About 33 hours ago we were on a safari truck driving around the Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa. We were near the end of the drive when about 100 yards down the road we saw, Mavoso, the dominant bull elephant for the breeding herd in the park. He saw us, too.
He walked closer and he stopped about 50 yards away, pausing to shake his head and flare his ears at us, while moving his front legs up and down. This is evidently elephant sign language for "get out of my way." We had no where to go but sit on the road. Our driver told us to be absolutely quiet so he would not think he was intimidating us. As Mavoso came closer and closer he wagged his head back and forth several times. He walked right up along side our truck and turned to face us. We were in an elevated four wheel truck and Mavoso looked down on us. By Marcus' account, Mavoso was within about a foot of the truck. Other students have said that his trunk was brushing against the truck. The driver shouted, "NO! NO! Go away, Mavoso!" Mavoso sort of raised his head and stepped back away from the truck. Then he walked along the side and went behind us. After pausing for a moment about thirty feet behind the truck, he turned and charged us. Luckily, the driver had the trucked restarted by then and away we went. A few students, who shall remain nameless, jumped in the laps of other students for safety. Just ask Brandon. The students on the back row can tell you what he looked like up close and personal.
After we pulled away, it seemed like a universal consensus that it was time to go home. After starting out at Johannesberg Airport at 6:00 p.m. and stopping over in Dakar, Senegal, for an hour to refuel, we arrived in the Washington, D.C. (Dulles) airport at 6:00 a.m. this morning.
We'll be home soon!