12/18/14
Gosh, there are so many stories and photos and things I
could write about. It seems like I could be doing Africa blogs well into
2016. I’m sure I’ll do a few more,
but today I would like to share my favorite memory of Africa.
We were in South Africa, staying at Mjejane Lodge just
outside of Kruger National Park. Each
afternoon we went on a game drive, and
then stopped for cocktails at sunset. (I LOVE this safari ritual. We did it on
every afternoon game drive throughout the trip.) This day we were along a river
that was full of crocodiles and hippos. We enjoyed a classic rosy sunset as we
sipped our wine.
On the drive back to the lodge, the jeeps split up and took
different dirt trails. It was now dark and as we putted along the trail,
suddenly a rhino appeared in front of us. Our guide stopped and turned the
engine off. In perfect darkness we could still see the rhino and we could also
hear it breathing, moving and chomping on grass. We all held our breath, and
then two more rhinos came out of the bush and crossed in front of us. They
stopped a few yards away and began grazing. We could hardly contain our
delight.
But then everything shifted. It was the night of the full
blood moon in October, and just then a HUGE red moon rose over the trees on our
right. We were sitting in the dark, silent, with three rhinos and a red full
moon rising next to us. It was a time of complete peace, total awe and
connection with nature.
There are no photos of this moment. We just drank it in and felt the energy of the land, the moon, the rhinos and Africa itself. Eventually we had to leave, but it is forever in my heart.
