Never Smile At A Crocodile

Never smile at a crocodile
No, you can't get friendly with a crocodile
Don't be taken in by his welcome grin
He's imagining how well you'd fit within his skin
Never smile at a crocodile
Never tip your hat and stop to talk awhile
Never run, walk away, say good-night, not good-day
Clear the aisle but never smile at Mister Crocodile
You may very well be well bred
Lots of etiquette in your head
But there's always some special case, time or place
To forget etiquette


~ Song by Frank Churchill and Jack Lawrence

Today we arrived in Dakar, Senegal, and drove out of the city to Bandia Park -- a small game reserve which features many of Africa's most famous animals with the exception of the big cats and elephants.

I have to say that I am very grateful that we had such an amazing experience in Kenya's Masai Mara -- today's adventure was a bit like going on a drive through a zoo -- the animals are all fed by keepers, and the driver and guide were not very professional, but I'm sure they did the best they could.  One thing that really irritated me was that they did not remind the people in our vehicle to remain quiet, and not to stand up ... consequently the very loud Belgian people in the back seat succeeded in frightening off every creature we came across with their racket!  Two other passengers were also very irritating with their constant leaping up to take photos without the slightest concern that their fellow adventurers might also enjoy seeing the animals.  Also our guide made a most excellent screen for any wildlife that might be brave enough to be close to the left side of our truck!  (See extra)

One of the coolest things we saw (for the first time!) were Baobabs -- those strange trees made famous in Antoine de St-Exupery's The Little Prince.  Extraordinary looking things!


Ah well.  At least this crocodile found the whole affair highly amusing, if his big, creepy grin is anything to go by!