So we were in Lake Nakuru National Park.
(Quiet instead of busy. Tents instead of luxury accommodation. Rains instead of sun.*)
We were checking out some rhinos, as you do, when the guide driving us takes a hard right off the track.
He absolutely floors it, and starts heading towards a little cluster of trees a couple hundred metres away.
(I think this is probably a crime, so don't tell anyone, okay?)
We ask him what he saw, and in between frantic heaves at the steering wheel, he says,
"Leopard."
He spares a hand to point for our untrained eyes. A couple of times, actually. Our eyes are very untrained.
"That tree there."
And then we saw it. In that tree there. A flash of movement, and a long tail whisking into the long grass.
It was too quick for photos, but we definitely saw it.
We take a moment to let our heart rates com and reassure each other that it definitely counts as a sighting, while our driver does slow orbits back towards the track.
And then -
"There he is!"
Just strolling towards us, casual as you like, totally unfazed at being flushed out of his tree by a rampaging four wheel drive.
He comes closer. And closer.
And the cheeky bastard crosses the road right in front of us.
We saw a heap of stuff that day, too much for one email, but we already knew that was the highlight - and as if we needed any confirmation, the guide stopped every other car he saw for the rest of the day and told them about it.
As we left the park, he asked if we had any photos we could send him. We wondered out loud if there was a guide's group he was going to post them in and brag.
"Yes," he says, "but you don't need to brag. You just post the photo. And they know."
And now you know too. 😉
Rocky.
* Yes, we played Toto.