8^th July – Garonga

Another 6.15 start and it was soooo cold with wind, like arctic, the kind of wind that gives you an ice cream head ache.  Again we had on everything we owned – except what we had given to Peir and Avery who still had no luggage. We all took our blankets from dinner the night before so were a bit more comfortable.

Off we went for another crazy drive. Guess what?  Josiah decided to change our plans and to go looking for Cheetah.  “No, cannot stop. No common animals, can see them later!”. We wonder if he understands the concept of latter, and that latter is not an eternal and infinite thing, that time in fact runs out.

They were becoming very theatrical and absolutely putting on a show for the tourist. He would screetch to a halt to point out tracks, on the road, and claim to be following a lead. “This way” then drive for 10 ks’s at 50kph straight up the dirt roads. ????

At one point we stopped to send Petrick off tracking. It was an excellent stop. We heard Zebra calling. Something on the wish list.

Minutes later we heard Lions roaring.

And then we got a radio call. Someone had found some Cheetah with fresh kill. We got there to find two Cheetah eating a young Wildebeest. It was sensational. As they were eating they were making such happy grunting, growling noises.

Every few minutes one of them would sit up tall and look around, then back to chowing down. It was great.

In the distance Jackals had caught the smell and where howling about it. Obviously planning to come down when the cheetahs had finished. They sounded extatic with anticipation of the possibility of meat.

What a bonus, we didn’t know it was an Audio tour!

Then it was back to racing back to the camp. “We are a long way from camp, we have to hurray. No stopping!”

We started to drive into a big dry river crossing not far from camp. Petrick started yelling “Look, Lion, listen to it eating, off to the left.  Get your cameras ready.”

We all knew that he was taking the piss…but of course we all looked left, just in case. Suddenly he yells –“No, to the right”.  We all looked right and there set up in the river bed was a huge breakfast camp. It’s the kind of thing that takes you a few seconds to process because it is all so out of context, while you meanwhile stare dumbly at the scene. Brilliant. So much food and drink. The others arrived in the other car (it was just us two and Peir and Avery) and we had a lovely breakfast.

Of course we had to have a Giraffe poo championship. The Now Yoork guy won. Unable to not take part in a competitive game, hysterical.

We went back and each had a massage, in the most lovely little hut overlooking the water hole. There used to be a tree obstructing the view, but a congenial elephant came and knocked it down, greatly improving the view.

For the afternoon game drive we were joined by three new girls (all currently living in NYC, but two were from Iran originally and in between, France). Earlier we had been asked what we wanted to do (don’t know why, its not like Josiah would ever listen). Sarah had mentioned that she “wouldn’t mind” going back to check on the cheetah kill to see if any scavengers were about. Hyenas, jackals, vultures, etc. So despite having poor little Avery – who still hadn’t had a good look at anything but the Cheetahs – and the new girls who hadne seen anything, we sped over to the Cheetah kill sight. “NO STOPPING”

We all joined in with the, “Don’t stop!”

A group of Bush Buck with many youngsters entertained us for a while. For some reason we were allowed to stop.

Back at the carcass from this morning we found – nothing left. Head, spine and skin.