Crocodiles

I was in Egypt in July when this photo was taken. These two crocodiles--the one I'm holding and the one on my hat--are the only carnivores I saw on my whole trip. I tipped a local at one of the ruins a few dollars for the the priviledge of holding one. It actually wasn't my first time. In 1998, while on a crocodile farm in Southern Africa, I held one a bit smaller who was much stronger. I could barely hold its snout closed, which made me wonder if my Nile buddy was drugged to ensure his docility. While canoeing on the Zambezi River, I've seen many crocodiles along the banks, big boys too, but on the Nile, they are virtually extinct. Many of the passengers on my Nile cruise looked frantically for a siting, but to no avail. I must admit that it is an incredible rush to see one in the wild while paddling within 20 feet of them in a canoe just inches from the surface of the water. It's even more exhilerating (or frightening) on the rare occasions that one must walk in water that I knew contained these creatures.