The 'Legend of Pinky' and the 'Pedro Incident'

I was reluctant to let the kid bring a stuffed animal to Africa but what the heck, she's eight and I'll admit I love the one she chose:  Pinky, a large rat that Santa delivered this past Christmas.  And, our friend's daughter brought along Pedro, a rather realistic-looking stuffed monkey.   It turns out that on safari in remote Africa the stuffed animal comes in quite handy creating a diversion from one's day-to-day routine.  See, despite the fact that every day of this journey has been an amazing adventure, it does become routine in its own way:  same car, same group, same Africa, just another sleeping lion.  Same guide, too.  Although we had two guides, after we'd spent hours every day sharing amazing encounter after amazing encounter, combined with our esteem for them, they quickly felt like family.  Therefore, it was agreed early on that we needed a diversion, and, what better way to show our love for the guides we held so dear than to make them the brunt of a great practical joke.  Especially since they are, commendably, so professional in their work.   From their reactions, I don't think any other group of safari tourists had tried anything like this before, making it even more fun for all of us.

On our second afternoon in Amboseli, Dominic had slowed the van to show us something out the driver's side window.  While he was leaning out, pointing and explaining, Kirsten, who was in the front passenger seat exclaimed "What's this right here?"  Leaning out her her window, she gasped, and fidgeted, and leaned further out...and lurched back in across the front seat screaming with Pinky attacking her arm!  Dominic, with the honed skills of a twenty-year safari driver, jammed on the e-brake and was fleeing out the door before our hysterical laughter brought him back to his senses.  He immediately ordered Kirsten out of the van and made us promise not to do anything like that to him or anyone else ever again.  Promises were made to be broken.

At the beginning of our last game drive with Daniel, as we entered the Lake Myanara preserve, our truck was quickly surrounded by baboons so numerous we had to stop.  Everyone was leaning out their respective windows looking at the curious, unintimidated baboons when a blue monkey climbed on to the hood and began to play with the windshield wipers.  I was in the passenger seat, and Joe, screaming out his window behind me in alarm, handed me Pedro, who I, screaming, flung into the cab of the truck at Daniel, now also screaming and trying to hide under the steering wheel in hopes that the intruder would exit out his window.  Gotcha! 

We commended Dominic and Daniel on being such good sports, it seemed that they were both very amused.  And, explained at great length that it was only because we cared so much about them that we'd pull such a gag.