Elephants. Yes.

I've never been an elephant person. I've never exactly been a huge fan of the big guys. I mean, I didn't mind them, and I've always thought they're pretty cool, and I've always felt bad whenever I saw or read anything about people killing them for their tusks or enslaving them for hard labor the rest of their lives, but they were just never high up on my list of awesome animals I wanna see in the wild before I die. I've already seen some in zoos, and that was enough. And I never really liked Dumbo either. I mean, what's up with that name? Why would you name a lead character Dumbo? But I digress. We'll get to that some other time.

Anyway, a couple of months ago, I went to South Africa. Where elephants are kinda important. They even have them on the 20-rand bill. The elephant is one of the "Big 5" (which happens to be the theme of their bills) and it'll just be super lame if you don't see one, especially if you actually go on a game drive.

beware wildlife

So, a friend and I spent a day driving around the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve, keeping our eyes out for the Big 5 - lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and of course, elephant. We already saw lions the day before, so they weren't a priority. A leopard would be extremely difficult to spot (pun unintended), so we were resigned to leaving the reserve without seeing one. The rhinos showed up early in the day, and there were buffalo grazing just across the river from where we took a break for lunch. But no elephants. 

white rhino. scary horn there.

On we went, looking left, right, front, back. There were impalas and zebras and warthogs everywhere. Wildebeests here and there. A lone giraffe. A couple of nyalas. Some baboons. A few more rhinos. Elephant tracks. Elephant poop. But no actual elephant.

is it lonely up there?

Then the sun finally started its descent, and fatigue and the lack of sleep were starting to creep up on us, so I grudgingly suggested calling it a day. Perhaps we'll be luckier in the morning. On our way back to camp, we made a wrong turn (and so did the car behind us who thought it would be wise to follow us, tsk), and as we were getting back on track, there it was- up on a hill, chomping on some trees, just going on its merry way, unaware that a few hundred meters below, a very excited human was looking up at it with all the wonder and excitement of a treasure hunter who just found a glittering chest in the middle of nowhere. I never thought an elephant would give me such joy. It was like getting out of the classroom on my last day of university. Like seeing Disneyland for the very first time. Like God literally smiling down at me.

O.O ELEPHANT!!! O.O

And so I decided, at that moment, that I could be an elephant person. Elephants are awesome. I mean, the size of those things! And the ears! And the tusks! And the size of their poop! Epic proportions. Elephants, yes. I even saved a 20-rand bill. Ok, I usually save 20s, but this time I could've saved a 50 but the 50 didn't have an elephant on it. And now I'm thinking, I should probably watch Dumbo again.

Nah...I still don't get the name.