Hungry, Hungry Hippo, right outside OUR tent!
Christmas Barbecue dinner
If we couldn't be home, dining on turkey and mashed potatoes, and Grandma's big Christmas Eve spread, this dinner was the next best thing. We were happily exhausted from our safari, and gathered back at camp for a big barbecue meal of roasted goat, chicken, grilled veggies, and all the fixins.' The Canadian reindeer joined us. :) Before too long, Mikela (the palliative care doctor and mother of six), and her son Ruben started scheming up a way for all the guys to chase after the random warthogs in camp, mount them, and put the reindeer antlers on the warthogs. Ethan, Greg, and Joe took to this plan with delightment, but wanted to wait a little while, and really get a plan going. (or get their nerve up.) The girls just wanted them to go ahead and do it, so we could snap a picture and go to bed. Bets were made, and prayers were said. Us ladies were gung-ho at the idea (probably because it didn't involve us,), but the boys kept delaying.
Just as we were all sitting around the table, discussing our plan, and laughing at the day's events, a massive hippo comes walking up out of the bushes, and walks right behind our table! He was about 5 feet away from us! The owner had warned us earlier that sometimes stray hippos roam into camp, because they've had a fight with another hippo down by the water, and they've been excommunicated from their hippos family. (we could tell that was the case with this one, from the gash marks on its skin.) It's sad, but true! Anyway, we honestly didn't expect for it to happen when we were there, especially when we were right in the middle of eating our Christmas dinner! I think all of us were shell-shocked at first, and it didn't really hit us that it was a hippo! I think I yelled, why don't you put the antlers on that! Then it hit us, whoa! It's a HIPPO! Immediately the whole place got quiet, and the owner motioned for people to stay calm and don't take pictures because the flash freaks it out. So, after a few moments of astonishment, we started walking gingerly towards the hippo, as it roamed through our camp! We made sure to stay a good distance away, but we were in awe, and sooo curious to get a better look! Ethan was the bravest (or dumbest; however you wanna look at it,) and snapped this great pic of the hippo walking right in front of our tent! It was just so surreal, and actually very sobering to witness this massive creature, weighing like up to 3 tons, so near to us. Hippos are one of the most aggressive animals, and most dangerous in Africa, and they can easily outrun a human being. It was pretty awesome seeing this creature up close!
As the evening progressed, we got used to the hippo, and just went about our business; I walked right past it going to brush my teeth for bed. Then, I woke up at 2:30 in the morning, needing to find the outhouse. I looked over and Ethan's bed was empty, but I definitely heard the guys outside acting crazy. I started to step out of my tent, then heard Heather say, there's the hippo! Without my glasses on, I couldn't tell. But I soon realized the hippo was standing right in front of my tent! So I hurried and zipped it back up, and decided to wait it out. (The owner told us that a month ago, two hippos got in a fight and tore down a tent with a couple inside! They escaped unharmed, but pretty shaken up!) So I just laid still in my bed, and didn't move; hoping it would go away. Every 10 minutes or so, I would creep up and unzip a few inches of the tent, and still see it's massive body close by. Nope. Back in bed. Guess I was going to have to hold it. Finally, he walked to the next tent, and I made a careful dash/fast walk to the outhouse. That's when Heather and I saw Greg, Joe, and Ethan acting a fool. They had finally gotten up the nerve to place the antlers on the warthog, but the hippo had chased off all the warthogs, so the boys were just roaming around in the dark....Joe with a long piece of French bread, Ethan holding the antlers, and Greg with the camera. They kept having to dodge the hippo. After another half hour of watching this circus play out in front of us, we coaxed our beloved boys safely back into their tents, so they could live to see another Christmas Day. This was truly one Christmas I will never forget. :)
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