- Lagoons, Luxury and
Elephant Shaped Soap
- Fears, Feasts and Mud
Fights
- Insects, Sex and Sachets of
Gin
- On the Move, On the Stove
and On the Hunt
- Lie-ins,
Lounging Leopards and Laws of the Jungle
- Dung, Dust and a Midnight
Snack
- Wading, Wobbling
and Fond Farewells
- Candles, Crocs
and Customised Showers
- Picnics, Puppies and Crocodile Cookies
- Sausage Fruit, Socks and a Lifetime of Memories
Picnics, Puppies and Crocodile Cookies
The bed at Kuyenda was wonderfully comfortable and I slept soundly
until Davey tapped gently on the door to tell me my shower was ready and
waiting. Raring to go, I bounced out to breakfast - an all-American
affair with fresh pancakes, delicious fruit salad, bacon, eggs and great
coffee.
Today we were to go on an all-day wild dog hunt. These are some of the
rarest animals in Africa, but Phil keeps track of all the animals around
Kuyenda and if we were going to see them anywhere, then this was the
place.
Babette and Lloyd (the chef) loaded up the vehicle with huge cool boxes
and picnic hampers and we set off with Phil and Bottle the scout sat up
front, eyes peeled. As we drove along, Phil filled us in on his life in
the valley - a Hollywood biopic waiting to happen I feel!
Phil has spent over 40 years working in and around the
South Luangwa
National Park, and there is little doubt that the Park owes much of its
unspoilt beauty and abundant wildlife to his management and care. His
knowledge of the animals around him is immense -and not just general
knowledge either but specific and detailed information about the
individual herds, prides and packs. As if to illustrate this, he told us
of Kuyenda's own elephant visitor who comes rampaging in at night
destroying the kitchen hut in search of food. While the rest of the
staff blow whistles to distract him, Phil confronts him in the landrover
and shouts out terrible threats in his own patent 'ele-language', which,
though strange, always seems to work (all he needs is a loincloth and a
liana and I might have found my Tarzan at last!).
As Phil was regaling us with stories of the animals, we were busily
engaged in watching them as we passed them by on the dirt roads. At
elevenses time, we stopped to stretch our legs, sip ice-cold drinks from
the coolbox and snack on crunchy animal-shaped cookies - lions,
elephants, crocodiles and rhinos - very cute!
On the road again, a huge herd of buffalo held us up for some time, just
standing in the road and daring us to come and have a go if you think
you're hard enough - we didn't! The air was starting to freshen up as we
approached the river and prepared for a picnic. Bottle and Phil checked
to make sure no lunchtime gatecrashers were lurking in the river or
trees and we all got out and sucked down a welcome beer whilst the food
was set out. Lloyd is a magical chef and this was one of the most
glamorous and exotic picnics I had ever had - tangy tuna mousse,
fresh-baked breads of all kinds, crunchy flavoursome salads and a whole
glazed ham - a veritable feast.
After lunch and a lie-down to ease our tightened waistbands, we headed
back towards camp via the wild dog den whilst Phil told us of some of
the spectacular kills he had seen them carry out. And then he casually
dropped in the most exciting news so far - the wild dogs had recently
become parents again and we could expect to see several month-old
puppies!
This was great news - nothing is cuter or more photogenic than a baby
animal and Reuben began messing around with his lenses and films in
anticipation. As we approached the den there was a lot of movement in
the bush and the family must have decided to head back to the den
because as we drew up, there was nothing to be seen.
We sat and waited and gradually, first one adult, then another appeared
and finally, several little fluffy puppies tumbled out of the den and
started a complicated play fight around the bushes. I can't tell you how
sweet these little animals are - huge circular ears, little pointy noses
and fluffy chubby bodies - you just want to pick one up and put it in
your pocket. Not really advisable though as these are some of the most
savage creatures in Africa who think nothing of tackling animals many
times their size and then rip it up in the most ferocious manner
imaginable - cute to look at but definitely not to cuddle!
We watched the wild dog families for quite some time and then slowly
meandered back to Kuyenda, game viewing on the way, as the sun began to
set.
By the time we arrived it was nearly dark and Babette had lit all the
lanterns and candles around the main area - a magical fairyland of
warmth and light. After showers, drinks and much excited recapping of
how cute the puppies were, we sat down to one of Babettes specialities -
curry night! Using spices which she brought back from a recent visit to
India, the meat had been simmering all day in its sauce and was so
tender you could cut it with a spoon. Served with all the traditional
accompaniments (plus a few African extras such as banana!) it was a
delicious end to a brilliant day. Babette is a great hostess and told us
a hilarious story about her growling match with a too-inquisitive wild
dog!
Tomorrow we were going to meet the Park's unique giraffes - the
Thorneycroft. It was an early start so we pre-ordered our showers and
headed off to our chalets - last night in Kuyenda - how could we bear to
leave?
[continued...Sausage Fruit, Socks and a Lifetime of Memories]
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