Monkeys. And the entire African continent shakes a knowing head; a wry smile etched into the sand.
It was our first trip to the Pilanesberg with our 2-year-old daughter Chloë and we were excited to introduce her to African wildlife. On our drive down, we imagined her little face… seeing a giraffe or a zebra from her story books for the first time (maybe even a lion) and how lucky we were to live in a place with incredible animals a short holiday away.
We arrived at our holiday home and immediately threw open all the doors and windows as we were in and out unloading the car. It was a hot African day (the best kind) and Chloë was sitting on the kitchen counter enjoying the complimentary fruit basket (there are small benefits to using your parents’ time share). Crunching happily on the crisp green apple, she absentmindedly watched us unpacking our food for the week…
…oblivious to the monkey that had made its way through the wide open window.
Before any of us could blink, said monkey grabbed the apple out of Chloë’s hand and made a lightning-quick getaway back out the window from whence it came. Stunned but not too stunned to miss out, we all ran out the door to watch the cheeky critter scurry up a tree to enjoy his stolen bounty.
Chloë’s first encounter with African Wildlife was certainly close.
Storyteller: Bronwyn Koch
Co-Authors: Bronwyn Koch & Andrea Zanin
Bronwyn Koch lives in Germany with her husband and three kids. They both grew up in Edenvale (Johannesburg) in South Africa. She is currently learning German and navigating life in a new country, being a wife, mother and foreigner. Check out her blog: South African in Germany
Photo by Manuel Pappacena on Unsplash
