Do Ostriches Fly?
From behind, male Ostriches look like ballerinas in pink tights with big fluffy black tutus. When they walk, they wiggle like they’re sauntering down Hollywood Boulevard looking for action; and no, they don’t fly. Their wings are for air conditioning to keep their bodies cool as they search the open plains for food. In fact, there are a lot of body parts on animals that defy logic. For example, even though elephants have big ears, they don’t hear well and instead, use their ears as fans. As big as they are, Elephants have horrible digestive systems and must eat about 22 hours a day just to get enough nutrition to sustain themselves. Crocodiles have enormous mouths and ferocious teeth but can go for two years without eating if necessary. So many of these animals look pre-historic, it’s as though evolution just forgot about them, yet how these animals communicate with one another and how instinct drives their behaviors is fascinating to discover and observe. The magic of safari is that it transports you into a world of natural drama and awesome beauty. They say, “Africa gets under your skin.” It is true. A safari is like no other life experience; it is unparalleled.
When we originally contemplated a safari I called our amazing travel agent who had worked for three years for Abercrombie and Kent on the ground in Kenya and asked for his help. He did a wonderful job connecting me with a woman who books top of the line safaris but when I got the price tag I almost fainted. It was about as expensive as a year of college! In 1997, Ned and I called a couple of guys I had known when I lived in Kenya and booked a safari on the cheap. We slept in tents inside the game reserves and showed up at lodges along the way for a night or two. Nothing was pre-paid and invariably, when we arrived at reception to pay our bill, the staff at the lodge had no idea how to charge us. Every traveller here books through a travel agent and pre-pays, there is actually no way to pay cash. As a result, the lodges we stayed in just let us stay for free! It was hilarious. But that system wasn’t going to work with three kids in tow.
Thankfully, despite my post-pregnancy memory, I remembered the trick about “resident rates.” If you book through a Kenyan travel agent directly and don’t use a US operator, the rates are half-price! I called Winnie and asked her to put me in touch with a travel agent in Nairobi who planned a fantastic safari. She was attentive to every detail including transfers, dietary requirements and last-minute changes, and she provided us with cell phones and modems for our computers upon arrival. She was available 24/7 by phone and couldn’t have been more wonderful. If any of you ever want to travel here, I am happy to connect you with Jackline. Resident rates are only good in Kenya; in Tanzania, the rates are full-price.
Once we left the village of Koru, we spent an overnight at the Nairobi Serena hotel. In the morning we swam and suffered the 3 ½ hour drive to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, breathing diesel, bouncing over speed bumps and potholes, and circumventing the endless road construction and dust storms resulting from its dirt and gravel. Finally, we entered the Ol Pajeta reserve and drove for another 40 minutes to reach our camp. Ol Pejet means “burning” in Masai language. Traditionally, after their cattle grazed the fields, the Masai people would burn the Mara grasses to encourage new growth.
We arrived at Kicheche Tented Camp (http://www.kicheche.com/camps-laikipia.shtm) in time for a late lunch, disembarked from our Land Cruiser and made our way down the narrow path toward the camp. At the end of the path, there was a fire pit, and beyond, a dream-like scene of open plain, tall grass and a watering hole with exquisite white birds flocked in the trees. Several hundred yards away, an elephant munched on grass, but he paid little attention to us as we were escorted to old-fashioned wooden framed chairs with canvas seats stretched across them to have lunch in the shade by the watering hole. We all looked at each other and collectively thought we had arrived in heaven. Isabel, who is our nature-girl, was particularly overjoyed. She loves the feeling of being close to nature and can’t get enough of green spaces, peaceful, natural beauty and wildlife. Having been on more than thirty safaris, I can honestly say that this camp is spectacularly beautiful and extraordinary in its authenticity and harmonious relationship with nature. It is a perfect balance between roughing it and luxury. Produce is grown at the camp or on local farms and cattle is raised on land that abuts the conservancy. The camp is powered only by solar power and the electricity and hot water run for just a few hours a day. Light is provided by kerosene lanterns.
The camp is run by a British guy named Andy and staffed by locals including a young white woman named Kara who grew up on the conservancy with her father who is one of the biggest cattle ranchers in the area. It does seem like so many of the big farms and ranches are owned by Whites or Indians, even if they are Kenyans. Andy and Kara organize meals and attend to all the details involved in making your stay comfortable. The staff is incredible at managing to make just about every food without dairy, including wonderful soups and even crepes Suzette. Dinner is served in the main tent which boasts a large fireplace that keeps the tent warm at night. The room has wooden beams, a long rustic wooden table that is set using banana leaves and seeds from local trees as decoration and a plethora of candles. The camp has only six tents and everyone eats together. We have learned that the fewer the number of tents, the more wonderful and less touristy the experience.
The tents themselves are absolutely perfect with beautiful beds, full but rustic bathrooms and sitting areas, and each one is completely private. There were beautiful touches like toilet paper rolls coiled with needles from Acacia trees and soaps made of all natural products from the bush. They practice conservation at the camp so each tent is fitted with a large clay urn with a spigot and is filled daily with bottled water to reduce the number of plastic bottles used in the camp. The tents themselves are totally enclosed, including the floor, and are incredibly clean. The sides of the tent roll up or down to reveal screens which we chose to keep up at night so that we could wake to the view of the watering hole and dawn breaking. Surprisingly, it is really cold at night so the hot showers are welcome after a long game drive. The tents are extremely comfortable so long as you learn quickly to be extremely diligent about keeping your tent zippers closed to prevent insects and other visitors from entering. Our neighbors found a frog in their bed! The children were accommodated in one tent, and Ned and I in another. We had walkie-talkies to communicate with one another and with the staff.
One of the great outcomes of travel for us is the opportunity to challenge our kids to take care of themselves, pack their own bags, learn how to swallow pills, wash their hands without being asked, protect themselves from the elements and perceived dangers, and to pay attention to what they eat and where they walk. I want them to learn how to deal with a reasonable amount of fear and discomfort and I want my kids to be resilient and flexible and to learn that they can’t control circumstances, only how they react to them. Because travel in the developing world presents unanticipated challenges, obstacles and risks, and because the risks are more apparent, the degree of awareness and active learning required to cope is far greater than in everyday life or resort travel. It is priceless to see the kids strategizing about what they are going to do if they hear the elephant eating the tree right outside their tent or how they are going to apply their mosquito repellent and to what areas and at what time so that they don’t get malaria. It is wonderful to see them practice using the walkie-talkies and making sure that they know which channel to call if they need help. I love seeing them check to see where the water in the jug in their room comes from and whether the water bottles are safe to use. And, I love seeing them take care of each other.
Life Lesson #9: Don’t underestimate your kids. They will model your behaviors and respond in kind to your fears. If you want to raise courageous kids, you must be courageous and let them have the opportunity to be brave. Let them know you believe in them.
At about 4pm we headed off for our first game drive with our driver Andrew and we arrived back after dark. Game drives are best early in the morning as the sun is rising around 6am, and late in the day, just before sunset. This is when the cats are feeding and hunting and the animals are more active because it isn’t as hot as mid-day. Most mornings we were awakened at 5am with hot tea and hot chocolate and were in our Land Cruiser, ready for adventure by 6. From our camp we could hear lions roaring and the night of our first game drive we came upon a lioness that we followed and observed until we lost her in the dark. We saw skittish black rhinos and 3 of only 8 white rhinos left in the world. We saw a tiny cat called a catacal and lots of elephants, zebras, gazelles and tons of impalas. The children were mesmerized by the sheer number of animals and the dramas of the animal world kept them enthralled for hours. That night, after tucking the kids into their tent, Ned and I climbed into bed in ours. We were…when all of a sudden we heard a loud snap, some trampling and a lot of munching. Ned and I looked at each other and in a split second were reminded of our safari in 1997 when the hyenas invaded our camp and were circling our canvas tent. This time, we knew it was the elephant we had seen peacefully grazing in the camp at lunchtime. He didn’t seem so innocuous now. We both wondered whether he would trample our tent in search of food and questioned aloud whether elephants are truly herbivores or whether they occasionally like to graze on humans. We grabbed our headlamps and tried to peer out the window of the tent but we couldn’t see anything. We decided to call for help on the walkie-talkie and thankfully, the unarmed ascari (watchman) scared the elephant away. Although Andy, the camp manager, insisted that elephants never trample the large tents in the camp, he later admitted that another guest insisted on sleeping under her bed for her entire stay just in case. The truth is, we felt perfectly safe and the night watchman actually spent the night on the veranda of the children’s tent so that he would be available if they needed anything. The kids got a kick out of the fact that mommy and daddy were calling for help on the walkie-talkies while they didn’t need any!
On our game drive the following morning, just after sunrise, we came upon a baby zebra that had just been born. The after-birth was on the ground next to the baby and the mother zebra was circling her child to protect her. We actually saw the baby take her first steps and the mother kick away other zebras from the herd who attempted to get too close to the baby. It is critical that the baby zebra learn to recognize her mother’s strip pattern before being exposed to other zebras and this can only happen in relative isolation from the herd.
After lunch back at the camp we got special permission to go out lion tracking. We learned that the conservancy has tagged three lions to study them and we were able to pick up a signal from a lioness and her three cubs. We drove off road through the tall grass and, nestled under a bush we found them. They were absolutely beautiful. The cubs frolicked while the mother kept watch and we just sat and enjoyed their antics for over an hour. The kids spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how they could bring a baby lion home with them. We were eventually driven out of the grass by a powerful rain storm that brought enormous and erratic bolts of lightning and caused the temperature to plummet. Grassy plains quickly become treacherous and muddy in the rain so lingering to watch the storm is not an option. We made it back to camp but sadly our night game drive was cancelled. Instead, we had a long, leisurely dinner and tromped back to our tents in the rubber boots that the camp provided.
The next morning we slept late and enjoyed breakfast before making the three hour drive to Samburu Reserve and Larsen’s Camp, just 4 hours south of the Sudanese border. Samburu has an almost desert-like climate, hot and dry, but there is a river running through the reserve and the small swath of green that borders the river is home to an incredible array of animals. We came to find that the Samburu reserve is a bit more crowded than Ol Pejeta, and Larsen’s camp much bigger, more touristy and more crowded than Kicheche. The staff were lovely and Zac really enjoyed hanging out with the Samburu warrior named David who guarded the dining areas with a sling shot to keep the monkeys away. Ned and I giggled that David had his nametag clipped to his warrior beaded necklace. It sort of blew the whole warrior thing if you know what I mean. We were assigned a trainee named Martin to be our server for our stay. Poor Martin! The Gordons are not what you would call low maintenance in the dining arena. For no pay, just room and board, Martin worked from 5:00am until dinner closed and was cleaned up, serving the Gordons and other guests three meals a day. He did this with a smile on his face and offers of continual service. He explained to us that this training provides him a credential to put on his resume and will enable him to apply for a paying job in the future. Needless to say, we gave Martin a big tip.
Earlier that morning, Isabel spiked a fever and by the time we arrived at Samburu, she had 103. I stayed back with her at camp and after lunch, Ned, Gussie and Zac went on a game drive where they followed a cheetah family.
So back to my obsessive/compulsive disorder and travelling with kids: I have a few rules that I live by. Rule #1: Pack a world-class first aid kit. Rule #2: Kids get hungry and there isn’t clean food to eat in the developing world – bring granola bars and always pack something at breakfast to tuck in your bag for the rest of the day. Hard boiled eggs and bread are my fallback. Rule #3: Always have a change of clothes in your bag for each kid (light weight things that roll up small and can fit at the bottom of your bag). Your trip is so much less enjoyable if a kid has spilled or stepped in a mud puddle.
Our first aid kit has:
Ace Bandages
Advil- kid and adult
Afrin
After Bite
Aloe
Antacids – Rollaids/Tums
Antibiotics – Cipro, Amoxicillin, Z-Packs – 5 sets of each ******VERY IMPORTANT!
Anti-Diarrheal – every kind! Immodium (tablets & liquid), Pepto Bismal (tablets & liquid), Immosil (from France)
Antihistamines (Allegra, Zyrtec – for kids and adults)
Arnica Cream – for bruises
Band-Aids- all sizes (Most important are butterfly bandages to avoid stiches). Don’t forget large size & waterproof.
Benadryl: spray, gel, strips
Calamine Lotion
Calundra Cream – for scrapes and burns
CPR mouthpiece
Disinfecting Wipes
Epi pens (even though we aren’t allergic to anything that I know of you never know what you’ll find!)
Eye Drops: Refresh
Flushable Wipes
Gauze
Glasses- extra pairs of regular glasses and sun glasses
Hydrocortisone Cream
Lactase Pills
Lotrimin cream
Malarone – for malaria prevention
Muprocin- for pediatric skin infections (impetigo)
Oxyflocin drops – for conjunctivitis
Poison Ivy wipes and wash
Probiotics – which we take every day
Purell
Q-Tips
Saline Spray
Steroid Cream – prescription for everything that itches
Thermometer
Throat lozenges – lots
Tissues
Triple anti-biotic ointment (Neosporin)
Tweezers (for splinters)
Tylenol – kid and adult
Vitamin E Oil
Zicam

I’m a huge believer in the first aid kit and when I travel, it rarely leaves my side. We carry it on every plane and in most of our vehicles. In order to pack a really good one, you need an understanding physician who will write scripts for you and trust that you will know how to use them. Thankfully, our doc was incredible. Isabel beat her fever after three days but after two, I was in a panic that she had malaria. I emailed our doc and he provided the most thorough, well thought out diagnosis and instructions and insisted that she didn’t have malaria but just a nasty upper respiratory infection. He was right. Gussie was hit next and her fever lasted for 5 days before it broke. Zac managed to get by with a fever of just a day and a half. I actually used every single item in my first-aid kit other than the epi-pens, and was thankful to have them all!
Other than shaking out shoes, checking sheets for bugs and insisting on Purell about twenty times a day, my other rule of travel in the developing world is NO RAW FOOD! I had to make Ned swear in front of the kids that he wouldn’t eat salad or even a single raw vegetable during our three and a half week trip. To be safe, water must be boiled for 10 minutes and I don’t care how many hotel staff insist that they clean their vegetables with spring water or even with chlorine bleach and spring water, they aren’t clean! We managed three and half weeks with no upset stomachs. By the way, if you think you might want to snorkel anywhere you go, bring your own mouthpieces/pipes. You can get the goggles and flippers anywhere but sharing snorkels is a sure-fire way to trouble.
Even though we didn’t love Larsen’s camp, the game viewing was fantastic. In addition to seeing beautiful cheetahs and many lions, there were two highlights. First, the kids and I went on a walking safari. I probably didn’t pick the best time to go (11am on a sunny day in the desert!), but the kids were superstars. The difference between being in a jeep and being on foot is like the difference between watching a cooking show on TV and making your own dinner! On foot we could feel the awesome power and grace of giraffes galloping right in front of us and then stopping to indulge their curiosity at our presence. We watched elephants crossing the river and zebra and gazelle playing in the grass. We walked with two armed rangers in camo uniforms (Zac loved that part) and they showed us the most incredible bird’s nest I have ever seen, a Hammercock nest. The bird is actually no bigger than a seagull, but its nest is the largest in the world. In fact, I think two full grown humans could camp in it. Ned and I also took an evening game drive together and watched a beautiful sunset. The quiet and the light in the reserves at dawn and dusk is so magical. There is a golden mist that seems to settle on the grass and a pureness to the air that is sweet and warm. It was really nice to hear only the rumbling of the Land Cruiser over the dirt roads and the sounds of the river rushing. Lions were everywhere and we even spotted a leopard for an instant before he darted into the brush.
Blog #8: The Migration of Beast …and Man.
The next day we flew to the Maasai Mara, Kenya’s largest and most famous game reserve. We had heard that the migration was on its way from Tanzania and we were hopeful to see the millions of animals on their way across the border. I guess now might be an appropriate time to mention what my husband is like on travel days, especially those that involve flying. It is a wonder that we survive him. Ned’s goal on a travel day is to move as little as possible and to attempt to maintain a constant body temperature. There is no room on travel days for enjoying the ride or experiencing the journey. It is about getting there in one piece and not breaking a sweat in the process. Ned has a term for this endeavor. He calls it maintaining “stasis.” A destination is rated by sheet quality, air temperature for sleeping, and humidity levels. A mode of travel is rated on air temperature, air quality, dust levels and comfort of the seat. If these are in any way lacking, Ned goes into lock-down mode. Don’t touch Ned when he is in lock-down mode as he is working hard to get back to a constant body temperature and comfort level and needs all his resources to achieve these. Often this involves taking a cold shower and lying perfectly still. It can take hours for “stasis to occur,” especially after a flight or a few hours in the car with all the kids. Ned would be perfectly content to beam himself from place to place. For him it is the destination, not the journey.
For Ned, packing involves getting belongings from one place to another and success is determined by how many times each item can be used before washing and how well it will emerge from a suitcase after being randomly thrown into it or cinched into a compression bag. Finding something in a packed bag generally involves unpacking the entire bag and then throwing all the unpacked an un-needed items back in again. Ned is very proud of packing nothing. In fact, it didn’t faze him a bit on one trip to France when he packed so little that he ended up having to buy himself an entire wardrobe when he arrived. East-Africa is a bit different. Here, you have to pack the essentials because there is nowhere to shop; so, this trip became a competition of who could pack the best gear that had the least weight. It drives Ned crazy when I “out-gear” him. I love the look on his face when I pull out my new headlamp in its nifty case that holds replacement batteries and it is a better model than his, or when he notices that my Leatherman has a special screwdriver that his doesn’t. But my favorite moments are always when, after giving me a hard time for over-packing or comfort-packing, I pull out something like down travel pillows for the kids and me and he asks if I packed one for him (of course I always do, and I love that he can’t resist but use it).
Oh, to be single again, with just a back-pack, a ticket, and not a care in the world. I think Ned is trying to live this fantasy again by insisting on holding his own boarding pass and passport. He likes to walk ahead of the rest of us and I imagine he is pretending that he isn’t carrying Izzy’s shoes, Zac’s over-loaded back-pack, the snack bag, or dragging our first aid kit behind him. Maybe he is dreaming about his days on Semester At Sea when his only worry was getting back to the boat before it disembarked. Family travel is a beautiful bonding experience but it takes work and patience. God love Ned. He has come a long way! Not only will he pose for a family photo, he has tried to capture every moment of our times together. I must imagine that it means he has loved them.
We landed in the Masai Mara only to take off again 8 minutes later! The planes are puddle jumpers and make frequent stops at various camps throughout the reserve. Finally, we landed at an airstrip near our magical camp called the Olonana Tented Camp. Set beside a rushing river filled with hippos that grunt all day and night, we were welcomed to an oasis of beautiful tents set far apart from one another. Each has its own veranda with lovely seating, perfect for napping or reading and listening to the sounds of the rushing water and the hippos grunting in the river. The tents themselves are spacious, rustic and elegant with graceful mosquito nets enveloping the beds, and furniture made from local products. The public spaces boast fireplaces with roaring fires at night, wonderful, comfortable and generous seating, and often a guitar player playing softly in a corner of the room. The dining area looks over the river and every meal is tastier than the last. Chef Big John makes it his personal mission to accommodate every guest and he is extraordinarily proud of his food. He loves to visit the table before and after every meal to be sure he is providing the best he can. He made wonderful salads for us of steamed vegetables and fresh avocado, and his fish was amazing.
The most wonderful asset at the camp however was King Leopold, the general manager of the hotel. He was incredible in every way. It ends up that King grew up on the farm next door to the Ouko farm in Koru and his father, who held a government post, was good friends with Robert Ouko, my African father. I shared with King that we had been working in his village at the Menara School and that we had brought Kindles to the Ouko library. He was beyond thrilled and immediately shared that his good friend is the government official in-charge of the World Reader Kilgoris project in the Trans-Mara, the only other effort to bring Kindles to Kenya. He offered to put me in touch with his friend, and just like that, I found the connection for which I had been searching for months! Susan Ouko is now in touch with his friend and we are on our way to much better data about how to optimize the use of the Kindles in Koru.
We became fast friends with King who outdid himself with personal touches to make our stay extraordinary. He loves surprises and so at every turn we were escorted somewhere for an unexpected experience. He discovered that it was our 13th wedding anniversary and so organized a special tree planting to celebrate. We walked into a field and waiting for us was a whole set-up for a ceremonial planting. We planted a Kenyan Green Heart Tree to which he affixed a tag with our names and wedding date. The Kenyan Green Heart grows to be about 35 feet high and its wood is used for carving and building. The Maasai strip the bark from its smaller branches and use these twigs to brush their teeth. The stripped twigs have an antiseptic quality and are really nice to chew on because they make your breath fresh. We were so honored.
When we returned from our game drive we went straight to dinner. We were trying hard not to think about the fact that we were missing 4th of July on Cape Cod but it was a challenge. Then, all of a sudden, the room erupted with shrieking and singing. In marched an entire tribe of Maasai men and women clothed in red cloth and beaded necklaces. They jumped and danced and eventually got all the children in the dining room to join in. Gussie and Izzy had to be nudged forward and much to Gussie’s dismay, she was married off to a Maasai man for a couple of cows. After about 15 minutes of entertainment, which was quite loud, I turned to our server Shadrock and asked if the Maasai come frequently to entertain. He looked at me and answered, “Only on special occasions.” It didn’t even occur to me that there was a special occasion until the entire Maasai tribe circled our table and the dining room staff all appeared carrying a cake and singing a happy anniversary song! It was the most unique anniversary celebration I will probably ever have!
The next day we decided to do an all-day game drive in hopes of seeing the migration which we had heard was within several hours drive of our camp. We woke at 5am and were in our Land Cruiser with our driver, Bonnie by 6. We planned a picnic breakfast and lunch so that we could make it to the migration and back before sundown. In fact, picnics in the Mara are beautiful. Tables with tablecloths and chairs are usually set under a fig or acacia tree in the midst of the tall grass with spectacular views in every direction. It is so lovely to sit, sip tea, and just soak in the beauty. I even managed to find a moment to spread out a table cloth on the ground and do a yoga practice. On our way to the migration we came upon two lions mating. The male lion was beautiful, sporting a big fluffy mane, and the female lion was very entertaining. After the male lion had his way with the female lion she rolled onto her back, paws in the air, and fell asleep. The entire “episode” lasted only a minute or two which spurred a lot of discussion from the children. If you aren’t prepared to go in-depth on the birds and the bees with your kids, don’t take them on safari!
We drove for several hours before we finally began to see the herds – wildebeest and zebra as far as the eye could see – tens of thousands of animals in every direction. We drove off road through the herds of animals, nudging them out of our way so that we could pass. The kids decided that wildebeest look like old rabbis with long beards. Wildebeest and zebras live harmoniously: They graze sequentially. Zebras eat the top part of the grass and wildebeest eat the middle part and gazelle eat the bottom. Wildebeest don’t have good eyesight and rely on Zebras to warn them of danger. We even found three cheetahs watching the migration, sitting only 20 feet from unsuspecting wildebeest but they didn’t hunt. It was a magical day and I can honestly say that seeing the migration is a life-experience that shouldn’t be missed. On our way home we tracked a cheetah being chased by three hyenas and we saw a leopard in a tree eating his kill. Even though we were in our Land Cruiser for 12 hours, it was magical. They say that Africa gets under your skin. It is true. You just can’t imagine the raw beauty and spectacular drama that it offers. You must go.
Life Lesson #10: Don’t wait. There is always a reason not to go, so remember, time is the enemy of life. Live it while you can, and while you can experience it with your kids, whatever their age. Believe in the transformative power of sharing crazy adventures, new vistas, challenging environments, foreign cultures, relationships with unfamiliar people and the beauty that our world has to offer. It can become the platform for creating family values and memories that will connect you to one another forever.
The next morning we awoke at 4:30am for a hot air balloon safari at sunrise. We drove through the dark to the launch site where before us lay two enormous, spectacular, colorful balloons. We watched as fires were lit and fans were turned on to fill the balloons with hot air, and just as the balloon itself began to lift off the ground, we climbed into giant wicker baskets for our ride. The baskets are rectangular with four compartments plus a spot for the balloon pilot. Each balloon can carry about 16 people and ours was full. After learning how to sit in the basket during landing, our basket was released and we floated into the dimly lit sky. It was breathtaking! We glided over the tall grass, over animals grazing, above the trees and over the river. The sun began to break through the horizon and the sky exploded with color. A soft mist glazed the grass and the sunlight reflected off the mist to create a glow. We were entranced by the feeling of floating through the air and keenly aware that this feeling was perhaps to be had once in a life-time. We tried to savor every moment of the one hour ride until we landed with a crash and a burst of laughter as our basket was turned on its side and we had to crawl out. We were greeted by a Land Cruiser to whisk us two minutes further down the track to a beautiful breakfast complete with table cloths and a chef in a tall white hat making omelets and waffles. It was a beautiful morning.
Our driver Abdul met us after breakfast bearing gifts for the children and announced to Zac that he would be assistant guide for the day. Zac jumped in the front of the jeep, grabbed the radio to pretend to talk to other guides about spotting animals and away we went! Abdul has a wealth of knowledge and was perhaps our most interesting guide. He taught us about termites and ants, about every tree and bush that we passed. He told us facts about animals we hadn’t heard before and he guided us to see the most exciting animal drama of our trip.
We spotted a herd of Zebra gathered by the edge of the river. Some of them were grazing, others were prancing and several were standing at the edge of the high river bank seeming to ponder how they might descend the river bank and cross the water. We pulled alongside them to look out over the river ourselves, and just below, nestled in the mud were two enormous 12 foot long, lumpy, bumpy, crocodiles, sound asleep. The Zebras were walking in circles, kicking up dirt and snorting so we imagined that they were trying to figure out how to avert the danger that lurked below. Ned was convinced that something exciting was going to happen but none of us could figure out what was motivating the zebras to cross. The grass where we were appeared long and lush and there was no other apparent danger nearby. We drove through the herd, taking the opportunity to photograph some zebras at close range but Ned just couldn’t take his eyes off the riverbank. He asked Abdul to pull up again and park and we sat and watched what looked like two sleeping crocs and a relatively peaceful river scene marked by still water just below and a very small set of rapids about a hundred feet up river. Finally a small pack of zebras broke away from the larger herd and made its way through some bushes to emerge just on the opposite side of the rapids. It appeared that they thought the rapids would dissuade the crocs from attacking them, so the six somewhat clumsy zebras descended the river bank and plunged into the water to cross. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, crocs appeared from every conceivable hiding place, and even the two sleeping monsters below us awoke and slithered into the water. In a split second, the river was transformed into a savage, quivering caldron of death for those that chose to enter it. We watched as the zebras did their best to race across to the opposite bank and we were hopeful that they would make it. None of us could control our urge to scream to warn the zebras of the danger. “Go! Go! Go!” we yelled! The yells became pleas for help as we saw the raw and cruel reality of nature about to unfold. The zebras couldn’t mount the bank on the opposite side; it was too steep! We saw them try to launch themselves on their hind legs and use their fore legs to try to crawl up the bank, but the walls were mud, and they were sheer. By this point the kids were hysterical! They wanted an explanation of why the zebras decided to cross when the grass was just as green on this side. They wanted to know how the crocs from far downstream knew in an instant that the zebras were vulnerable. They wanted to understand why this savagery was nature’s way. The tears started to flow and the shouting more urgent when all of a sudden, the first zebra got traction and was able to pull himself up the bank. Then, zebra number two, three, four and five! We were cheering and praying for the last and biggest zebra but before he could launch his hind quarter out of the water, the crocs literally flew out of the water, sank their teeth into him, and pulled him under! The furry was spectacular, the water churned, the zebra toiled and gasped for air, his snout jutting up above the waterline, his mane flapping until he was dragged down into the dark, muddy water and devoured. Silence… everyone was in shock. Before we could muster a word, another pack of zebras entered the water to cross even though crocs were circling in the water. These zebra just waded across, unharmed. How did they know they would be safe? What made them enter the river even though it was filled with predators? Why didn’t the crocs attack? Had they had their fill with just one zebra? Had one zebra’s sacrifice made it safe for the remainder of the herd? We liked this version of our imagined explanation best. It made death seem less random and more heroic.

Life Lesson #11: The hidden message of safari is a reminder of the randomness of life. We have so little control. At that moment, we could only think to remind our children to make every minute count and to remember to be grateful for the green pastures in which we graze. The constant, insatiable desire to seek greener pastures is both an animal and a human instinct, but the elevated human spirit is one that couples instinct with awareness, intention, and an analysis of the cost to life and relationships.

We made it back to camp at by mid-afternoon, in time to indulge in a spectacular massage in a hut set by the edge of the river. The sounds of the water rushing, and the warmth of the sun-soaked teak of the hut were utterly soothing. The kids jumped into the tiny, unheated pool to cool off and all of us were ready for an early dinner. We walked to the main building that housed the restaurant when King appeared in the courtyard and insisted that we follow him down a path to see something special. We honestly didn’t know what he could be up to since it was dark outside, but as we followed him down the path, we came upon a clearing lit by lanterns hanging in the trees. It was a beautiful scene. Waiters and chefs in tall white hats manned the grills and King beamed with a big smile as he announced that the staff had prepared a special private dinner for us. We were seated at a long table covered in a red and white table cloth and even though it started to sprinkle, not one of us wanted to move from this fantasy dinner into the restaurant. It was a perfect end to our safari.
At the tail end of our trip, we spent five days in Zanzibar, Tanzania and then headed home to Boston. Once home we were overcome with all that we had experienced. We are, after all, an amalgamation of the spiritual, physical, and practical; a family seeking to find balance between having and giving. To transition between the two states of being isn’t always easy or clear-cut. We know ourselves better for what we experienced together and our journey is really just beginning.