Page 170 - slovenia

He had a high-pitched chuckle and he chuckled frequently. “You planted it there,” we teased him with fake outrage. “It’s a
He was a nerd about scientific biological terms. He was a big stuffed leopard.” Then, of course, it moved.
birder. He kept in contact with other guides by walkie-talkie
radio and seemed to be acquainted with every guide in every We pestered him for Swahili words. Our first lesson was “yes,”
truck. When he sensed we’d had enough of any one scene, “no,” “hello,” and “goodbye” (“ndiyo,” “hapana,” “jambo,” and
he’d turn and say, “Shall we?” And off we’d go after another “kwaheri”). Later we added phrases like “chacula ni kitamu”
elephant or lion or pod of hippos. (the food is tasty). And, of course, the names of animals:
“simba” (lion), “twiga” (giraffe), “tembo” (elephant) and “punda”
His animal radar was uncanny. Driving up out of Ngorongoro (zebra).
crater, he suddenly pulled over and stopped. “Do you see the
leopard?” he asked, pointing to a steep forested slope at least In turn, he taught us a vocabulary of animal sounds. In case
200 yards away. What? No way! “Yes, at the crook of that tree, you ever want to call over a zebra, make a kind of bright “hoo-
half way up.” hoo” noise.

Following his instructions we finally caught a glimpse using By our fifth day together, we’re like three college roommates.
our camera’s zoom lens. We couldn’t believe he spotted it. We spend an hour over lunch at the entrance to Serengeti Na-

170 WDT MAGAZINE SPRING 2017