´óÏó´«Ã½

As I clambered into the chugging jeep, I curiously wondered what adventures lay ahead of me. It was early in the morning and everything was as vast and empty as the craters of the moon. My heart was pounding as I was about to venture into an unknown yet spectacular world.

Driving forward, the cool morning breeze soothed and refreshed me from the heat of the blistering amber sun burning bright high in the azure sky. I travelled alongside the still, serene waters of a lake on bumpy, dusty roads the colour of rust. Exquisite giraffes stretched their beautifully elegant necks as they reached for a cluster of lime green leaves from the sparse number of trees dotted around this tranquil land.

Suddenly in the distance I saw movement behind a group of isolated bushes. I gingerly slowed down almost to a halt to ensure that whatever it was wouldn't be scared away by my presence. In front of my very own eyes was my first encounter with one of the big five of this wildlife reserve - a herd of African elephants. It was a moment I shall never forget. As they trundled past me towards the watering hole, so peaceful and calm, they flapped their huge ears which were shaped like the African continent, in order to cool themselves. Their trunks were as grey as the lead of a pencil. They traipsed down to the water hole and sucked up all the water they could get into these enormous, purpose made hoses. They then squirted it into their dry mouths. Occasionally they would dust themselves off to get rid of the parasites; to them that is like a talcum powder bath.
I could have sat and watched these amazing creatures all day, but time was moving on and I had lots of other animals to attempt to catch a glimpse of. I drove slowly out and tried not to make too much noise to disturb them. I soon reached the bumpy track again; my eyes scanned every square inch of this baron landscape looking for any sign of my next encounter. Through my binoculars, to my delight, I spotted a magnificent pride of lionesses and their precious baby cubs. I steadily motored across country for what seemed like many miles and found myself pursuing them further into another area of bush, optimistically thinking I would see them close up. Eventually, after much searching, I arrived at their den where the cubs were resting peacefully. Before long their mother arrived, providing her babies with a meal of freshly killed wildebeest. I watched the family of cubs for a few blissful moments while they gorged upon this tasty feast with their mother. Their proud father and King of the jungle had already eaten his portion and so was now snoozing contentedly in the shade of a solitary tree which sprouted from the parched earth, his golden highlighted 'afro' mane crowning him in all his glory. I reluctantly left this idyllic scene and set off back to the uneven track once more, in the hopeful pursuit of more excitement.

I kept my eyes peeled for any tracks that would lead me in another direction. Thankfully, these were more easily spotted than I anticipated ' they looked like the prints of another big cat. So, with great enthusiasm, I followed them at some speed only to find my path ahead blocked by a group of frisky antelope and impala who had obviously sensed the threatening arrival of a large predator. I spotted a cluster of giant cat paw tracks which lead me back into the bush again and in pursuit of what I believed to be the illusive leopard. What a stroke of luck - two for the price of one! A double set of giant paw prints along side each other, which meant that they were a couple. With great anticipation, even though by now I was feeling tired and hungry after this remarkable adventure, I continued.
Eventually I found them both. The male was furtively watching a hungry pack of hyena while the female flirted unashamedly in an attempt to seek this handsome male's attention. She was a beautiful creature: oval faced, long eyelashes and graceful long legs, a typical femme fatale. After a hopeless few minutes she obviously realised that he wasn't interested at that specific moment in time. She stealthily climbed into a nearby tree, sprawled herself across the branches and slowly but surely, she fell sound asleep, relaxed and breathing heavily.

As the light began to fade I thought it wise to begin my long journey home and left behind the male leopard as he stood vigil. I watched the magnificent sunset, all the golds, fluorescent oranges, scintillating yellows and deep reds shining onto the murky greyish-blue waters of the still lake. What an amazing experience! A moment of my life I will never forget!