Rat Temple

The name says it all. Rats run this temple. Milk and sweets are put out for the rodents to enjoy by worshipers who believe that they are the holy reincarnations of a storyteller from the 13th century.

Only in India.

Like other Indian temples, the Kari Mata requires you take off your shoes before entering. Here, however, tourists have the option of cloth foot covers. When we enter the temple, we see rats in every corner nibbling or scurrying by. There are so many rats that we have an odd primal reaction as if our deep Dark Ages ancestors are screaming "bubonic plague! bubonic plague!" Soon we're laughing, though not too loud as to offend.

Most of the temple is open air. Though I explore some of the darker corners, Temple thinks it wise to remain in the light.

On This Serengeti For Two

Our Land Cruiser rumbled and rambled through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to the vast plains of the Serengeti. The journey was long but quickly rewarded with unbelievable wildlife viewing.


When we thought the Serengeti couldn't get any better, we had a close encounter with the King and Queen of the Jungle beginning their annual mating ritual.

Okavango Delta

We met our poler Jonas at the put in for our two day mokoro trip on the Okavango Delta, the largest inland delta in the world. Mokoros are traditional dugout canoes that hold two people seated and a poler standing in the back. Unlike other canoes, and because the delta is so shallow, mokoro polers push off the bottom with a long wooden stick as they steer through the reed grass. Jonas was a great guide with an even better laugh. The delta is a quite place. At times the only sound is the pole dipping into the water and the boat parting the thick grass.

We rode for about two hours passing vibrant birds, infinite dragonflies and colorful lily pads. We reached our campsite on an island in the middle of the river. In the midday heat Jonas took us to the local swimming hole. The shallow water was warm from the intense sun but still felt nice. Later, we got back into the mokoros for a sunset cruise to the hippo pool. Along the way Jonas pulled over to track two elephants, tossing sand to test the wind and climbing termite mounds for a better view. We didn't get very close but the chase was thrilling. Back on the water, the sky and delta were already changing colors. The hippo pool was a large open area that was too deep to cross in the mokoros. The hippos wiggled their ears and made gurgling sounds as they surfaced for air. The boat rocked in the hippo waves. Evening bird songs filled the air on our way back to camp.

Working On My ROAR

Before the sun was up, we were on the trail of an African elephant during a game walk in the granddaddy of them all, Kruger National Park. Led by two rangers with rifles, we learned great tips on animal tracking by examining footprints and a lot of dung.

During the day, we drove the Hyundai around and saw a mother lion with two baby cubs, a herd of buffalo on the water's edge and hippos getting feisty in their local watering holes.

While eating lunch, we sat at a watering hole admiring several species of birds and antelope quench their thirst. We pulled up to a traffic jam of cars watching a male lion in the bush that we couldn't quite see. Suddenly, an older cub walked out in the direction of our car. He showed us that he was working on his roar when he opened his mouth and let out a few very adorable meows. We watched in awe for a few seconds before he turned around and returned to his elders.

In the early evening we climbed into a large safari truck for our sunset drive. Early into the ride, we spotted an adult male lion close to the road. We oohed and awwed at his beautiful mane and piercing yellow eyes. When we thought it couldn't get any better, he got up and climbed the rocks, looking like the true king of the jungle.

Lion in a Tree

We had read great things about the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve but only decided two nights before going that we should squeeze it into the road trip. We spent 4 hours driving to Mtubatuba where we stayed the night. We woke very early, getting to the park when the gates opened so that we'd have sufficient time there before our drive to the mountains. We were amazed by how much we saw in the 6 hours we drove ourselves around. Immediately we saw a mammoth white rhino, several giraffes and zebras. Then a nice man told us that in the bush were two male lions just beginning to grow their manes. We were very close to one lion lounging in the shade before we suddenly realized that his brother was 5 feet above him in the tree! This man in the neighboring car was some kind of lion expert and said he'd never heard of a lion climbing a tree, so this was quite rare. It seemed the lion was a curious teenager who enjoyed not playing by the rules and we enjoyed every minute of watching him.

Soon after, we saw a herd of white rhino nibbling on the grass and sending us glances. They all looked to me like they were wearing gray sweat suits because of the gray folds in their skin. We loved watching the peaceful giraffe whose bird friends helped pick bugs off his long neck. The impala had the same friendship with these birds. Later we pulled up to a magnificent cheetah lounging in the shade. We stayed long enough to see him get up, scratch himself on the tree, look around and then resume his napping. In the few strides we could sense his elegance and strength.

We Won't Forget You Either

Our first encounter with The Big Five came at Addo Elephant National Park where - you guessed it- we saw a ton of elephants. But the park has a lot more than just ellies. They also have the flight-less dung beetle.

We arrived at the park at 6:00 am when the gates opened and drove ourselves around for a few hours before our scheduled game drive. Immediately we saw elephants on the side of the road. We also saw ugly but endearing warthogs, elegant ostriches and beautiful kudus with their meter long spiraling antlers. You can get amazingly close to these gigantic animals. They just continue chewing on the closest bush and sometimes cross in front of your car.

I was excited to leave the driving to someone else and climb into an open air Land Rover for our safari drive through the park. Our driver was not afraid to pull right up to the elephants. The excitement level kicked up a notch when we heard there was a lion down the way. We hurried to get there stopping only to see some elephant babies with their moms. We sped past antelope and ostriches and took a right at the buffalo carcass. And there she was, about 200 feet away just sunning herself and checking us out. After a crowd gathered the lioness headed back into the bush.

Back in the Hyundai we sat for a while at a watering hole watching a family of elephants nap, nuzzle and assert their masculinity.

Heading out of the park, we rounded a corner and saw a huge male elephant walking on the dirt road. It wasn't the first elephant we'd seen in the middle of the road but this one was marching directly towards us. I quickly hit the car in reverse to give the alpha male some space. Our hearts were racing as he continued to advance on us. Finally we got to a part in the road wide enough to pass him. 'What a great way to end the day,' we thought as we continued towards the gate. Not even two minutes later, just as I said the word 'awesome,' an enormous male kudu bounded out of the bush landing almost on top of the car. I slammed on the brakes and it was already back in the air jumping over the hood and landing on the other side of the road, before jumping out of sight. That is why there are speed limits in African National Parks.

Right Whales, Right Now

Not a far drive from Cape Town is the town of Hermanus where every spring brings very special visitors. Southern Right Whales swim north from Antarctica to calve and spend around three months nursing. You can spot them from shore and Hermanus' rocky outcroppings are the perfect spot to sit and watch as the whales breach, surface and sail. After Hermanus we went to De Hoop (pronounced Whoop in Afrikaans) Nature Reserve where in front of a coast of white sand dunes we saw 8 whales at a time. We fell in love with these gentle giants.

African Penguins

Our first stop on the drive down the Cape Peninsula was The Boulders, a rocky beachfront home to one of only two mainland penguin colonies in the world. The little African penguins were gathered on the boulders, relaxing in the sun or the shade of a bush or waddling around in the sand. They looked right at us and were very adorable in their handsome tuxedos. Some of the birds were molting, which is when they shed old feathers and grow new ones. There were some fluffy gray babies too. They were mostly quiet but would suddenly all wail like donkeys (which is why they used to be called Jackass Penguins). Their human characteristics were fun to watch. In a line on the rocks they followed each other one by one into the water, sometimes giving apprehensive glances to friends before jumping in. Several of them waddled on their own and sometimes looked forlorn but mostly they were a happy bunch. After visiting for a while, we marched our happy feet onward to Cape Point.

Copa Aviary

In the Copacabana Quarantine Aviary, birds rescued from around Bolivia form the noisiest community of the Inti Wara Yassi animal reserve. The majority of the parrots cannot fly, their wings were clipped for captivity by previous owners. Now they are kept in large cages with their peers. Some birds who are especially handicapped go out on perches during the day and enjoy some special attention.

After two weeks working in the Copa Aviary, I learned a lot about the intelligence of these exotic and beautiful animals. With every "Hola!" and whistle I received as I tended to their cages, I felt a sense of friendship. The birds often helped me try to chase away monkeys coming to steal food, yelling "Fuera!" (Out!) in voices so human-like I often turned to see who was there. I will especially miss my little Loopy, whose loud regular squawks weren't enough to make me want to take him off my shoulder.

Tweeter and the Monkey Man

Monkey Clinic is the first stop on the road to rehabilitation at Inti Wara Yassi. New capuchin arrivals at the park receive medical tests and veterinarians observe how they interact with other monkeys. Most of the monkeys were abused or neglected as pets therefore they have some trust issues. For those who have lived in captivity, its important for them to work on their monkey skills, like climbing, balancing, and self-defense.

We, Nick from France and I, start each day by letting the monkeys out of their cages, where they sleep, and putting them on runners so they can play. Its great to watch their wide-eyed excitement as they grab for their breakfast banana. We spend the morning cleaning up after a night of monkey bathroom use. Once we are done with poop detail, we play with the monkeys which means letting them climb all over us, pull our hair, and lick the sweat pouring down our faces. In the afternoon we chop down bamboo and banana leaves for them to play with and snack on.

Hopefully all these monkeys will be released into the wild very soon.