| This morning we flew in a balloon. Drifting at tree top level gave us a fantastic perspective of the massive animal herds strung out below. They stampeded at our approach and the dust turned orange in the sunrise. Magnificent! Landing always seems to be troublesome. Our pilot, extremely laid back, didn't prepare us. He simply said "sit tight" as we hit the ground at 20 mph. The basket jumped in the air, came down, dragged on the ground and bowled over a termite mound. We ended up laying on our side, spitting dirt, and wiping dust from our eyes. Then we went for another game drive, following a pair of cheetah on their morning routine. A lion pair performed a better routine. We watched as they mated, not shy about a jeep parked a few feet away. Lions in heat mate every 15 minutes for two days -- now that's real stamina! |
