South Africa Day 5: The Leopard

The next day I awoke at 5:30. I didn't fall out of bed this time, but the fucker was still wobbly. I set out for Lake Panic, where I'd seen hippos, crocs and ellies the year before. On the gravel road in, I was treated to three hyenas running across the road, but I didn't have time to get my camera. I also took a shot of a tree full of sleeping vultures. However, the lake itself was pretty quiet. You could hear the hippos around the bend, but that was all. Disappointed, but in good spirits, I set course for the Paul Kruger Gate and the S3 gravel road which follows the Sabie from there.

Vultures up a tree.


Alas, nothing. My beloved road, which had given me lions, rhinos and baboons last year, was almost empty, except for the usual impalas. I even met the cunt who guided us on our safari back then. I recognized him, because when I said "Hi, anything back your way", he gave me a challenging stare and said "How do you do?" I then recalled that the sanctimonious prick had told us that he always insisted on exchanging the insane pleasantries that so mar the English language before exchanging any information. You'd think the one place in the world where you might be cordial would be the bush, but apparently not.

I traveled on, looking for game and thinking idly upon how I'd like to kick the sanctimonious prick's teeth in, when I came to the paved road. A quick glance on the map showed another gravel road not too far off, going south; the S65. As it also showed a concrete waterhole, I took it since these often attract animals. Lo and behold, in addition to a gazillion impalas and a giraffe, it held a nice size rhino.

Giraffe w/bird.


Rhino w/bird & impala.




After a few minutes, the place started filling up with the safari trucks that usually show up at every good sighting and ruining it for me, so I pressed on. A little to the south, some stupid came up behind me at a high speed, so I pulled over and let him pass. I could see him disappear in a cloud of dust and thought to myself "what on earth do you take these gravel roads for if not to take your time?"

No sooner had I shaken my head and vowed never to be in that much of a hurry, but a movement up to the right caught my eye. I looked and there from the trees appeared… a leopard! Now this was the Holy Grail of animal sightings to me. I watched in amazement as the cat tiptoed carefully out of the forest and across the field. Frantically, I fumbled for my camera and in part excitement, part panic I spent the first few seconds trying to find him in the viewfinder, then trying to focus the damn thing. "Please dear fuck, don't let me mess this one up", I thought. But I didn't.

Coming out from the bushes.


Tiptoeing carefully across a field.


Looking at the pictures at lunch, I saw with no small deal of satisfaction that almost every pic had come out bright and sharp. The first thing that had struck me about it, sitting in my car and taking pictures, was how bright it seemed. Of course it was just my imagination (and the photos confirm this), but as it moved towards me it seemed as if it almost radiated light.

It a puttycat!


I kept taking pics and looking up to confirm that this wasn't some mirage, but an honest to fuck leopard approaching. The second thing that struck me was how fucking beautiful it was. Every move was a sight to behold; this was really poetry in motion, to use a cliché.

Poetry in motion.


It didn't seem aggressive or frightened. Had it been the latter, it would just as easily have disappeared into the trees again. At the closest, it can't have been more than a few meters from me, so looking back I was lucky it wasn't aggressive. It didn't make a sound the whole time, no hissing, no growling. It was simply going about its business, and as I was in its way, it was making a small detour around me; that was all.

So, so beautiful.


As it moved to cross the road behind the car, I quickly grabbed my other cam and in one fell swoop clicked on the movie setting. Cleverly, I pointed it towards my left side mirror and filmed the leopard crossing. It walked around in the forest a little, for I heard some baboons and birds screaming blue murder in there. Then it was gone, leaving me with one of the most cherished memory of my life so far.



I returned towards Skukuza to celebrate with a big chunk of meat and some cheesecake. If now wasn't the time, when? I briefly paused to shoot a rhino, but my heart wasn't in it anymore. Arriving at Skukuza I sat down and ordered. On the outside, I was all business, but on the inside, I was screaming my head off in joy and excitement. Sadly, the park was full of people without a fuck to hand out.

After a good, long lunch, I drove northeast to check out some gravel roads I didn't do the day before and I saw some ellies and giraffes and crocs and hippos, but again my heart wasn't in it anymore: I was done for the day. I drove out along the paved road to Phabeni gate and checked in to my hotel in Hazyview. Of course, the bathroom I was given didn't really match the description on booking.com, but that might very well have been my own damn fault for not reading the text properly.

Hippo eyeing me skeptically.


Croc.


I ended the day with a 300g slab of meat at Tank's Pub with some accompanying banter. They had a new waitress, no less funny than the one from last year. The owner, Graeme remembered me after some prodding; he even remembered where we'd been sitting. He also told me that the owner of my hotel - an English guy - was well known locally for his wit, something I'd gathered from reading the information in the room.