Travel
Lions and diamonds and baboons, oh my.
This past May, I joinedBen Bridge Jeweleron a weeklong journey through Botswana.
And so, a 14-hour plane ride later, I embarked on a trip full of adventure and education.
Heres everything I did along the way.
After settling in, I sailed on the Chobe River at sunset.
Baboons, elephants, and crocodiles, who looked like friends, were hanging out at dusk.
They are in fact, not friends, as my guides so kindly informed me.
Friends in the land of wildlife is wishful cartoon thinking.
Nature operates as survival of the fittest.
Baboons, with their babies clinging to their bellies, skittishly sifted through elephant dung in search of food.
Breakfast comes in all shapes and forms, even if its leftovers.
Meanwhile, giraffes sleek, fast, and utterly elegant in stature galloped between the trees.
If you ask me, theyre the supermodels of the animal kingdom.
We searched for the leaders of the food chain, the lions, for the majority of the day.
At last, in a quiet moment at dusk, we encountered a pride of lionesses.
We held our breath as they neared us, moving beautifully and ominously at once.
They were plotting for their next meal, concentrating on the herd of unlucky impalas over yonder.
In these rooms, the pile of rough stones looked like playground pebbles.
It was easy to forget theyd soon take on a more glamorous look after theyve been polished.
Thats where I discovered what diamonds could mean beyond jewelry.
The company also funds a local day care center.
