Giraffe Woman

One of several nicknames I was given as a 17 year old exchange student living in South Africa was (translated) “Giraffe Woman.”  I would like to think that it was my graceful walk, relaxed demeanor or lovely eyes or lashes that earned me the name, but I suspect it was my height (6 foot tall). 

Regardless, the giraffe is one of my favorite animals and one of my favorite sightings of a giraffe happened on what to that point had been a fairly uneventful game drive.  I can’t recall the location, although it must have been southern Africa.  

When we came around a bend in the road, the area was fairly heavily wooded and to our utter amazement and surprise (not very far from our location) witnessed the very last moments of the birth of a baby giraffe.  What a privilege, I have photographic proof, only the memory of how it made me feel to see such a unique thing. 

Moral of the story:  YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT A DAY ON SAFARI MIGHT BRING.

Spending Time With Mountain Gorillas

Spending 1 hour with the Mountain Gorillas in Uganda and/or Rwanda ranks as one of my most profound animal encounters.  Maybe it was the great effort and exertion it took to get to where they were located.  It was not like a game drive where you just sat in a vehicle and drove around until you found something.  I earned it by trekking through the rain, and mud, up the hills and into the valleys, through the vines, avoiding the nettles and biting ants. Thanks heavens for my porter who lugged all my water and camera gear and gave me a helping hand too!  

But the reward was so unique.  I found myself a few feet away from the King (and Queens) of the jungle.  In retrospect the best thing that could have happened was when I ran out of space on my camera memory chip and put the machine away and looked at the individual gorillas and their family group as a whole and not through the tiny view on the camera.  That was when I saw the tiny rain droplets on their fur and heard them chomping on their lunch of leaves and watched a young cheeky juvenile push another one of the hikers all while his mother watched in the distance.  WOW!

Whiskey Tasting At Cape Grace 

Not since Whiskey tasting in Ireland have I enjoyed tasting fine whiskey from around the world spreading the gamut from Kentucky Bourbon to Single Malt Scotch whisky.  We learned so much about world class whiskeys and how to pick up the hints of oak, peat or fruit and how to properly taste fine whiskey be it neat or straight up.  There was also great thought and preparation in the food parings that they provided explaining how food will actually change the taste of the whiskey.