Monday 2 May 2011

Africa: Thrill seeking - and finding


My brother took his kids to Disney World for the Easter holidays, but really, how scary is Magic Mountain compared to being charged by a black rhino?

The thrills in Africa can catch you when you least expect it. Take our first night at Hlane, a beautiful game reserve in Swaziland with electricity-free, screened houses for our accommodation. The paraffin lamps added a real romance to the whole African experience. We were cooking our own dinner that night and pottering in the kitchen. I reached for what I thought was a tea-towel behind the dish rack but it was cold and scaly and moved - eek. I'd just tried to grab a snake.

It really did look like a cloth in the dark.



Unsure if it was poisonous, we sent for the guide. He arrived fresh from entertaining other guests with a traditional dance routine, resplendent in warrior skins - how appropriate!
'Not poisonous', he declared as he grabbed it by the tail, making me think it must still have a decent bite the way he held it at arms-length and avoided the head-end.
It wriggled quickly and made its escape - back through a hole in the tiles above the kitchen bench. Hmmm. I was quite glad this was our friends' house!! (Not to be out done, we found a wicked-looking black scorpion on our bag as we left our house, so the distribution of scary things was fairly even as it so happened!)

The chopping board and knife were for marinated chicken...really!


And check out the spiders!!! We found lots of these walking - I quickly learnt to walk up the back.


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

OK - So all of a suddeen Africa doesn't sound like so much Fun to this arachnophobe!!

Mother Who Works said...

One of my colleagues suggested New Zealand for a holiday - nothing can kill you there apparently!

Anonymous said...

MWW, you have shoes that look like that snake!

Mother Who Works said...

Indeed I do!

Anonymous said...

It helps not to think to hard about these things or look to closely at strange shapes in the dark... and by the way the guide was kidding you, thats a baby carpet viper.

Anonymous said...

Love a snake story particularly when I'm not involved. What a fantastic trip. Africa is my dream holiday. Return safely.

Mother Who Works said...

What's a carpet viper????? No seriously.... tell me.

Unknown said...

I bet it was poisonous and he just didn't want to alarm you any more. I would have crapped myself!

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