So, in a previous post (about the campus unrest, I believe), I mentioned that this semester I have an office-mate. His name is Todd, and he is a professor at Cornell College in Iowa. He is here with his wife, also a professor, and their two kids ages approximately 9 and 6 (one of whom's name is Eden, believe it or not). Anyway, what I failed to mention at that point was that Todd seems to bring out the extreme adventure side of Ted - the side I try to keep a lid on when it involves me and the kids. Todd was the one who invited Ted to climb Kgale despite all manner of warnings and rumors that it was a bad idea (see the post below). Having conquered Kgale, Todd's next big idea, which took no convincing on Ted's part, was that we should all go camping together in the Central Kalahari, where lions and hyenas roam freely and have been known to explore campsites at night. Guess where we are going this weekend...
When we told some other friends this is what we are doing, they promptly went to their computer and pulled up a picture of a big male lion coming out of one of the bathroom-type facilities at the campsite. It should be noted that they did not take this picture themselves, but said that they found it posted somewhere at the entrance to the Reserve or something like that. It could be fake. But still...
So, this is how the conversation went from there.
Me: I am not taking my kids to the Kalahari unless you have a firm plan for what we do when lions come into the campsite.
Ted: Lions are not going to come into the campsite.
Me: They might. Have you not read Cry of the Kalahari??? Lions were in their campsite all the time. {BTW, this is a very great book by two Americans about the three or four years they spent in the Kalahari studying the lions and hyenas, back when virtually no one had done that. They eventually made the government mad and are now banned from the country. Recommended reading.}
Ted: Ok, well we will just be safe.
Me: JUST BE SAFE?? What kind of plan is that?
Ted: Ok, I will look into it.
Me: I am not going unless you have a plan.
Me to Todd the next morning in our office: I am not taking my kids on this trip unless you and Ted come up with a plan for what to do if lions come into the campsite.
Todd: much laughter.
Me: I am serious, and I KNOW you have read Cry of the Kalahari. Then I tell him about the picture of the lion coming out of the bathroom facility.
Todd: Oh, that is not good. If we are going to be eaten by lions, it will be much cooler to do it while fighting them off at our campsite then to just be surprised by them while going to the bathroom.
Me to myself: I am going to die.
Since this time, Todd (but not Ted, I should say) has managed to identify two strategies: firecrackers, and lots of really strong bug spray.
Deb (Todd's wife and I) on the other hand, have tried to think of how we will design the layout of the campsite to have the quickest escape route from the tents to the trucks. Deb also came up with the most intelligent and creative, yet practical, strategy of all: buying Depends for late night emergencies, so as not to have to wander out of the tent in the middle of the night and risk being surprised by a big ferocious beast...
Keep your fingers crossed for us.
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2 comments:
I think the fire crackers sound like a good idea! What about a flare to alert authorities? :)
Girl, you are not going to sleep a wink this weekend. I hope you have a plan to recover emotionally and physically when you return (physically not b/c of the lions, of course, but b/c you're going to be so stinking tired!).
Prayers for safety are all yours this weekend. We are taking N to the zoo for the first time tomorrow and you KNOW I am going to be thinking of you when we see the lions :) (and when we feed the giraffes!).
hugs friend, cm
By the way - I had no idea that Ted had such an extreme adventure side. Would be fun to go camping with your Nitza's one of these days - sans lions!
whatever you do, don't run.
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