2 August - Bye ZA; on to Maputo

I got up early and ready for my last game ride prior to boarding another plane for Maputo. I was first for tea and worried that my new companions would be late, but they arrived about 10 minutes later, bundled and complaining loudly about the cold. At one point the Mom said, “But it’s worth it, isn’t it?” and she looked at me. I’m afraid my thoughts came tumbling out of my mouth: “If I had the money to bring my kids here, they’d be kissing my boots. They wouldn’t be complaining.” Again, that issue of privilege and taking it for granted. I later sat by the mom on the game ride and told her about my work, explaining that it taught me not to complain much when I think of what so many people have endured and how little they have. She wasn’t upset, and seemed to appreciate my comment.

We got a couple quick glances at leopards, then the highlight of the morning ride: a whole pride of lions getting their fill after killing a cape buffalo. The males had already gorged themselves and were crashed in the grass while one of the females and the cubs were eating. Typically I turn away at scenes like that even on documentaries, but I sat mesmerized. Just a couple days ago when we found the females with the cubs, Rob and Ron were concerned with the low weight of the lions. Now they would be full and healthy. It’s hardly different than people’s eating of cows, chickens, and pigs, except that the wild animals aren’t wasteful. Most of us were busy snapping pics and filming the scene. When there was no breeze, the smell was pretty strong. I imagined the reverse, with lions wandering out to watch us eat around the boma, pulling out their cameras to photograph the exotic animals covered in cloths and using weird metal tools to pull at the meat. The cubs would probably take a sniff and find the smell of burned flesh disgusting!


I had a quick breakfast and enjoyed a vervit monkey who stole an orange from the buffet and enjoyed it in a branch. Then my ride back to the airport arrived.

The same young woman who brought me to Idube also drove me back to the airport. I told her about my challenges with the young US young women, and we had a pleasant conversation on the 2-hour drive back to Nelspruit. Johanna told me that middle class South Africans can’t afford time at the private reserves. It was certainly a rare treat for me, too, something I couldn’t typically afford, and am very grateful to have had that opportunity.