This Independence Day edition of the Daily Dispatch comes from Phinda forest in the Kwa Zulu Natal province of South Africa. Turns out the Zulu word for Grandma is "GoGo", and you can imagine the fun we are having calling Grandma and Bea GoGo Girls. We've saw a baby rhino with mother this morning, and a baby giraffe trying to keep up with mom and dad. I had a cocktail with breakfast at 9:30 and Bea said "Ï am glad to see you're boozing it up. I may join you!" And she did. Does it still count as peer pressure if I am 33 and she is 85?
Only a few minutes on the computer left, so as promised...the Swahili nicknames bestowed upon us while staying in the Seregenti.
Carol...MWIBA TAKONI...in English..."Thorn in the Backside"...While taking a pit stop in the bush,Carol learned the hard way that it is necessary to check for thorns first. Tony played the role of surgeon and Carol is once again sitting upright and pain free.
Tony, our able leader...MUNGU MFALME WA MBUNGO...In English..."Lord of the Tse-Tse Flies"...The most fearsome predator in the Serengeti has no fear of humans and its bloodlust is insatiable. It is too quick to be photographed and you become aware of its preseence only after its bitten you. The name of this beast? The Tse Tse Fly (aka the Teetsy). We were constantly under bombardment from these fearsome pests. Thankfully, only 2 of the 6 breeds carry disease. I didn't ask if the flys in our area were either of the 2, because I didn't want to know the answer.
Bea...MALIKA WA SIMBA...in English...The Lion Queen...As mentioned before, Bea is a lover of animals - a modern day St. Francis. When we saw two cheetahs hunting a baby wildebeest, Bea started praying for the young animal and sure enough it was spared. Boy was I pissed. I wanted to see some blood, but there goes Bea again with her direct line to St. Francis.
Grandma...MAMA CUBWA...In English...Big Mamma...We asked for "mother of all mothers", since she's the elder statesman of the Three generations present on this trip, but Big Mamma translated better (and quite frankly, its a bit funnier especially if you know grandma).
Myself...PAPALAZI...In English...He Who Talks Out Ass...kidding of course. It translates to "Scribe"" or "Writer". It sounds a bit like paparazzi, which is appropriate given the way I have been tracking and snapping shots of animals as if they were celebs.
It goes without saying that Grandma and Bea take the Serengeti Spirit award. The Elements - rough accomodations - difficult terrain - long travel days - they were no match for these two. Theresa finishes a close second for her acts of love for her grandma, which included jumping into the ol'sunshower for some scrub-a-dub time with grandma in the bush. From Tree's standpoint, it was just returning some of the favors grandma did for her when grandma took care of her as a little girl.
Stay tuned for more updates, including a Zimbabwe recap.
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