Lion Cubs

The lion cubs in the photo are only a couple of months old and had not yet joined the rest of the pride. We first spotted these cubs in the late afternoon when returning from a full day in the mara. Four of them, so tiny as they walked with their mother and another female, probably their aunt. It looked as though their mother was leading them to a new place. Lion cubs are generally born in a thicket or a rocky outcrop where they remain hidden for the first six to eight weeks, the only reason a mother would chance moving them is if she felt that they were in danger. We had noticed a large buffalo herd not too far away, so maybe the buffalo had got too close for comfort. Buffalo and lions are mortal enemies; the buffalo know instinctively that when a lion cub grows up it will hunt their calves, so when they do come across a lion cub they will kill it instantly.

We couldn't follow them to see where their mother was taking them as dusk was approaching and we had to leave the reserve. So we noted the general direction they were headed so that we could try to find them tomorrow.

The following day we spent hours combing the area where we last saw them, trying to guess at where they might be hiding. Our guide was convinced that they hadn't gone too far, she wouldn't have risked wandering around in the dark with them. We devoted a couple of hours each morning to try and find those lion cubs, with no success. We checked with the other guides, no-one had seen them, most didn't even know there were any young lion cubs in the area. I voiced my opinion that I didn't think we would be lucky enough to see them again, the guide just said 'hapana Marie, you will see them again before you go home, never give up.'

It was five days later, the sun just breaking the horizon, changing the colour of the sky from a deep red to a cool blue, bathing the land in a soft light, in the distance there they were. I couldn't believe my eyes, all four of them, still alive. Their mother had done a great job of hiding them, keeping them safe. The guide was right on both counts, they hadn't moved too far and I did see them again. It was a wonderful sight, still with their mother and aunt the group was more relaxed than the last time we saw them. While the two adult females looked on the cubs ran and tumbled around in the short grass, jumping up at the adults and on top of each other. We stayed for a while watching them play, catching three of them together as they rested on a mound of earth in between bouts.

Eventually they went on their way and reluctantly we on ours. The image of that beautiful and peaceful scene will remain with me forever, as will the guides advice, 'never give up.'

Mount Elgon Reserve

This week's photo has nothing to do with the story, well not directly anyway. It was shot from the porch of a banda we stayed at, on the edge of Mount Elgon nature reserve. The well manicured lawn which boasts a purpose built BBQ and picnic area is surrounded by woodland and is home to many different animals, some of which we got to see at very close quarters. Each morning a large troope of baboons and a large herd of waterbuck ambled across our lawn as they ventured deeper into the woods looking for food. The waterbuck being quite shy kept their distance, the baboons on the other hand were more gregarious and came quite close, some of the males were pretty big. The baboon in the photo took an opportunity to rest on one of the seats in the picnic area on his way through.

My story is in fact about getting a hot shower. A hot shower is a big thing for me while on safari. I can go without many comforts but a hot shower is not one of them. There's nothing nicer than getting into a hot shower before dinner, after spending a day on the road often in quite dusty conditions, its heaven! Actually getting what I consider to be a hot shower is a bit hit & miss. The water that feeds the showers in the campsites is heated in a big oil drum, which is supported on a rickety, homemade platform at a height of around 8ft in order to get enough pressure. A fire is lit beneath the drum so the temperature of the water is determined by the distance of the fire from the drum, how big the fire is and how long the fire has been burning. Getting it just right is tricky. This set up leaves the structure vulnerable to strong winds and it's not unknown for the whole thing to collapse, fortunately due to its simplicity it doesn't take too long to put back up again.

On this particular day we had arrived at Mount Elgon after spending two days in a tree house in Saiwa Swamp which we shared with a swarm of flies and a swarm of wasps who had made their home in the small shower room. So for two days I got by with washing in cold water using an outside tap. I was now really looking forward to a hot shower but was preparing myself for possible disappointment. I sent Ken in first so I would know what to expect, his verdict was it was hot, it was too hot. I thought thats not possible, how can a shower be too hot. I gathered my shampoo and other toiletries and rushed eagerly into the bathroom. To my surprise it really was too hot, in fact I would describe it as scalding! and I couldn't get it any cooler. I tried squatting down close to the floor as I figured it wouldn't be quite as hot at the bottom, it was just bearable. I got my hot shower anyway; I emerged looking like a ripe tomato. All ken said was "I told you it was hot."

I'm still hopeful of finding a perfect shower while on safari, Maybe next year.