It was sundowner time -- that precious moment on an African safari when the gin and tonics come out, along with the nibbles and camp chairs. The day's adventures are over, and those of the night have yet to begin.
On our table in the shade of a mopane tree beside the reed-fringed hippo lagoon, overlooked by covetous hornbills, were canapes; crabmeat on crackers with spiced mayonnaise and lemon wedges, pungent stringy strips of impala biltong (the African version of beef jerky), a mash of avocado dip (the avocados had pretty much mashed themselves courtesy of potholes and a long drive over uneven track), pimento-stuffed olives with small shards of glass in the juice, cheese straws and malformed curried eggs.
Not a bad spread given we were three hours from the nearest supermarket.