Melinda's Safari Top 10 Picks

10. Surviving the Attack of the Vampire Tsetse Flies.
9. Waking up to the Cape turtle-doves calling "Work harder, work harder," followed by a cup of strong coffee and a rusk.
8. Watching elephants and how carefully they protect their youngest ones.
7. The expression on Paulina's face when we spotted our first giraffe.
6. Lying in a tent, in the bush, reading my Nook and listening to the African silence.
5. The food cooked for us in the bush--wonderful stews, desserts, whole meals grilled over the coals of our campfires(our celebration for July 4th included grilled steaks the size of the original 13 colonies).
4. First look at the dark chanting goshawk, to complete the chanting goshawk list (I saw the pale chanting goshawk--sounds like a bird from Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, doesn't it?--on my first visit to Zambia).
3. Two long, close sightings of lions with cubs.
2. Pel's fishing owl. Avid birders will know why this is high on the list.
1. African wild dogs--my first sighting in eight trips to Africa.