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The army of elephants stood stiffly, alert and 3)imposing, their powerful gray 4)silhouettes facing our open-air 5)Land Cruiser. It was our second night on safari, and the sky was dark and 6)foreboding as we drove alongside Botswana’s Khwai River, a 7)tributary that feeds into the 8)Okavango Delta, on the northern border of the 9)Moremi Game Reserve.
Hundreds of elephants filled the river, bathing and drinking, after the heat of the day had 10)sub-sided. Seemingly endless herds continued to arrive, like phantoms, mutely making their way from the brush to the water. We had parked next to the river to quietly observe the herds.
I sat silently, wrapped in darkness, with three other safari goers, and our guide. The calm and tranquility was abruptly shattered when a vehicle 11)careened down the dusty road, obviously in a hurry and with little interest in watching elephants or concern for startling them.
Our guide, Dave Carson, sensing the animals’ surprise and tension, remained calm, but on high alert. “Are you ready for a show?” he asked. I held my breath, not knowing what to expect. The elephants panicked and tore through the water, trunks in the air, 12)trumpeting and screaming. Nearly 30 enormous animals 13)stampeded toward us, looking like a wall of 14)doom and sounding like a rushing waterfall.
My heart raced; I couldn’t breathe. Mere feet from a mass collision of flesh on metal, the 15)tirade of elephants veered to the left, running behind our vehicle and disappearing into the bush. I 16)heaved a hot breath and sighs of relief were heard all around.
It was my first trip to Africa, the land of dreams, rugged and untamed. I wanted to witness one of Earth’s last wild 17)strongholds—a feral frontier—before it’s gone. Botswana, in south-central Africa, I was told, is the place to do just that: a land teeming with wildlife, but few tourists.
Our adventure began at a small airport in 18)Maun, gateway to the Okavango Delta, the world’s largest inland delta. As we journeyed through barren desert toward one of the delta’s wet, outstretched fingers, the landscape transformed from lifeless desolation to wildlife heaven. I watched, mesmerized, as a monstrous, confident, wild-elephant bull 19)sauntered across the dirt road mere feet away. He 20)strutted slowly, with 21)uncanny silence, his enormous gray feet kissing the earth without a whisper.
The spicy smells of 22)sage and wild 23)basil wafted through the dry air. Regal giraffes stretched long necks, browsing on 24)acacia trees lush with yellow, fragrant blossoms. 25)Impala gracefully leapt through golden grasses alongside grazing zebra and 26)waterbuck. Within the 27)marshy reeds and lilies of the waterway, a 28)hippo-potamus bubbled. Then, eyes peeked out, slow, curious, intense. Purplish-gray nostrils breached, 29)snorted, and then submerged, disappearing under a glassy surface.
Three large, 30)tawny figures took shape among the 31)ocher grasses alongside the road. Lions! A large, commanding male shot up and stared at us with daunting yellow eyes. We were in awe. He was not, however, and quickly fell back down with a thump, and went to sleep.
Not far from the lions, our campsite was tucked into a cozy 32)grove of acacia trees. A cheerful staff greeted us with a candlelight dinner. To my surprise, it wasn’t typical campfire fare. Instead, we were treated to 33)butternut-squash soup, 34)quiche, fresh-baked bread, vegetables and wine.
My tent was as delightful and extravagant as the meal—a roomy tent adorned with a comfortable bed, a hurricane lantern and nightstand. Most surprising, and certainly a bit of a relief, was its attached primitive bathroom and shower. After seeing the lions, the idea of leaving the tent for a midnight visit to the 35)latrine wasn’t appealing.
Despite the 36)comfy beds, sleep was nearly impossible, as I lay awake, reeling with excitement, listening to the fascinating foreign sounds of the night: deep 37)guttural moans from lions in the distance; choruses of 38)painted reed frogs like a symphony of bamboo 39)wind chimes; the nearby 40)whooping of 41)hyena; a hippos’ 42)rowdy 43)honks, groans and snorts were comical-sounding, like hundreds of 44)whoopee cushions. With the morning came a whole new world of music from the birds, chattering to the 45)drone of thousands of bees in the treetops.
A peculiar blend of 46)adrenaline and a sense of total serenity was the prevalent feeling while living in Botswana’s wilderness. Within days, we observed enormous herds of 47)cape buffalo, zebra and antelope. We witnessed the 48)ferociousness of lions, 49)ambushing and killing an unlucky 50)warthog right in front of our eyes. On another day, we saw how the entire ecosystem teams up against the predators, as a male lion was nearly killed by a hippo, while crossing a river, and then was charged by bull elephants when he eventually made it to land.
I was forewarned that the magic of Africa would forever change me; it would be stirring in my blood. Indeed, it’s true.
一群大象一动不动地站在那里，警觉而又威严，他们庞大的灰色身影正对着我们乘坐的敞篷陆地巡洋舰。这是我们远征的第二个晚上，我们正在莫雷米动物保护区的北部边境上，沿着流进奥卡万戈三角洲的支流——博茨瓦纳共和国的克夸伊河行驶，天空黑压压的，似乎在预示着什么。
在当天的热浪退去后，数百头大象挤满了河，在河中沐浴、饮水。更多的象群像幽灵般到来，似乎看不到尽头，它们静静地从岸上的灌木丛走入水中。我们把车停在河边，默默地观察着这一切。
我与另外三名驴友，还有我们的导游静静地坐在黑暗中。一辆车从沙尘滚滚的路上斜冲下来，突然打破了此刻的祥和宁静。车上的人显然正在赶路，并且对观大象毫无兴趣，或者说对大象可能受到惊吓毫不关心。
我们的导游戴夫·卡尔森感觉到象群受到了惊吓而且很紧张，他保持着镇定，但很警觉。“你们准备好看一场好戏了吗？”他问道。我屏住呼吸，不明白接下来会发生什么。惊慌的象群在水中挣扎，象鼻高高扬起在空中，它们高声叫着、喊着。将近30头大象朝我们狂奔而来，那声音听起来就像咆哮的瀑布，看上去就像是厄运迎面扑来。
我的心跳加速，喘不过气来。眼看肉体之躯与金属在咫尺之间就要大规模地相撞了，怒气冲冲的大象却向左转，跑过我们的车，消失在丛林中。我艰难地吁了一口气，也听到周围的人都松了一口气。
这是我第一次到非洲，这是一个充满梦想的地方，粗犷而野性。我希望在地球上最后留存的蛮荒要塞之一 ——野生世界的边疆消失之前亲身体验一下。有人告诉我，位于非洲南部的博茨瓦纳正是一个实现这种愿望的地方：那里到处都是野生动物，但游客却不多。
我们的探险活动从马翁镇的一个小机场开始，这里是通向世界上最大的内陆三角洲——奥卡万戈三角洲的门户。随着我们穿越荒芜的沙漠向奥卡万戈三角洲上的一片湿润的、延伸的指状地域进发，风景也从毫无生气的荒凉地带过渡到野生动物的天堂。我呆呆地看着身躯庞大的野生雄象自信地在咫尺之遥的泥路上游荡。他神秘地沉默着，大摇大摆地缓行，粗大的灰色象脚无声无息地亲吻着大地。
鼠尾草和野罗勒草辛辣的气味在干燥的空气中飘散。威严的长颈鹿伸着长长的脖子，吃着金合欢树上幽香的黄花。金黄的草地上，黑斑羚姿态优雅地从正在金色草地上吃草的斑马和大羚羊身边跳过。在长满芦苇和百合花的沼泽中，一只河马在喷着水泡。接着，它那眯着的眼睛慢慢地从水里冒出来，充满好奇又不乏紧张。它那灰中带紫的鼻孔冒出水面，喷着鼻息，然后又沉入水中，消失在长满绿草的水面上。
三个庞大的黄褐色身影出现在路边赭色的草丛中。狮子！一只威风凛凛的巨大雄狮噌地站了起来，睁大吓人的黄眼睛盯着我们。我们都吓呆了。但是它没有惊讶，而是很快又重重地往后倒了下去，睡着了。
我们的营地在离狮子不远的地方，藏在舒适的金合欢树林里。一班欢快的营地工作人员用烛光晚餐来欢迎我们。让我意外的是，这并不是典型的营火晚餐。我们的晚餐有胡桃南瓜汤、乳蛋饼、刚出炉的面包、蔬菜和酒。
我的帐篷就像晚餐一样奢华，让人愉快。宽敞的帐篷里有一张舒适的床、一盏防风灯和一张床头小桌。最让我吃惊也让我松了一口气的是里面附带着简陋的厕所和沐浴设备。在看到狮子后，要在深夜离开帐篷去解手的念头实在是不怎么样。
尽管床铺舒适，但入睡几乎是不可能的。我清醒地躺着，仍未从兴奋中回过神来，听着夜晚传来的奇妙却又陌生的声音：远处的狮子低沉的呜咽声；理纹非洲树蛙的合唱如同竹风铃奏出的一首交响乐；鬣狗嗬嗬的叫声；河马吵闹的叫声、嘎吱声和喷鼻声听起来很滑稽，就像数百只气垫发出的欢快的声响。随着清晨到来的则是完全不一样的音乐，有鸟叫声，也有树顶上数千只蜜蜂的嗡嗡声。
在博茨瓦纳的野外生活的人，心里会同时充塞着一种特殊的激动和一种彻底的平静。数天内，我们观察了大群的非洲水牛、斑马和羚羊，我们目睹了狮子的凶残，看到狮子就在我们眼前伏击并杀死了一只倒霉的疣猪。有一天，我们看到生物链成员联手对付捕食者的场景：一头雄狮在过河的时候差点被一只河马杀掉，然后等他终于上了岸，又被一群雄象袭击。
早就有人提醒我说，非洲不可思议的魔力会永远地改变我，它会在我的血液里流动。确实，这话是真的。
Hundreds of elephants filled the river, bathing and drinking, after the heat of the day had 10)sub-sided. Seemingly endless herds continued to arrive, like phantoms, mutely making their way from the brush to the water. We had parked next to the river to quietly observe the herds.
I sat silently, wrapped in darkness, with three other safari goers, and our guide. The calm and tranquility was abruptly shattered when a vehicle 11)careened down the dusty road, obviously in a hurry and with little interest in watching elephants or concern for startling them.
Our guide, Dave Carson, sensing the animals’ surprise and tension, remained calm, but on high alert. “Are you ready for a show?” he asked. I held my breath, not knowing what to expect. The elephants panicked and tore through the water, trunks in the air, 12)trumpeting and screaming. Nearly 30 enormous animals 13)stampeded toward us, looking like a wall of 14)doom and sounding like a rushing waterfall.
My heart raced; I couldn’t breathe. Mere feet from a mass collision of flesh on metal, the 15)tirade of elephants veered to the left, running behind our vehicle and disappearing into the bush. I 16)heaved a hot breath and sighs of relief were heard all around.
It was my first trip to Africa, the land of dreams, rugged and untamed. I wanted to witness one of Earth’s last wild 17)strongholds—a feral frontier—before it’s gone. Botswana, in south-central Africa, I was told, is the place to do just that: a land teeming with wildlife, but few tourists.
Our adventure began at a small airport in 18)Maun, gateway to the Okavango Delta, the world’s largest inland delta. As we journeyed through barren desert toward one of the delta’s wet, outstretched fingers, the landscape transformed from lifeless desolation to wildlife heaven. I watched, mesmerized, as a monstrous, confident, wild-elephant bull 19)sauntered across the dirt road mere feet away. He 20)strutted slowly, with 21)uncanny silence, his enormous gray feet kissing the earth without a whisper.
The spicy smells of 22)sage and wild 23)basil wafted through the dry air. Regal giraffes stretched long necks, browsing on 24)acacia trees lush with yellow, fragrant blossoms. 25)Impala gracefully leapt through golden grasses alongside grazing zebra and 26)waterbuck. Within the 27)marshy reeds and lilies of the waterway, a 28)hippo-potamus bubbled. Then, eyes peeked out, slow, curious, intense. Purplish-gray nostrils breached, 29)snorted, and then submerged, disappearing under a glassy surface.
Three large, 30)tawny figures took shape among the 31)ocher grasses alongside the road. Lions! A large, commanding male shot up and stared at us with daunting yellow eyes. We were in awe. He was not, however, and quickly fell back down with a thump, and went to sleep.
Not far from the lions, our campsite was tucked into a cozy 32)grove of acacia trees. A cheerful staff greeted us with a candlelight dinner. To my surprise, it wasn’t typical campfire fare. Instead, we were treated to 33)butternut-squash soup, 34)quiche, fresh-baked bread, vegetables and wine.
My tent was as delightful and extravagant as the meal—a roomy tent adorned with a comfortable bed, a hurricane lantern and nightstand. Most surprising, and certainly a bit of a relief, was its attached primitive bathroom and shower. After seeing the lions, the idea of leaving the tent for a midnight visit to the 35)latrine wasn’t appealing.
Despite the 36)comfy beds, sleep was nearly impossible, as I lay awake, reeling with excitement, listening to the fascinating foreign sounds of the night: deep 37)guttural moans from lions in the distance; choruses of 38)painted reed frogs like a symphony of bamboo 39)wind chimes; the nearby 40)whooping of 41)hyena; a hippos’ 42)rowdy 43)honks, groans and snorts were comical-sounding, like hundreds of 44)whoopee cushions. With the morning came a whole new world of music from the birds, chattering to the 45)drone of thousands of bees in the treetops.
A peculiar blend of 46)adrenaline and a sense of total serenity was the prevalent feeling while living in Botswana’s wilderness. Within days, we observed enormous herds of 47)cape buffalo, zebra and antelope. We witnessed the 48)ferociousness of lions, 49)ambushing and killing an unlucky 50)warthog right in front of our eyes. On another day, we saw how the entire ecosystem teams up against the predators, as a male lion was nearly killed by a hippo, while crossing a river, and then was charged by bull elephants when he eventually made it to land.
I was forewarned that the magic of Africa would forever change me; it would be stirring in my blood. Indeed, it’s true.
一群大象一动不动地站在那里，警觉而又威严，他们庞大的灰色身影正对着我们乘坐的敞篷陆地巡洋舰。这是我们远征的第二个晚上，我们正在莫雷米动物保护区的北部边境上，沿着流进奥卡万戈三角洲的支流——博茨瓦纳共和国的克夸伊河行驶，天空黑压压的，似乎在预示着什么。
在当天的热浪退去后，数百头大象挤满了河，在河中沐浴、饮水。更多的象群像幽灵般到来，似乎看不到尽头，它们静静地从岸上的灌木丛走入水中。我们把车停在河边，默默地观察着这一切。
我与另外三名驴友，还有我们的导游静静地坐在黑暗中。一辆车从沙尘滚滚的路上斜冲下来，突然打破了此刻的祥和宁静。车上的人显然正在赶路，并且对观大象毫无兴趣，或者说对大象可能受到惊吓毫不关心。
我们的导游戴夫·卡尔森感觉到象群受到了惊吓而且很紧张，他保持着镇定，但很警觉。“你们准备好看一场好戏了吗？”他问道。我屏住呼吸，不明白接下来会发生什么。惊慌的象群在水中挣扎，象鼻高高扬起在空中，它们高声叫着、喊着。将近30头大象朝我们狂奔而来，那声音听起来就像咆哮的瀑布，看上去就像是厄运迎面扑来。
我的心跳加速，喘不过气来。眼看肉体之躯与金属在咫尺之间就要大规模地相撞了，怒气冲冲的大象却向左转，跑过我们的车，消失在丛林中。我艰难地吁了一口气，也听到周围的人都松了一口气。
这是我第一次到非洲，这是一个充满梦想的地方，粗犷而野性。我希望在地球上最后留存的蛮荒要塞之一 ——野生世界的边疆消失之前亲身体验一下。有人告诉我，位于非洲南部的博茨瓦纳正是一个实现这种愿望的地方：那里到处都是野生动物，但游客却不多。
我们的探险活动从马翁镇的一个小机场开始，这里是通向世界上最大的内陆三角洲——奥卡万戈三角洲的门户。随着我们穿越荒芜的沙漠向奥卡万戈三角洲上的一片湿润的、延伸的指状地域进发，风景也从毫无生气的荒凉地带过渡到野生动物的天堂。我呆呆地看着身躯庞大的野生雄象自信地在咫尺之遥的泥路上游荡。他神秘地沉默着，大摇大摆地缓行，粗大的灰色象脚无声无息地亲吻着大地。
鼠尾草和野罗勒草辛辣的气味在干燥的空气中飘散。威严的长颈鹿伸着长长的脖子，吃着金合欢树上幽香的黄花。金黄的草地上，黑斑羚姿态优雅地从正在金色草地上吃草的斑马和大羚羊身边跳过。在长满芦苇和百合花的沼泽中，一只河马在喷着水泡。接着，它那眯着的眼睛慢慢地从水里冒出来，充满好奇又不乏紧张。它那灰中带紫的鼻孔冒出水面，喷着鼻息，然后又沉入水中，消失在长满绿草的水面上。
三个庞大的黄褐色身影出现在路边赭色的草丛中。狮子！一只威风凛凛的巨大雄狮噌地站了起来，睁大吓人的黄眼睛盯着我们。我们都吓呆了。但是它没有惊讶，而是很快又重重地往后倒了下去，睡着了。
我们的营地在离狮子不远的地方，藏在舒适的金合欢树林里。一班欢快的营地工作人员用烛光晚餐来欢迎我们。让我意外的是，这并不是典型的营火晚餐。我们的晚餐有胡桃南瓜汤、乳蛋饼、刚出炉的面包、蔬菜和酒。
我的帐篷就像晚餐一样奢华，让人愉快。宽敞的帐篷里有一张舒适的床、一盏防风灯和一张床头小桌。最让我吃惊也让我松了一口气的是里面附带着简陋的厕所和沐浴设备。在看到狮子后，要在深夜离开帐篷去解手的念头实在是不怎么样。
尽管床铺舒适，但入睡几乎是不可能的。我清醒地躺着，仍未从兴奋中回过神来，听着夜晚传来的奇妙却又陌生的声音：远处的狮子低沉的呜咽声；理纹非洲树蛙的合唱如同竹风铃奏出的一首交响乐；鬣狗嗬嗬的叫声；河马吵闹的叫声、嘎吱声和喷鼻声听起来很滑稽，就像数百只气垫发出的欢快的声响。随着清晨到来的则是完全不一样的音乐，有鸟叫声，也有树顶上数千只蜜蜂的嗡嗡声。
在博茨瓦纳的野外生活的人，心里会同时充塞着一种特殊的激动和一种彻底的平静。数天内，我们观察了大群的非洲水牛、斑马和羚羊，我们目睹了狮子的凶残，看到狮子就在我们眼前伏击并杀死了一只倒霉的疣猪。有一天，我们看到生物链成员联手对付捕食者的场景：一头雄狮在过河的时候差点被一只河马杀掉，然后等他终于上了岸，又被一群雄象袭击。
早就有人提醒我说，非洲不可思议的魔力会永远地改变我，它会在我的血液里流动。确实，这话是真的。