The Africa Thread (Arsenal related........kind of!!)

[Red Agave]

Ok. Here's the story of my leopard sighting.

Part 1.

Like Rick, I was really keen to see one. On my previous trips to Africa I'd seen one in Kenya where a hotel hung up a goat carcass every night on a tree on the opposite bank of the river from their main bar verandah and then lit it up so the guests could see the leopard that came for a free dinner. But that doesn't really count.

So, when we got into Botswana, Rick and Adam went off to see if they could get a spare tyre to replace the one that exploded in Hwange. Everyone else decided to chill in our very upmarket lodge, but I said I wanted to do an afternoon river safari.

It ended up being just me on the boat with Kelvin, my very cool guide/boat driver. It was like being a VIP as we roared passed big cruisers packed with tourists, stopping to look at anything that caught my eye or that Kelvin had spotted.

The Chobe river is the boundary between Botswana and Namibia and it's really a beautiful place. I saw lots of cool birds (which I'm interested in) like these bee eaters

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1343/beeeaterschobech3.jpg

and loads of these pied kingfishers

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/6784/dsc00155ru8.jpg


I saw this croc, which is actually only about 2 feet long

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/7804/dsc00161mp4.jpg

plus hippo, elephant, kudu, puku, monitor lizard, impala, giraffe etc.

[Red Agave]

Part 2.

Then we saw a few safari trucks gathered near some bushes on the bank so I checked out what they were looking at and saw the hind quarters of a cat disappear into the thicket. I was really excited as I knew it was a leopard so Kelvin drove the boat up to the shore, switched off the engine and we sat and waited. It was a great spot, lots of other stuff to see, we cracked open some drinks and just hung about. Other boats and some of the trucks were too impatient and moved on. Wrong decision.

After about 10 minutes a leopard strolled out of the bushes, passed one truck and went and lay under the back wheels of a second truck. The tourists in that truck were going crazy as they couldn't see a thing! Leopard just lay there, chilled as anything watching the stuff going to the river to drink, and the birds pecking around in the mud. After another 10 minutes it got interested in some guinea fowl, or "Chobe chicken", as Kelvin said they were known locally! Leopard gathers himself up on his haunches, stalks forward a few yards, then goes off like a rocket after the guinea fowl. Gets to it, but the bird flies free leaving the leopard with only a mouthful of feathers. So he sits down right in front of my boat, then finally strolls off again, up the bank.

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/7067/chobeleopardrx8.jpg


If you know how shy leopard normally are, and how nocturnal usually, then you'll understand why this was one of the best parts of my holiday. Even Kelvin said he'd never seen anything like it. :cool:

[Lanesra]

You're going to get awfully sick of elephants :D


I'll eat what I can, and make soup with the rest:D

[leepyswetr]

Our last night in Harare. As you can see Rick has acquired a special "African" hairdo :D
The rest of us appear to have acquired African drunkenness. Was that before or after dinner? I honestly don't recall.

Back in Chicago, obviously...

[Bluto11]

The rest of us appear to have acquired African drunkenness. Was that before or after dinner? I honestly don't recall.

Back in Chicago, obviously...
you went into work today?

crazy...

[Red Agave]

The rest of us appear to have acquired African drunkenness. Was that before or after dinner? I honestly don't recall.

Back in Chicago, obviously...

Just before we went out for dinner. Classic pic of Ken I think. :D

Glad you got home in one piece. Would you believe the trip's car curse struck again last night? My car battery warning light came on about 50 miles from home. Just carried on driving and will get it checked out tomorrow so no biggie but ffs! :mad:

[Red Agave]

I'll eat what I can, and make soup with the rest:D

Ok smartypants - I'll start you off with some bite-sized ones
:D


http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/1999/dsc00234zf2.jpg

[Red Agave]

Oh and Rog, if you're reading this, the headtorch was used every night in the bush to satisfy all our appetites. Ken, the guy with the sideburns, was our head chef and used my gadget on a variety of meats to the delight of one and all. ;)

[Jeff L]

Do you expect to wake up on any given morning, and have to sing, "Three Lions on my Shirt" ! :D

[topcatcole]

Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe. It really was a beautiful place.

Here's the same spot on the Zambezi river at sunrise. The far bank is Zambia.

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/1527/dsc00382ir5.jpg

Stunning.

[Red Agave]

Do you expect to wake up on any given morning, and have to sing, "Three Lions on my Shirt" ! :D

Fortunately I am a natural when it comes to lion taming.

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/4373/dsc00043ia8.jpg

[antifan]

That lion looks kinda hung over. :D

[surfcam]

Judy, Kyla is very impressed with your lion picture.

[DallasGooner]

Fortunately I am a natural when it comes to lion taming.



The lion clearly saw that stick and knew you meant business!!!

Seriously, how freaking awesome was that? And did you really feel safer with that stick?

[Red Agave]

That lion looks kinda hung over. :D

He's only 14 months old - I'd never encourage minors to drink! ;)

[Red Agave]

Judy, Kyla is very impressed with your lion picture.

Think he'd seen "The Lion King" a few times - was really posing for the pictures. :rolleyes: ;)

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/8927/dsc00041fy2.jpg

[Red Agave]

The lion clearly saw that stick and knew you meant business!!!

Seriously, how freaking awesome was that? And did you really feel safer with that stick?

Oh don't worry, that stick wasn't my only protection. If they got too frisky I also said "no" in a very firm voice. :D

Decided that it might not work on these ones though

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/9854/dsc00262xl5.jpg

particularly as they'd recently reduced a hippo to this

http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/5674/dsc00260qs9.jpg

[goonermaui]

Oh and Rog, if you're reading this, the headtorch was used every night in the bush to satisfy all our appetites. Ken, the guy with the sideburns, was our head chef and used my gadget on a variety of meats to the delight of one and all. ;)

What happens in Africa.......
http://www.mazaru.com/Three_Monkeys.jpg
Stays in Africa.........;)

[arsenalgirl30016]

Fortunately I am a natural when it comes to lion taming.

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/4373/dsc00043ia8.jpg
Judy these pictures are amazing....I am going to show them to Josh-he will love them!

[leepyswetr]

We snuck into the national football stadium; it had seen better days:

http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/2190/img0299tp4.jpg