Tired out by the excitement of the previous evening's leopard encounter, I decided to have a lie-in. Accordingly I hung the little cardboard giraffe over the handle of my door - "Please do not disturb me - I am tired and do not want to go on safari." Lying in bed that morning, looking straight out over the lagoon was the height of luxury. Deer and antelope lapped at the water below whilst monkeys chattered and squabbled furiously alongside. The sun was up and already getting warm but my tent was still delightfully cool as I wandered around dressing and revelling in the view.

Making my way to the main area, I discovered that all the others had gone out on the walk but that Marianne had laid out cereals and fresh muffins for me whilst I waited for brunch. Embarrassed at causing her extra work, she immediately told me not to even consider it. "It's your holiday, you should be able to do just what you want to. Don't worry about it for another second." Thus reassured, I sat down to coffee and a muffin, saving my appetite for a real brunch in a few hours. Hot and tired, but all looking very pleased with themselves, the others came back just after 11am. It turned out that they had gone to see if last night's leopard was still around and had found it lying in a tree, guarding its prey. Reuben, who always carries loads of cameras and lenses with him, was convinced he'd got the picture of the century (he had too - he emailed it to me when he got home. All floppy paws and watchful eyes - fantastic).

After brunch, Reuben and Clare retired for a siesta, Shana settled down in the lounge area with a book and Steve and I chatted with James as he cleaned his rifle. As well as Keennan, James is also a fully qualified walking guide, the Bushcamp Company having spotted his potential and paid for him to go through the rigorous 2-year training programme. A shy man with a warm smile, he was delighted to have been assigned back to Bushcamps by the National Park authorities. Although he carries a gun capable of felling an elephant, James has never had to shoot any animal whilst on a walk. Instead he relies on his knowledge of the animals and the walking conditions to keep his party safe - the only time he has fired the gun was into the air to deter a bad-tempered hippo! Nevertheless, like any good scout, James believes in being prepared and this cleaning of his gun was a regular and important task. More peace of mind for us!

Having spent a lazy day, I was raring to go for a walk after tea. As ever, the animals were easy to spot and relatively undisturbed by our presence. As we turned towards them, a herd of zebra decided we were close enough and took off at a rate of knots. Clare, who's ears must have been sharper than the rest of us, frowned, giggled and asked Keennan "Am I hearing things or are those zebras, er, expelling wind?!" Keennan, with a smile, hastened to assure her that she wasn't going mad. Because of the tough grass which zebras graze on, their digestive system isn't that efficient and this causes them to fart when they run. A new law of the jungle - never get downwind of a fleeing zebra!!

Back in camp, after enjoying sundowners on the river banks, Marianne had got the braai going. As this was Reuben and Clare's wedding anniversary, they were going to enjoy a private meal served to them in the privacy of the balcony of their chalet - how romantic can you get? Their table was laid with a white cloth, silver candlesticks and a glistening ice bucket - definately an anniversary to remember ( and I must remember to come back to Chindeni when I have a special occasion to celebrate!). The rest of us sipped some more beers as Marianne grilled and basted tender baby chickens and huge fillet steaks. Tomorrow we would be off to our third camp - Bilimungwe, the Chameleon camp - what changes would that bring?
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