That was some lunch. That was some understatement.
We had experienced many highs and many lows on this safari, but to have so many wrapped up in a single chapati like that was, to say the least, totally, absolutely, incredibly, unbelievably weird. We needed, after that infernal feast, something a little less, very much less, stomach churning.
We looked for something more serene. Well, giraffes are the ultimate serene animal.
My stomach began to unchurn.
Later on, after much searching, we struck gold. The prize of the afternoon was a leopard.
There are more leopards here in the Northern Serengeti than there are in the eastern part where we had spent our first week. However, here they are a lot more difficult to spot, due to there being so many more places to hide. Trees, shrubs, although not, for some reason that escapes me, in rivers.
This girl had been difficult to find.
And difficult to follow.
After chasing her about for a while, she took refuge in a tree.
We travelled back roughly in the direction of our camp, not wishing to miss another forgettable meal.
And what do you know? There's always amazing stuff going on in the Serengeti.
These two may be peak predators, but, unlike the lunchtime horrors, they have certain beauty. They have compassion (but not a lot of it). They have love. Just don’t try to give them a hug.
There happen to be very few cactus trees in this part of Tanzania. We found this one, but look closely. This one had a special guest.
A clue to surviving in the Serengeti; always look for tails hanging down.
And there it was. Another leopard, well hidden.
She moved to a more comfortable, cinematic tree for a dusk photo. (But still with that signature tail.)
Backlit at night.
Our penultimate full day in the Serengeti was over. Ultimate being the operative word...
This had been yet another phenomenal day. Our emotions had been stretched to the limit. Now, however, it was time to wind down. It would soon be time to travel back to a different civilisation where the dangers come mostly from humans, not so much from crocodiles.
A day of rest was called for.
Nope, it wasn’t going to happen...
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