track our trek

in contrast to the hyper-arid namib desert, etosha national park is almost lush...i think it's classified as semi-arid, but in any case, there is more plant life, and game animals abound...we spent several days camping at various sites in the park...some of them very swank, complete w/ lovely swimming pools and bars to pass the afternoons. the camps were situated near watering holes, where we could go and sit quietly and wait for animals to come drink...it was awesome to sit in silence watching scores of springboks drinking and grazing, then see them all turn in one direction and scamper off b/c they knew something was coming...a few seconds later, an enormous elephant emerged from the trees. wow! it took our breath away! mac took us on a few game drives, one in the afternoon, and a couple of morning drives to try our luck at spotting the big five...and any other exotic african wildlife we were lucky enough to happen upon. we had great luck, despite the fact that plentiful rain made it unlikely that animals would venture close to the roads for water. we saw gorgeous giraffes, hundreds of wildebeest and sprinboks, herds of water bbuffalo, and even a spotted hyena that was so far away we needed mario's high-powered, image-stabilizing binocs to see him! (disney's depiction in the lion king is quite good.) on te afternoon drive we were lucky enough to see a lioness hiding in the brush after killing a young springbok... the poor springbok's leg was unceremoniously tossed across its body, and she was guarding her kill from a few curious jackals after snacking!...speaking of jackals...they are ballsy little wild dogs who have no qualms about lurking in the shadows in the evening then wreaking havoc on trash cans at the camp sites during the night.