It's been almost 3 years when we travelled to Iraq and Palestine when we realized that travelling in the true spirit was about visiting untreaded paths, living on the edge and getting out of the comfort zone. So this year we planned to do something crazy enroute our trip to India. We planned to visit two neighboring countries of India - Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The plan was to visit Buddhas of Bamiyan, Kabul, Harappa or MohenjoDaro to Lahore and then to enter India through Wagah border by foot. This was my dream since many years. But Pahalgam happened. Even if the Wagah border wasn't closed, I would have dropped the idea. The destiny had something else in store for us and we ended up booking tickets to another place - not as adventurous as Afghanistan - but a part of the world we never set out foot on, the culture and people we haven't rubbed our shoulders with yet. The sub-Saharan African countries Kenya & Tanzania to station ourselves at Maasai Mara Reserve, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Mount Kilimanjaro.
Little did we know that Tanzania would end up being our unanimous 2nd best country among 58 countries we visited so far or that Kenya would open our eyes about the human -wildlife interaction and no way would we have imagined to come dauntingly close to death twice in ten days. Read on.
Imagine driving to a remote tent camp at twilight where the handler asks not to head out of the tent without an escort of a local Maasai tribesman with a stick and a whistle to ward off wild animals. Then imagine sleeping in a tent camp with a zipper fabric door and hearing lion roars throughout the night while the girls of the family sleeping in another tent at a distance. And should I mention the absence of Wi-Fi or any kind of communication network?
Now imagine the safari driver being extra-diligent in the thick savannas of Maasai Mara reserve to show us the pride of lions and taking an off-trodden path only to get stuck in deep mud while the sun was contemplating to set down. And what would you feel when the ropes, hooks used by other trucks to tow the cruiser out of the mud snap while the darkness seeps in. How would you feel when tourists in other safari cruisers are more curious to take videos of our ordeal than to go look out for lions or leopards ? Some were perhaps even anxious if they could see lions approaching us in that travail.
Don't know about you but trust me - I felt a bit invincible and oddly nonchalant being on the blind spot of predators in the lion country of Maasai Mara, Kenya. THIS TIME FOR AFRICA.
When my son was born, we decided to confer on him the experiences he would grow up with instead of material luxuries that he could take granted for. We continued the tradition with the little girl too. They did enjoy beaches, mountains, old towns, heritage, cultures, cuisines, monuments, wonders et.al., but the glow in their eyes when they saw a mother cheetah keeping vigil while her cubs were feeding on the gazelle their mother hunted for them was matchless. The moment of ebullience on their faces when some 40 massive elephants stood on the way of our vehicle as if they were making a point who the real boss was priceless.
A leopard leisurely feasting on the deer on a tree-top unconcerned about our cruiser truck on the ground, thousands of wildebeests migrating from Serengeti to Maasai Mara recreating the iconic scene of "The Lion King", the dreaded Nile crocodiles co-existing with their only killers, hippos in the Mara river, a pride of lions waiting patiently at the tree base for baboons on the trees that stayed still for hours reenacting the Mexican standoff scene in movies, a herd of elephants - including calves - walking on their path while a pride of lions watching them from a few feet away, hundreds of pink flamingoes blessing our eyes and senses - will remain etched forever in our minds. But if there's one moment I can pick of the 10 day expedition to Africa, that would be...
Second day of the exploration - we started early to spot lions on the prowl. While on the pursuit, we saw a dozen safari cruisers group up treading slowly. We were certain there was some activity around. Our driver was conscientious enough to take an alternate road to go opposite to the other vehicles head-on. The road took a sharp turn and the moment we turned, we rubbed our eyes out of disbelief.
THERE WERE OVER TEN LIONS WALKING TOWARDS OUR SAFARI CRUISER with the other cruisers behind driving the pride of lions towards us. And we saw the lions stare into our eyes in their natural habitat and then walk away unruffled while our nerves were all over the place. We can't plan that, the universe conspired to bestow us with the sight of our lifetime. The place was just a stone's throw away from the exact place our vehicle got stuck the previous evening and that made the experience even more chilling, momentous and indelible. It was day-2 and it was already worth our travel all the way.
But there was another moment we almost died. The penultimate day of our holiday. We wanted to end the vacation with the views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest free standing mountain in the world. The view of the snow clad summit and the breathtaking golden sunset were so mesmerizing that we forgot we were in the middle of the animal kingdom where predators begin their hunt at twilight. It was almost 7 pm, the sun sank and we boarded our cruiser bidding bye to the adventures and reminiscing the bliss we experienced in the last 10 days.
Just then the driver stopped the vehicle, lifted the latch up and asked us to see something. We saw and we could not utter a word. We were flabbergasted and dumbfounded. There was a coalition of half a dozen cheetahs standing next to your vehicle that were anxiously looking for their next meal. Exactly 5 minutes away from the place we were on the ground for pictures with Kilimanjaro.
The cheetahs were clearly outside of the designated "fence" and sneaked out in the so-called resort areas for food. But that was not all. A hyena was lurking not too far behind and was following the scent of Cheetahs. There must have been a fantastic action episode which of course we were not privy to. Our takeaway is that we left the place unscathed. For feeble minded, it could be a life-threatening incident but we list this among one of the best travel stories of our lifetime.
It was not just wildlife which made the adventure worthwhile. It's the people too. The Maasai tribes live in the middle of the savannahs with children and cattle co-existing with lions, leopards, cheetahs. For us, traveling is learning, understanding people, cultures and lifestyles. For all the fear of predators, we learnt that Maasai people are not scared of lions but they scare the lions instead. The tribesmen have created a aura by wearing the red garment called "shuka" and holding a spear that apparently scare lions away.
While the mornings were about pursuing wildlife, most evenings and travel time were spent on talking to locals, drivers, waiters, helpers, escort guards who took pride in their own small world while being exceptionally humble and respectful. Without batting an eyelid, we can say the people of Kenya & Tanzania are one of the sweetest, most well-mannered and nicest people on the planet. We were pleasantly surprised at the antithesis to the stigma and stereotypes associated with Sub-Saharan Africa. Hotels and resorts went an extra mile to pack us lunch boxes whenever we headed out for game reserves. Public toilets were spotlessly clean, the food was amazing throughout. From immigration officers at the border to the hotel staff, to restaurant managers to good Samaritans on the savannahs of Africa, everyone made us feel special with their hospitality.
We traveled there for wildlife and to begin a new dominion in our travel history but something else made the trip one of our best travel escapades ever. That is the landscape, the breathtaking scenery, unsullied nature, unpolluted air and surprisingly pleasant weather.
Imagine you driving up a volcanic mountain, that erupted some 2 million years ago, to see a 2000 feet deep crater filled with wildlife and you descending into the crater to see turquoise colored lakes filled with flamingoes, and the summit of the crater around being covered by cloud forests - you can seldom fathom if you were dreaming or witnessing the drama of pristine nature. In a certain perspective, Tanzania could rank as one of the most visually aesthetic countries I have visited.
Rural Kenya with ubiquitous handwritten names on the stores, local cuisine that was finger licking delicious, Tanzania's spectacular views, Maasai Mara tribesmen and their hospitality and above all - the lion king and his kingdom will remain one of the best places we ever been to, period.
PS: The travel to Africa was followed by a month in India which fascinated me in a different way this time around. Then a 10 day exploration of Thailand and Cambodia followed. Coming up with those blog posts soon (before the memories could fade out of my mind). Till then, as they say in Swahili - Hakuna Matata.
