We just didn't know where exactly we were.
Of course we knew approximately where we were driving.
First we knew that we were in Africa.
Secondly we knew that we were in Zimbabwe
Thirdly, we were quite sure we were in Gonarezhou National Park, heading in a south easterly direction.
Ant kept a mysterious smile playing around his face.
I suspected that he had a pretty good idea. This, after all, was "His" park and he knew it like the back of his hand.
All 5,053 square kilometres of it.
"If the water level of this pond area is not too high, we might even make it to higher ground" he said.
"And if it is high, or very high?" John asked with some concern on his face.
"Then we'll have to turn around and cut South a little earlier."
Ant did not seem worried a bit.
We kept on driving for another fifteen or twenty minutes, when we all noted that the ground got very wet and very mushy.
Ant stopped our Cruiser and admitted that it might be prudent to turn around and go the other route.
In fact, a few meters from where we had come to a halt, there was almost a little lake. Only about 5 inches deep.
The water level was, indeed, very high, as Ant had feared.
We got out of the Cruiser and, with my camera ready, we walked on for maybe another 50 to 100 meters. The ground became pretty mushy and we made ready to turn around.
"Look over this way" John's eagle eye had spotted a gang of Marabou Storks.
Maybe not the prettiest of birds, they were, however, a great photo-experience.
Marabou will eat just about everything.
Everything that creeps and crawls,
and Carrion, no matter how old.
"They may not win any Beauty Contest, but,
in their way, they are also useful as Natures Clean-Up Crew."
Ant continued his explanations:
"The Adult Marabou has a wingspan of up to 3 meters,
so, in spite of their large body and weight,
they are pretty good flyers."
Ant, with a trace of a smile, continued:
This bird gets to be up to 5 feet tall
and carries his own "air-conditioning" equipment.
"What is this?" asked John, "what air-conditioning-equipment?"
"Well, when it gets very hot,
the Marabou urinates and defecates on his feet.
The liquid in his poo and pee evaporates
and cools the bird from below."
I was too busy photographing to participate in this exchange.
I had learnt by then to read Ant and to know when he was kidding.
I knew then, that he was serious.
"What other interesting fact would you know about this Marabou?"
There was a challenge in John's voice.
Without breaking conversational stride, Ant said:
"His scientific name is 'Leptoptilos crumenifer' "
All three of us broke into unbridled laughter.
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