I would assume that anyone who dabbles with photography looks forward to their first safari experience. Â Months of anticipation came true when I was able to spend three days and two nights at Quatermain's 1920's Safari at Amakhala Game Preserve in South Africa. Â Our guides Lunghi and Jenna took me on 4 separate drives, each one between 3 and 4 hours long. Â The Quatermain has three tents, and gives one an experience away from lights, internet, and all of the other things that distract. Â They also provide evening dinners and the "old-fashioned safari experience." Â For me it was the perfect way to experience a photo safari.
I tried something new and carried two cameras with me, my Nikon D5000 with a Sigma 150mm-600mm and my wife Tonia's Nikon D5300 with a Tamron 18mm-200mm. Â It made it easy to have both the zoom and wide angle option. Â Together I took hundreds of shots, and saw hundreds of animals. The shot that accompanies this blog post was of one of the White Rhinos that was in the preserve. Â I knew that I'd love seeing the elephants, giraffes, lions, buffalo and zebras. Â I was unprepared for the emotional excitement at seeing the Rhinos, it was thrilling. Perhaps the most exciting for me personally was to see cheetahs. Â On one drive we saw a mother cheetah with her four cubs and then in a subsequent drive we saw the male cheetah in the brush, what a fantastic sensation.
Additionally, I was able to take night shots of the milky way, under some of the darkest skies I have ever experienced in my life. Â The milky way from the southern hemisphere is sensational, just spectacular. Â It was riveting. Â On both evenings I spent time gazing up into the sky, enjoying the view of all of the less familiar stars of the southern hemisphere. Â I believe that the northern hemisphere has more constellations, but the southern hemisphere has more impressive milky way. Â
Anyone who knows me, as a linguist and foreign language educator, knows that I love the sounds of new languages. Â The safari was also my first experience to spend time with Xhosa speakers (bring on the clicks)! Â So, in addition to the photography, here are the Xhosa words that I learned on this trip (thanks Lunghi and Jenna).
Hello â molo
Goodbye â hamba garhle
Good night â lala garhle
Thank you â enkosi
Letâs XXX â mas XXX
How are you doing? â njani
I am fine. â dipilile
Hurry up - baleka
Sleep â lala
Go â hamba
Go home â hamba ikhaya
See â jonga
Stop â misa
Talk â thetha
Drink â puza, sela
Home â ikhaya
Onwabile â happy
Meat â inyama
Water â amanzi
Here â apha
Where â phi
Now â ngoku
There â phaya
A little bit â kannini
Lion â ingonyama
Elephant â indlovu
Rhino, white â umkhombe
Rhino, black - beijan
Buffalo â inyathi
Giraffe â indlulamthi
Hippo â imvubu
Zebra â iqwarha
Tortoise â ufudo
Cheetah (leopard) â ihlosi
Animal â ynamazan
Leopard â inwe