TIME TO GET OUT OF PHINDA

And I didn't want to pick my color of cobra either. Though, if pushed, I guess I would have picked an orange one to stick his venom into me.

When we arrived at Phinda Game Lodge in South Africa, our guide told us that the day before they had spotted a cobra at the Number 1 guest house. Or near the house in the woods along the dirt path.

"No worries, though, since Number 5 is the closest any of you are staying in," he added. "And some of you are as far away as Number 10."

Yes, my wife and I had drawn Number 5, our daughter Number 10. But they weren't all that far apart by any means. A short walk around a twist path with heavy trees and foliage all around. I think a cobra can move pretty fast, too.

No, we didn't see him. Just a scorpion, a nyala, some baboons, and a kudu: the nyala and kudu, big antelopes. They were all on or just off the path. Some huge spiders, too, with their equally huge webs. Late at night or in the early morning dew, some spider nests were just outstanding to view. (Well, they were too big just to call them webs.)

So I guess I'll just have to order a decal for my cobra. But that's the way I prefer it. Africa: cobra-free. It has a nice ring to it.