miscellaneous rambling

We spent 5 days at the Kruger National Park. Rented a car, and drove over a 1000km in the park alone in search of wild animals. Besides seeing old friends, the park is the highlight of the trip. On safari day after day, our efforts were rewarding with several sightings of the big 5. The only one that we didn't see was the leopard.
This shot is taken at sunrise of 2 lions just waking up. They are, as you can see, on the road. They are right next to our car!
In the park, our daily schedule was 5am wake up, quick breakfast of instant coffee and toast, then we hit the road until 10am. When the day heats up, the animals hide in the bushes, and cannot be seen. We then go into the nearest restcamp for a nap, have lunch, and then chill out until about 4pm. Then we are on the road again, until 6pm. The camps all close at about 6:30pm. After we have dinner, we are usually in bed about 9pm.
Sounds strange to sleep early and wake up early on a vacation. Stranger to just drive and drive and drive in search of animals. But in fact, its an incredible experience. Imagine vast expanses of natural landscape and just driving at a leisurely pace, while spotting an amazing array of wildlife everywhere. We met people who spend 2 weeks at a time in the park, and they do so year after year. Just to get away from people and the cities, and to enjoy some peace and quiet.