Awoke at 4:00 AM in the heat of a power cut (no ceiling fan). Distant thunder and lightning. Sprayed the mosquitoes. Then the distinct and very impressive sound of lions roaring in the middle distance. Gathered binoculars, camera and sound recorder and walked over to the camp’s game “hide”. It has an illuminated water hole. The South African park system is truly great I am thinking.

(4:00 AM -- The game hide at Nossob Camp, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park)

Sat in the dark enjoying the night sounds: bats squeaking and rustling in the roof of the hide, birds singing, more lion roars, and the thunderstorm which passed in the distance heading toward Botswana in the east. Roused Will at 5:15 as planned and ready to drive out the gate at 5:30 in the direction (south) of all the roaring. Will – the experienced hand - naturally a bit skeptical.

Then at Rooikop windpomp we saw other vehicles and pulled up.

(Rooikop: why it is a good idea to stay in your vehicle -- there is a very large male lion close by -- can you see it?)

( Dead center: he stood up and walked off to the right just after this picture was taken)

(And one of the females in the same pride walked off to the left -- stretching in the early morning sunlight)

(A lion footprint at Rooikop)

Back to our chalet: Will slept while I dealt with our camping gear and reorganized it for the rest of the trip (ease of access, compactness, priority). Pleased by what we have brought – nothing seems to be superfluous and it is all in excellent condition if not brand new. Visited store for more fluids – the temperature is 41 degrees Celsius. Fellow visitor rushes up to our chalet to tell us the lion pride is now 100 meters from the gate of the camp.

(The pride overlooking the waterhole at Nossob Camp -- a lioness is left-center in the shade of the tree)

(One-by-one each member of this group walked by the truck -- parked less than 100m from the gate of Nossob Camp)

(Each individual bore scars of the hunt -- the last two images show injuries from porcupine quills)

(Members of the pride then settled on the shoulder of the road where we were parked)

Another thunderstorm passes us by. We cook dinner for two nights and plan to go to the hide later. The shortwave radio provides a lot of amusement: the BBC Africa Service and (later) the VOA when we lose the BBC signal. The BBC lists six stories (in this order) in its bulletin at the top of the broadcast: UN Troops to Somalia; Indictment Reinstated in Zambia; Youngest President in History of DRC; Foreign Oil Workers Kidnapped in Nigeria; Rwanda Breaks Relations With France; and Police in Sierra Leone to Receive Guns. I predict the lead story on VOA and am correct: Foreign Oil Workers Kidnapped in Nigeria.

Sonny Young with the Sonny Side of Sports gives the VOA the “Ned Flanders” touch and we come to enjoy (and frequently imitate) his delivery. Point is that the African news is now much more compelling than the US domestic news where the big story is release of the Iraq Study Group report “to mixed reaction.” Yesterday it was the US Secretary of Defense (Gates) saying “the present strategy is not working.” No comment from us except that the current President slept through his classes at Yale and does not comprehend the Middle East.

(A thunderstorm passes to the north of Nossob Camp, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park)

Labels: BBC Africa Service, Game Hide, Illuminated Waterhole, Nossob Camp, Rooikop, VOA

¶ 12:10 PM