Biting cold and lion roars outside our tent!

Sunday Pan, Central Kalahari Game Reserve, August 8th kl. 0400 a.m.

“Aaoouu—a soft groan startled me. I slowly lifted my head and peered over my feet. My breath caught. It was a very big lioness—more than 300 pounds—but from ground level she looked even larger. She was moving toward us from about five yards away, her head swinging from side to side and the black tuft on her tail twitching deliberately. I clenched a tuft of grass, held on tight, and froze. The lioness came closer, her broad paws lifting and falling in perfect rhythm, jewels of moisture clinging to her coarse whiskers, her deep-amber eyes looking straight at me. I wanted to wake up Delia, but I was afraid to move.”

― Mark Owens, Cry Of The Kalahari (Quotes at Goodreads)

Deception Pan, August 8th

 

Full moon

It's 4 o'clock in the morning. We have finally fallen into a deep sleep after the day's hardships and after lying and listening to all the sounds around the tent. The children are sleeping safely on the roof of the car. They talked for a long time together before falling asleep. We are completely alone in the world in the middle of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. As far out on the edge as one can get in this world. Suddenly, we are wide awake!! There are all too clear lion roars sounding only about 200 meters west of the tent – there are many of them. We think of the enormous, real Kalahari lions that we just saw at Grasslands Safari Lodge. "Did you hear that?" I ask softly. "Yes," Pia answers. There is no need to say more. We just lie completely still and try to breathe without making a sound. Good thing the children didn't wake up – it's a bad time to call. The minutes pass, seemingly without them coming closer. After about an hour, I hear the lions again, now south of the tent. They are a little farther away. Glad that this is the last night in Central Kalahari. It is too extreme...

In Danish [Kl. er 4 om natten. Vi er endelig faldt I dyb søvn efter dagens strabadser og efter at have ligget og lyttet til alle lyde omkring teltet. Børnene sover trygt på taget af bilen. De talte lang tid sammen, før de faldt i søvn. Vi er helt alene i verden midt i Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Så langt ud på kanten, som man kan komme i denne verden. Pludselig er vi lysvågne!! Der lyder alt for tydelige løvebrøl kun ca. 200 meter vest for teltet – der er mange af dem. Vi tænker på de enorme ægte Kalahari løver, som vi lige har set i Graasslands Safari Lodge . ”Hørte du det”? spørger jeg sagte. ”Ja” svarer Pia. Der er ikke behov for at sige mere. Vi ligger bare helt stille og forsøger at trække vejret uden at lave en lyd. Godt børnene ikke vågnede – det er et dårligt tidspunkt at kalde. Minutterne går, tilsyneladende uden de kommer nærmere. Efter en times tid hører jeg igen løverne, nu syd for teltet. De er lidt længere væk. Glad for at det er sidste nat i Central Kalahari. Der er for ekstremt…]

Kalahari lion