Another Encounter

Another wonderful day.  We decided on a more restful morning, so rather than a ride or game drive we headed for the poolside as others chose their entertainment for the morning.  The temperature here is wonderful, not too hot, or cold.  At this time of year, as long as the sun is out,  any light wind tends to have a cooling effect, but only at night does it require you to add layers to stay warm outside.

In the afternoon it was back in the saddle, heading out in search of animals.  Riders of mixed ability go out together, with the guides splitting off to allow more competent riders to get some fast work in, while those less confident (that's me), enjoy a leisurely walk around the trails.  I do, from time to time, have to remind the guides that as I'm on a tall horse and am a tall person, going through the bush does have more challenges, particularly when the branches of trees are low.  So far, so good, but I've had to learn the art of getting low on the horse!  It all adds to the experience.

As we were rejoining the fast cats, we saw them waiting in front of a small herd of zebra.  It is this that marks out the riding experience at the park, to get in and amongst these beautiful animals and get up close.  You can see from the shadows that this isn't just the use of a long focal length, they really are just a few yards from animals completely at ease with our presence.  I've been allowed to share this, complete with L posing for the camera.

After sundowners and dinner, we were taken on a night game drive, complete with the opportunity to see a bush baby jumping from branch to branch and seeing various grazing animals under the beautiful starlit sky.  I made the mistake of not taking the tripod or I would have had a fantastic opportunity to capture the Milky Way, arcing across the sky.

Since this photo the weather has changed, with some cloud, rain and even lightning the following day.  I only mention this as it impacts on access to the internet.  The system here is radio wave, using masts placed on high ground around the area, powered by solar energy.  Since then, we've had little access to any internet as a result.  I'm not complaining, if anything it is a lovely interlude of solitude, though you do begin to realise how addicted you can get to the 'connected' world.