We left on our afternoon drive around 4:30 as normal, none of us guests expecting anything out of the ordinary was instore. We make a turn, see some lites and we pull into an area set up for dinner in the middle of the bush! It is a lovely setting, a large rock, somewhat blocking the wind in back, a lovely fire with wooden benches around it. Pots being kept warm over coals from the fire, and a table set up with drinks and cold food. It is a bush braai for us!! A length of tables and chairs is set up, lit by candles and lamps. Apparently at Sabi Sabi if U are a guest for 3 nights or more U are given a bush braai. Out in the bush under the stars, and a new moon, its very beautiful. I was very lucky as I got 2, by switching jeeps to be on drives with Carol-TX and hubby Tim. Both braais were adventures unto themselves. My first experience was wonderful, we enjoyed a lovely meal and conversation that was always interesting. We had a family from India and a pair of folks from England in our group, so views veried on several topics, but our love of animals overrode any differences. We were done our meals and warmed around the fire. Stories from guides amazed and amused us all. One guest needed to mark some territory, so went to use the 2nd tree on the left. From the darkness we hear his voice...something is watching me!!! A ranger shines a flashlite(torch in Africa) his direction and finds a hyena who has come to look for scraps. The lite pans left and picks up another scavenger. A black backed jackel has come to try his luck too. Apparently that is normal at such functions, though for folks just in the bush 3 days it is somewhat unnerving. We loaded up the landi and went back to camp, only then discovering we were the only guests who got this special treat. A few days later I got to have another one with Carol and Tim, among others. Again it was a beautiful nite, the stars were out and of course it is a very different sky then we in North America are used to. We are shown Scorpion, The Southern Cross, and The Clouds of Magellon(spelling?)the nearest gallaxy to Earth. Near the end of our dinner, someone shines a torch on a hyena who has wandered within about 20ft of our tables. This startles Carol, but she could live with that. Next we hear an elephant trumpet. And then 2 more times each more urgently and closer then the last. I could almost hear Carol's heart beating LOL, she balanced on the edge of her chair ready to bolt for the landi. The guides agree that likely only a lion in the area could make an elephant fuss like that. At the first suggestion we go Carol was in the landi and ready to go look for the ellie and lion..anything was better then waiting to have our dinner party crashed by an ellie! We werent fortunate enough to find the source of all that noise, but it sure made for an interesting dinner, and how many folks have ever had a party crashed by hyena, jackels and ellies!!Adventures Continued
