Survival of the Fittest

While the Okavengo Delta was all about being one with nature, our next stop held a different feel. While our guides stocked up on supplies again, I wished the Delta goodbye with a splurge on a flight over it in a 6-seater plane. Flying over massive herds of zebras mixed with wildebeest and chasing after gangly giraffes took my breath away. It also took lunch away from a couple of the ladies that I flew with, but yellow was a colour that suited them and gave me a laugh. We spent the night in town to partake in food prepared by others.  Also to partake in a bevy or two. After the first month of sobriety at my aunt and uncle’s house, my poor liver was getting a proper workout. The beers flowed fast and free, and I was belly up to the bar. I was often a little worse for wear in the morning, but somehow seemed to survive the shakes and thrive on the adventure at hand.

 Chobe was next up for game parks and it was a treat that I will never forget. This time the Samil brought us into the park and stayed with us. Its presence was a comfort on our game viewing. Not that walking through the wilds of Africa wasn’t exhilarating, but I did appreciate the security that the truck seemed to offer, despite its open sides. Staring agape at a herd of wild dogs as they ran down and subsequently devoured a baby impala was phenomenal. A little gruesome, but this was life in its finest survival imagery. Spying lions, elephants and even a leopard eating an impala in a tree were experiences that one just did not come across every day in urban Ontario. Life and death were directly linked. The survival of one being was dependent on the sacrifice of another.