Elephants march at dusk: Video

Well the lions didn’t roar me to sleep but they did wake me at dawn. They were somewhere in the hills that I couldn’t get to.
I’m happy to be safely back here after a rather stressful drive. Doing this drive in the daytime is just fine, but once it’s dark it takes on a whole new agenda. These main roads are narrow. Only one lane each way and without any shoulder on either side. Really narrow. So when passing huge trucks you feel like you have to squeeze yourself to the side of the road, at the same time being sure not to drop off.
And if that’s not bad enough, you have to contend with livestock that wander across the roads. Mainly cattle and donkeys and you just don’t see them till the last minute. Of course if there’s an oncoming car, you see even less. Pretty scary stuff.
Luckily when I encountered a donkey on the road there was no oncoming traffic. Even so I saw it at the last minute and had to swerve at high speed to try and miss it. It was plumb in the middle of the road when I first saw it and luckily moving, just in time to give me enough gap to get past. Although I think I hit its tail.
Now there was an adrenalin rush! Something I haven’t had in ages in the bush.
Just goes to show the bush is a safer place than being out there travelling.
Today was very hazy and very humid, but it soon warmed up and bye bye any moisture.
With the hot dry weather the Tamboti trees are dropping leaf, which the nyala and impala are feasting on. These trees are very poisonous to man but the antelope just love the leaves.

I was heading back home towards dusk when I saw plenty of elephants crossing the airstrip on their way to Simbiri dam. The sun was still up but the elephant timed it just right (I don’t what it’s right for), like they always do, that they get to the dam after the sun has set and there’s not enough light for me to film. I’m sure they do it just to be mean to me.

But as the herds came out the woodlands towards the dam, they filed towards and past me. And they just kept coming and moving on. But when Mandlovu, Chip and their family got to the car, they stopped as I spoke them, sniffed the car for a couple of minutes and moved on with the herds.

It was just magical! Had they come to say ‘hello – where’ve you been all this time?’ Whatever it was, it sure was the most magical greeting and reminded me why I so love it out here. I didn’t get any such greeting when in town the last few days. Well, I lie, my daughters went wild and we had the most lovely time.

This guy came tearing out the woodland charging towards me, but he soon lost his courage and came to a grinding halt in a cloud of dust. Just boys being boys.