Of Tall Blonde And A Tower.
Kim and I had found a common passion in the love of nature and the African wilderness. Most of our free time was spent in either studying nature and guiding or simply just getting into the bush. Kim was working as a Ramp Model and had returned to South Africa after a stint as a model in Europe. I was working as a logistics manager for a transport company moving motor components to the vehicle manufacturing plants. Both jobs were demanding mentally and physically, but our weekend escapes and nature studies started laying the foundation of new and exciting career away from the rat race. On one such weekend, we had ventured to Marloth Park, a newly formed Wildlife Estate with properties for sale along the southern boundary of the Kruger National Park.
We arrived at the cottage we had rented as the sun was setting and the last glimmer of light flickered off as the orange hue of the horizon turned black. It was dark, no moonlight, just darkness. We stood on the patio, barely able to see a meter away and contemplated what to do next. There was no electricity and lighting matches was useless as the wind would extinguish them or they would burn out before the light they offered was useful. I fumbled my way to the car, started the engine and turned on the headlights, then turned the car to face the cottage door. Kim found the front door key and went inside, using the light from the headlights to find a paraffin lantern and a small torch. I made a small fire between the car and the cottage and we cooked a small pot of pap and braaied some meat. Occasionally we would hear a rustle in the bushes or see the glint of an eye nearby and I would nervously shine the torch that we had found in the cottage in that direction, only to see a warthog or duiker.
The constant whooping and cackling noise of the spotted hyena and the sporadic roar and grunt of lion through the night had Kim and I debating on how far away they were and in what direction. So, at first light, armed with a walking stick and a backpack of nature books (field guides) we set out to find the spoor (tracks and footprints) of the noisy culprits that had kept us awake and potentially see the animals themselves. The terrain was stoney and covered with pebbles so picking and identifying spoor was difficult and we soon switched our attention to identifying and studying the trees and grasses. It is surprising how quickly time passes when immersed in concentration and study, the sun was almost at top centre when Kim and I stood up from our haunches, having found and agreed on the specific grass species and the role it played in this specific environment.
As we stood facing each other, I saw a huge male giraffe browsing on an acacia tree not far behind her. I was about to speak when she said “turn around slowly”, I turned to see a huge giraffe no more than 10 meters away. We both then moved slowly as we looked around foe an exit route, there wasn’t one. We were standing in the centre of a tower of giraffe, “ I count seven” I said quietly to Kim, “No, there’s nine” she replied. The sheer size and visible strength of these giraffe left us feeling extremely small and insignificant in the greater Eden of nature. We stood still and waited, and watched and absorbed the moment that only very few would ever be blessed with. Just breathe. The distinct scent and smell of these magnificent giants have stayed with us for a lifetime and often alerted us to their presence before they were seen. This unique ability of knowing the scent of what animals were in our surrounds made us great safari guides, I do believe that it also saved our lives on a few occasions whilst out in the bush on foot.
The giraffe had been aware of our presence in their home and had graced us with the honour of their closeness, but as they had become aware of us becoming aware of them, they slowly and quietly moved away.