Around the World in 80 Dinners - Bill Jamison [103]
In addition to the “Big Five,” hundreds of other mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians roam around Lalibela. Just on the trip from the check-in desk to Tree Tops, before any of the game drives, we spot hippos resting in a pond, with just their bulbous eyes and the top of their heads protruding above the water. “They may weigh three or more tons,” our driver says, “but they can outrun people. They also cause more human deaths than any other animal in Africa, because they’re extremely territorial in rivers, frequently upending boats and canoes that cross their turf.”
Zebras, warthogs, and many kinds of antelope graze all over the reserve, often darting off when a Rover approaches. Warthogs may look ferocious, with warts on their faces like those of a fairy-tale witch and tusks protruding from the side of their mouths, but they sprint swiftly on their toes in a hilariously dainty fashion, holding their tails straight up. The antelopes—including wildebeest, blesbok, eland, nyala, impala, kudu with beautiful spiraled horns, different duikers, and a number of species with names that end in “buck”—run with amazing elegance. One day our group witnesses a mother blesbok training her baby, leading him in a zigzag pattern across a meadow, with the youngster keeping up in pace and cornering. “They can reach pretty close to full speed,” Juan says, “an hour after they’re born.”
Birds abound as well, from hawks to herons. The secretarybird delights us especially with his 747-landing style. Gliding toward the ground with his long wingspan extended, he comes in fast, touches down once, then scampers at a gradually slowing rate until he loses momentum and stops. The human-size ostriches are one of the gawkiest creatures on the reserve, perhaps helping to make them a dining favorite in the lions’ den.
Tree Tops serves us ostrich once, too, as our Thanksgiving bird actually, though none of the staff knows about the American holiday. Each evening, the kitchen prepares two main dishes, one game and the other not. On this night, both disappoint, the only time that happens, with the ostrich undercooked and the lamb chops overcooked, resulting in tough meat in each case. It doesn’t matter because the salads, vegetable side dishes, and desserts make a full meal in themselves, especially with the array of tasty condiments, including divine sweet-and-sour pickled figs, spicy chutneys, and fresh coconut. The brunches consistently please, providing choices of eggs in different styles, bacon, ham, and other meats such as venison sausage skewers with a chile sauce, sautéed mushrooms, baked tomatoes, fried potatoes, cheese, fruit, juices, jams, and breads.
Xhosa performers entertain us one night after dinner, demonstrating tribal dances (probably modified for show purposes), giving us a practice lesson in their drum rhythms, and trying to teach us to pronounce some of the click-clack sounds of their language. They stage the program by the blazing log fire pit, where the guests gather with wine before and after the evening buffet. All of us take photos of them, and then of the lodge cooks, a robust trio of local tribes-women attired in flowing robes colored gold, mango, and purple, with head wraps to match and smiles as bright as the fabric.
The entertainment continues on our departure day from Lalibela on kulula.com, the discount airline with mostly online booking that we take between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. The company flies vividly painted planes with lime-green leather seats and dresses their attendants in shirts the same hue as the chair cushions, which the crew wears over casual shorts and jeans. The Green Team, as they call themselves, points out the joy