“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

There are a good many who sit at home in an armchair with a cold drink in hand and talk of the places they would love to go and the things they wish they could do or that they would do if they could. It always is the wrong month, the busy season, the awkward timing, the sudden change in the stock market; all designed to provide an excuse to the otherwise intrepid traveller (in his dreams) to stay back and hold forth on all the wonderful things he would do if only ……

It is the ones who step out and do it anyway that earn my respect.

Sitting on the edge of a waterhole with a sandwich and an apple, with a bird hide close by to use as a night shelter in the south African autumn weather, with a  sleeping bag close at hand and shooting panoramas with a mobile phone of the huge red sun going down as the trees turn purple in the dusk….. these are the times that fill your soul with wonder and you start wondering why you never did it before.

Then the leopard shows up at the non-existent door of the bird hide and you start reevaluating. Ha! No…. she did not come that close but she was right there when I went out to…. you know. As I put my sandals on to put some distance between the hide and my business I noticed a round face with spots looking at me from about 6 meters away under a bush. My buddy next to me got a jab in the ribs, “Dude…. Leopard”!!! We both stepped off quickly backwards to get ….. the camera of course. In a matter of seconds we were loaded for bear or rather leopard with all sorts of lenses and it was of course pitch black with a faint light from the stars pretty much. It was a new moon night. “Red spotlight on the jeep” said some one in a stage whisper and the hunt was on.

Jeep was filled in another few seconds and the light man started to pan the bushes for the leopard. She came out in front crossed under the hide and in front of it and disappeared. We drove around to get another visual as she disappears into the thicket and we wait patiently. The leopard however is already out of the thicket some 25 yards down and patiently watching us. “there there… came the voice of the spotter and the light man turned to shine on her sitting and watching us. 

“ A curious leopard” said someone, “Well just so long as she just looks, its cool right?” . She was probably just thirsty and came upwind and was surprised to find the bird hide stuffed with people. Ha!  After a few minutes of watching she took off on her nightly round. Good hunting babe!

Is your life escaping too, before you take time out to live it?

Explore Africa!