Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh, My!

Ok, well, not tigers and bears, but definitely lions! We took a short break from the busy schedule Friday night and Saturday morning to visit the Hlane Royal Game Park with the Rehmeyer clan (missionaries with Children's Cup, reymeyers.blogspot.com). A game drive Friday night followed by impala stew and traditional African dance around a large fire and a second game drive Saturday morning provided a nice get-away. While we did not see large numbers of animals we did have amazing close encounters with the lions. We watched in awe a lion pride with 1 male lion, 3 female lions, and 2 young male lions, getting as close as 20 feet to the "Lion King". Of course, we were in our Land Rover safari vehicle so we had some protection. They are beautiful and look so cute and cuddly... then they yawn and you are quickly reminded of their wild side. You don't want to get any closer to those teeth.

At noon on Saturday we bid farewell to our game guide, Johannes, and headed for the Swaziland/Mozambique border. Leaving Swaziland was quick, easy and painless. Entering Mozambique was another story....

To see more of Syndy's wildlife pictures from Hlane, visit her personal blog: www.SynthiaBAfrica.blogspot.com