Buffalo

I was just reading in the guidebook about buffalo and how more people are killed by buffalo in Africa than by any other wild animal. The book says when you encounter a wild one, you're supposed to either throw a rock at them (not my first choice), or try the much safer retreat-steadily-without-taking-your-eyes-off-them-until-they're-gone approach. I wish I had read this before my camping overnight in Akagera Park on Saturday. Let me just tell you some things I learned from my camping trip.



#1. It's not a good idea to "go jogging" or even go for a nice stroll in a gamepark.



#2 When you see a buffalo 2 feet away from you, rise up in the grass and come towards you, it's not a good idea to curse and then run full speed in the other direction. They can run too.



#3 When you trip and fall after running from the buffalo, and all you have is a scraped up knee, elbow, and hands, you thank the good Lord, through your tears.



#4 When you're camping high up on a ridge in the wind, a fire is not an easy thing to start. (even if you're camping with an Eagle Scout.) So don't bring a good book with you, one that you would mind if the pages got torn out.



#5 When camping on the ridge, be prepared to eat only a tomato and a passion fruit for dinner, cause you will never get the fire started, even after pouring hand sanitizer on the wet wood.



#6 Don't waste your good hand sanitizer from the U.S. It's not worth it. Just eat the tomato.



#7Don't be alarmed when you wake up during the night because you hear the buffalo mating. It's natural.



#8 Don't be scared of the zebra that are at your tent in the morning. They are beautiful and harmless creatures. God definitely had a sense of humor when he created zebras!



#9 Giraffes don't like it when you try to run up and pet them. and....



#10 Don't miss the sunset, sunrise, or the stars. There's nothing like it in the open African sky.



I'll post a few pictures in a minute!