When exotic turned scary...African Safari Part 4

The Parfuri camp at Kruger had no boundary walls. All wood. A series of huts on stilts with wire mesh and curtains for walls. Right in the middle of the bush on the banks of Luvuhu river. The proximity to the river was intentional. This is because animals tend to hover around waterholes. At first sight the camp was 'exotic' and 'fascinating' and 'freakishly natural,' etc.  But soon my adjectives petered out. Have you ever stayed in the wild? I was scared to bits. We were warned that this was the wild. Animals were everywhere and on the loose. 'If you come face to face with any animal, retreat.' This was the advice drummed into us and then we were shoved into the huts with a fog horn (for emergencies...). My first problem was the complete absence of walls. Loo visits were a big nightmare and I was acutely aware of how embarrassingly noisy we can be. Then as darkness descended I began to see eyes everywhere and hear hisses and growls. Didn't sleep a wink the first night. Boy, was I glad for the dawn breaking in! I saw the forest herald in sun rise sitting in the porch of the hut. The birds sang in a choir and the bush and the sky changed colour as the sun turned its light to bright in slow motion. With the new day my fears receded into the disappearing darkness and I began to look forward to the three day safari, particularly the 'big cat' hunts.