I know, you have all missed my blogging. It is true, we took a week off from acting as tourists here in South Africa. What can I say, we needed to just relax and allow ourselves to be "normal" for a weekend. No worries, we got back on it this weekend...
We visited the Rhino and Lion Park. I must say, it was pretty cool. They have a lot of land, so if you can't afford a real "safari" and just want to see the animals, I would say that this is the place to go. We saw rhinos (even babies!), lions, hippos, cheetahs, tigers (haha, not even South African!), buffalo, warthogs, impala, wild dogs...and the list goes on.
We began by observing the cheetahs for awhile. They are super cute! We were able to just park the car in their area and lean out the window taking their pictures. Kelly actually spoke "cheetah" with one, he kept yelping back at Kelly, it was so cute! We thought that we could get away with petting him, but our husbands advised us against it. Husbands. Always worrying about safety!
I wasn't so interested in the wild dogs. They did feast on a dead animal, but they just weren't very entertaining this week. Neither were the lions when they fed. They just all shared, so boring!
Next stop? Rhinos! Again, they weren't very interesting, either. They just slept. One baby cuddled up with his Mama for some nourishment. But other than that? Sleep.
My favorite part was at the very end when we were able to get out of the car and walk around to the "caged" animals. Seriously, it is just a simple chain link fence between a person and the animal! I literally could have reached my hand through the fence and TOUCHED the lion. And honestly, I did try...
Kelly and I were standing by the sleeping lions while our men walked on ahead. We both had the same thing on our mind: he looked so soft! And peaceful...surely we could just give him a little pet. I began to think out loud, contemplating the petting of the lion. Haha, he woke up! He growled and turned over, basically saying "I know what you are thinking and LEAVE ME ALONE!"
So, we kept on walking. As Kelly and I were observing another lion, our boys called us over. Two tigers were working on making a baby. I learned something from Kelly (she loves cats, all kinds!)- tigers mate every 15 minutes. They are quite vicious. Looks more like they are fighting if you ask me. Of course, I had to get a good picture (I opted not to post the mating pics on here, but they are on facebook), so I stuck my lens through the fence and snapped a few, just as the papa tiger growled and "charged" me! Haha! Good thing he had his lady friend on his mind, he quickly lost interest in me as he had to trail after his gal pal!
Of course Ben was most interested in the hippos. We were able to get super close, too! I handed the hefty camera over to Ben to get their pics. (He is taller and could see over the grass better than me!) He stood there for quite some time, just taking their pictures and watching them go about their business. Oh yes! Ben was quite excited to see a hippo "mark his territory." They don't do it like dogs do. I guarantee, after I tell you how they mark their territory, you will probably look for a video of one doing it on You Tube! **Drum roll, please** They poop- not just poop, they swish their tail back and forth very quickly, flinging poop in all directions! Haha! I tried to get a picture, but it all happened so fast....I am sorry. Maybe when you visit you will get to see one do this!
The little guy above joined the hippos in their feasting. We thought he was intriguing because he had just one antler! A unicorn!That was about the extent of our excitement for the day. I was pleased. Enjoy the pics!
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