I also wanted to tell one more story from S Luangwa. The owner of the lodge was an Italian businessman. He just happened to show up while we were there. He promotes his lodge heavily in Italy. There was also a newly married Italian couple staying there. They spent most of the time in their cottage although they did go out for a game drive with us. Talk about clueless! I think you could find a better Honeymoon spot for a lot less money especially if you don't really care all that much about wildlife. But I digress.
One evening we were having dinner with the owner in the outdoor dining area. There was a huge commotion just off the patio. One of the guides grabbed a spotlight from behind the bar. He shone it into the darkness and we were amazed to see a 15' crocodile on the grass! No wonder they didn't want us to be wandering outside after dark. We were enjoying the sight when the owner said, "Hey! Let's get a better look!" Now normally the guides would keep us a safe distance from potential danger, but when the owner wants a closer look, you get a closer look. We all started moving closer to this mammoth reptile. My inner voice was screaming, "Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!" but it was just so awesome to be so close to this critter! We got to within 10' of it. Now my little voice is screaming, "Are you fucking mad! This thing will EAT YOU! This is not Disneyland! This is not a zoo! There is NOTHING between you and jaws of death!" I stopped. The rest of the group took one more step before the croc reared up, spun around, and growled. If this had been the Olympics I would have easily won the 100-yard dash. I think I headed over to the bar to order myself a nice drink after that. Unfortunately I hadn't brought my camera to dinner. *cries*
