The 2020 Africa Journals

Chapter TwentyFour

Lions and Storms

We spent quality time with lions today, and now we are heading in the general direction of camp, though always on the lookout for photo ops.

At one spot, the lions were intent on sleeping and could not have cared less about our intrusion.   This was a dicey spot.

Some of the lions were out in the open but others were sacked out in grass so deep I think I might have run into them had I been driving.   In fact, we parked right next to two of them and I didn’t see them until someone pointed them.   Right beside them!

 

 

 I certainly didn’t expect to be right beside a sleeping lioness.  Seriously, if my bean bag rest had fallen off the bar it was on, it might have landed on her tail.  

A sub-adult cub approached a lioness nearby.   It is the nature of lions to greet each other affectionately by rubbing their heads together.

 

 

 

Apparently, this lioness wasn’t in the mood for excessive demonstrations.

In another place, on another day, we encounter three lions known as the Sala Boys.

 

 

 Where lions go, the topis are on sentry duty.

Calling for his brothers.

 

 

Note how the brothers are lying so that they each have a section of the landscape to observe.   That’s protecting your brother’s back.

As long as they stay awake, that is.

 

 

For their part, the topi are always alert and have sentries posted.

 

 

 

But back to the part about heading home.   David had shown me a photo on his phone of a tree with light shining through it.   So, we drove to a tree and got out of the vehicle.

A huge black cloud indicated some intense weather approaching and I had a blast using it top great effect.

 

On the horizon, the ubiquitous topi made perfect subjects for photos.

 

 

You can see that it was still daylight, but shooting into the sun with that black cloud worked magic.

 

 

And my photo of choice for the next Show and Tell: