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First night in the bush

07 Aug 2013

Ranger Rom Portrait Hey guys! I’m Ranger Rom and this is our very first African Safari Adventure report. Hope you’ll be joining us for all of them!

Romiko Portrait Hi guys - I’m Romiko! My buddy Ranger Rom and I are here in southern Africa to learn how to be professional field guides at the Selati Game Reserve.

Ranger Rom Portrait We’re so excited to have finally made it here! Right now we’re relaxing around the warm glow campfire after supper, listening to the peaceful sounds of the African bush …

Romiko and Ranger Rom enjoying the sounds of wildlife and the campfire glow

Romiko Portrait Wait a minute, what was that?

Ranger Rom Portrait Sounded like a lion roaring!

Romiko Portrait A lion roaring quite nearby!

Ranger Rom Portrait Yep. Or maybe a leopard …

Romiko Portrait Yikes - perhaps we should climb a tree!

Ranger Rom Portrait Nah, think I’ll just pop back into my shell! And anyway, leopards can climb trees too, remember? Look, just sit down again - relax!

Romiko Portrait Relax? How can I?

Lisha the leopard hiding behind the bush

Ranger Rom Portrait If you’re going to be in the African bush for a whole year, you gotta learn to live with our animal buddies. Make yourself think about something else!

Romiko Portrait What - about being eaten alive?

Ranger Rom Portrait No-o! Let’s tell our readers the story of how we got here!

Romiko Portrait Well, OK …

Ranger Rom Portrait I’ll start. One day you were sitting in your boring old office, in the dirty, noisy, crowded city -

Romiko Portrait dreaming of adventure, of fantastic wildlife, of escape to the African bush! I sighed, staring at my computer screen. ‘What’s the use,’ I thought, ‘it’s only a dream … ’

Ranger Rom Portrait (grinning) And then -

Romiko Portrait And then I heard a voice - out of the blue! Not very loud, but quite clear: ‘Well, what are you waiting for?’

Ranger Rom Portrait (chuckles) That surprised you!

Romiko Portrait Sure did! I looked around, but there was no one. Just me and my desk and four walls. Oh, and that dusty looking terrarium in the corner …

Romiko and Ranger Rom bored in the cramped office

Oh oh, I thought, I really am going crazy!

Ranger Rom Portrait And then you heard it again!

Romiko Portrait Yep! ‘You heard me,’ the voice said, ‘what are you waiting for? What’s the point of just sitting there, when you could be roaming the wilds of Africa, living your dream?’ Well my heart started pumping; I looked around wildly …

Ranger Rom Portrait And then … Ta daa!

Romiko Portrait I saw you! Your funny tortoise face, staring at me, through the glass.

Ranger Rom Portrait You’d hardly taken any notice of me before! (Sigh) Nobody had …

Romiko Portrait I just thought you were just this poor old tortoise, plodding hopelessly around the terrarium!

Ranger Rom Portrait Excuse me. Not just any old tortoise! Hmph! An extremely rare, Geometric Tortoise.

Ranger Rom driving a 4x4 with his geometric tortiouse family being chased by poachers

There are only about 200 of us left on the entire planet!

Romiko Portrait I know, I know … (Pats Ranger Rom on the head) You’re extremely special! Anyway, I stared back at you, cleared my throat and said - ‘Pardon me Mr Tortoise - did you say that?’ (I sure was glad there was no one else in the room to hear me!)

Ranger Rom Portrait And I said: ‘Who else would have said it?’ And then I got down to business. ‘Listen,’ I said, ‘you gotta get me out of here! Back to Africa, where I know we both belong!’

Romiko Portrait So I went straight to my boss and resigned - just like that! And I told him I was taking you with me. That you’d been kidnapped by poachers and sold into pet slavery.

Ranger Rom Portrait Which was true!

Romiko Portrait and we were going to liberate you, back to your African home.

Ranger Rom Portrait So before we knew it, we were on the plane, enjoying all the benefits of 21st Century travel ☺.

Ranger Rom, Romiko and the unknown Kimba on the Aeriplane

Romiko Portrait Now happily adopting a much simpler life here in the Selati Game Park! Ahh, this is my idea of heaven …

Ranger Rom, Romiko and the unknown Kimba on the Aeriplane

Ranger Rom Portrait Listen, there’s that roar again …

Romiko Portrait Yikes - that was really close!!

Ranger Rom Portrait Hey you fellow safari trekkers - keep an eye out for the next installment of our crazy wildlife adventure!

Romiko Portrait ☺ If we haven’t become Big Cat Supper in the meantime!

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