Wild Adventures: Chapter 1

I did not believe my ears when my parents agreed on a family holiday to Africa! All I could do was dream day and night about the deep virgin jungles and savannahs full of adventure and mysteries. Finally, I was just a few hours away from my dream vacation away from the noisy, polluted and sun scarce city.

I held on tightly to my seat as the plane prepared to land. Looking out of my tiny oval window, I saw the sun shining brightly onto a land full of green and a sparkling blue river lazily flowing around its meanders. A smiling African tour driver welcomed and helped us to our mini-bus.

We were whisked off to our lodge in a smaller town after being told to watch out for animals around the road. True to his word, the driver, Kamau, shouted out half way through the journey, "There’s a herd of Zebra’s and Gazelle’s on the right!" We all watched in awe as the animals peacefully grazed on among the noise of the busy motorway. Kamau continued "you will see many of these while you are here" like it was just the usual. That did nothing but heighten my spirits.

Our lodge was pure heaven. The rooms had thatched roofs and a very traditional outlook, but the inside was luxuriously modern with a slight traditional touch. I was ready to get lost in my sleepy dreams, but my tummy would not hear of it. I had to eat something. Dinner was deliciously yummy, never eaten so much in my life and still felt like eating more. That is when my eyes met the most beautiful pair of hazel eyes. We kept glancing at each other. Might I just find a wild love among the wilderness?

Loud chirping sounds woke me up to a magnificent sunny morning. As soon as I got accustomed to the new environment, a sense of adventure filled me up! I went out for a morning walk while my parents dressed up. It was amazingly scenic, an azure blue lake bordered by a thick pink line surrounded by the wide open savannah. I wondered what the pink border was.

Time for the morning game drive, after a scrumptious breakfast full of fresh tropical fruits I loved. Kamau was all prepared and excited to show us around and show off his country’s heritage. A large herd of Zebras, Gazelles, Impalas and wildebeests met us at the gate of the lodge. They grazed on peacefully while some stood still staring at our cameras. Another few minutes away, we saw the pride of the jungle. The Lion king himself with his large family. A couple of mini-buses surrounded this scene with cameras flying out and children shouting in excitement. The Lions minded their own business and continued lazing around while the cubs playfully ran around. It was going to be a good day!

After 2 hours, when we were reasonably far from any lodge, the mini-bus abruptly halted. Kamau got out and checked the car. He reported there was some sort of problem with the fuel tank. We needed help so he called the rangers who are especially there for car problems. In the meantime, another mini-bus came round to check what the problem was. I suddenly saw those beautiful eyes again reminding me of last night. My parents went on to meet the people in that mini-bus and I tagged along to meet him. The two drivers instantly started checking out the problem and sorting it out.

After a few minutes of silence, he asked me if I wanted to go for a walk around with him. I agreed obviously. His name is Andrew, but you can call me Andy, he said. He has deeply tanned skin and good looking features, I am a local he said, lived in this country all my life. I was a bit surprised, but left no chance to shoot questions at him. He had the most interesting life. I thought it was just wonderful to have grown up in this environment.

The next thing I remember was hearing Andy gasp and looking at his pale white face before following his gaze to the light brown beauty in front of us. A lioness sitting in the grass alone daringly stared us in the face. We started to back off; Andy held my hand tight and whispered "Don’t Panic" He slowly turned around and started to walk off as if he was strolling, pulling me along. The lioness was not impressed. She stood up as I glanced behind. I let out a shriek and started running. Andy shouted too as the Lioness ran for us. Suddenly, Andy ran up to me and carried me, pushing me up a nearby tree. He followed and was next to me on a high branch a second later. The lioness was wild with fury by then. She roared at the bottom of the tree and scratched, but then she managed to start climbing.