Leopard tracking on the Serengeti

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I was surprinsingly emotional this morning as I stood taking pictures of the sunrise from atop the cliff. Lake Manyara, who would have thought? Today is not only my 35th birthday, but also the one year anniversary of the beginning of the end of my house on Burris street - and my life as I knew it. It was one year ago today that I was supposed to go downtown to meet some friends for a birthday drink and had to cancel because my kitchen was completely flooded. I had no idea what was in store for me at the time, but if you had told me then that this flood would lead to a fire that would leave me homeless, which would lead to a robbery, which would lead me to being posessionless, which would render me completely free with no responsibilities, which would lead me to travel around the world, which would lead me here, to the Serengeti - I may have had trouble believing you. Back then I was so entrenched in my life that I would never have thought any of it possible. However, it was all true because I have been in Africa for three and a half months now with only a few days left before we head to Nepal...........


This is where I want to be. Right now, on my 35th birthday. Leopard tracking on the Serengeti. We have seen every animal that I have wanted to see in Africa so far - except Leopards. Above all, these are the elusive cats I came here to find. And now I am in the truck looking for one. It was a very slow start to the morning. We were tired from the drive in from Lake Manyara in the hot sun with the dusty, potholed, dirt road. Five hours of bouncing around like we were ping-pong balls in the world championships but we're here now, on the Serengeti, and we are searching. Finally Salim, our guide, gets the radio call that they have spotted a leopard in a tree with a gazelle that he has just caught. He is up there having lunch. We are still about 7kms away so Salim slams the truck into gear and we race off. The feeling of 4x4ing through the mud and the potholes, top speed, to go watch this animal eat his prey. It seemed like it took forever, but eventually we arrived, and there he was. A leopard in a tree eating a gazelle.....what a sight. I stood there watching him as I reflected on what a difference a year makes.


We watched the leopard for a very long time until he finally came down from the tree and vanished into the bushes. We would end up seeing three leopards all together and it was the highlight of my time on the Serengeti. We ended up back at the lodge and had dinner with this really nice family from Seattle. After dinner Jordan brought me a piece of cake as everyone sang Happy Birthday, and as I blew the candle out on my 34th year, all I could think of was "Phew, I'm glad that's over".


34 was a tough, pivotal, fateful year. I lost a lot but I gained the world.


Life goes on.







These are the days - 10,000 maniacs

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