ROAR!

My favorite memory from visiting the Pilanesberg Reserve in 1998 came at the end of our trip.  The top three animals I had wanted to see were elephants (check), lions (took care of that one later at the Lion Park), and cheetahs.  The big cats tend to be pretty reclusive, so I wasn't very hopeful.

We were getting closer to the exit and I was having my first experience driving a right-sided car.  Suddenly two zebras raced across the road just ahead of us.   I jokingly thought, "I wonder if they are running from a cheetah."  We turned on a slight bend in the road and I immediately slammed on the breaks.  There were two cheetahs in the middle of the road! 

Breathlessly we watched them saunter across the road and disappear into the brush.  Amazing!

Yesterday I did a speed test to see if the kids could run as fast as cheetahs.  I had gathered some animal speed information from Natural History Magazine and worked out a little math to see how long it would take each animal to run 100 feet.  We mapped out 100 ft on our driveway (and across the street all the way to our neighbor's driveway) and did a "Ready, Set...Go!"

It turns out Kate and Adam can run faster than an African House Mouse and Mason and Colin can easily outrun a spider.  We even tried timing it out on bikes.  That only shaved off a few seconds, except for Mason who added an extra 12.

Here is a clean one in case you want to play too!

Adam was so disappointed (okay, mad) that he couldn't go as fast as a cheetah.  When I tried to explain that no man can run as fast as a cheetah he slowly shook his head and pointed toward heaven.  "Okay, no mortal man can run as fast as a cheetah," I replied.  (Turns out the fastest human can just barely outrun an elephant.)

Today we continued our study of the big cats and read a few books about lions in our tent.

By the time I was done reading I had a pack of hungry lions on my hands.  Fortunately there was a small herd of zebras and springbok nearby.

 

My "lions" went after that meat (beef jerky) in true carnivore style and I thought the blood red plates were a nice touch.  (I have a totally sick sense of humor, I know.)

We finished the night off with a nice African meal - ugali (also known as pap and nasima) - a corn meal mush that is rolled into balls and served with a stew or sauce.  

Tomorrow we travel by camel through the Sahara Desert on our way to Egypt!  Until then, kwa heri! (goodbye in Swahili)