found throughout the property. Management accepts no liability for their presence". Had we seen it, I doubt we would have been so relaxed during our stay!
This morning we docked in Port Dauphin, Madagascar. A beautiful but very poor island that reminds one of Haiti. The visit was cut short because of an approaching cyclone that our Captain is trying to outrun. He has warned us that it will be a rough night with swells up to 15 feet. The cabin staff have battened down the hatches in our room and seasick pills are being generously passed around. We've been very lucky with no storms so far so I guess it's time.
Hope you enjoy this latest batch of photos. We feel very fortunate to have had such a wonderful experience. A full day at sea tomorrow and we've decided to stay in our cabin for dinner tonight.
Ciao for now
D & K
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