‘Planking’ in the middle of the ‘bewildebeest’!

They bewilder everyone these wildebeest. Seemingly without rhyme or reason they cross back and forth the crocodile infested waters each year. Some chase their own tails in utter madness, most just follow the one in front of them trusting his/her judgement with amazing reliability. One day they are as far as the eye can see and the next they have completely disappeared. Some walk into a lion pride, get chased away often losing a compatriot, and then they walk back into the same pride 30 minutes later. Seriously! They are certainly not stupid though. To reach the astronomical numbers they have, they must be clever. Well I think so anyway!

So for the Pragastis’ and I they were everywhere. Not just on the first day, but the next and the next. Like ants in their thousands lining the open plains of the Mara. It is a sight that can never be beaten. No matter how many times you see it you are just blown away by the sheer numbers. One day we sat with over 20,000, bunched together bleating so loudly you could not hear yourself speak, as suddenly chaos struck and they all took off in one direction down to the Sand River. All to ourselves we watched them cross the shallow waters and scramble up the opposite bank. A true wildlife spectacle.

‘Andy, do you know planking?’ Stephanie asked one day. ‘Who?’ I said. Have you ever heard of ‘planking’. Again a new one for me. It entails finding a solid structure that you lie down on horizontally, as flat as possible, and remain in that position for as long as possible. Sounds strange but actually very amusing. Our structure was the one of the cement plinths that delineate the Serengeti from the Mara. We planked across 2 countries, 2 of the best wildlife viewing places in the world and in the midst of thousands of wildebeest. Not many can say they have done that.

In between all of these fun and games we saw lion every day, clans of hyena, ostriches on eggs, hundreds of topi and gazelle, pods of hippo, giant prehistoric crocodiles and we were even lucky enough to see a leopard up a tree. Picnic breakfasts every morning in the shade of an acacia tree or down by the river as well as sunrises and sunsets to die for. What a safari. It will not be the last time I see the Pragastis’ out here. They fallen in love with the beauty of Africa, like so many.