By Leica R. Carpo, Publisher
Sunday Inquirer Magazine
AFRICA is a place that will change you. I could not sleep a wink on my first night because a herd of rhinos had decided to sleep underneath our tent and shook the poles of our makeshift home until almost 2 a.m. Although I was dead tired from 26 hours of continuous travel, visions of being some hungry animals’ dinner kept running through my head.
Going to Africa was never on my priority list of vacation places. I prefer to get my cultural fix from more civilized surroundings, like a medieval church or a European museum. I never even watch “Animal Planet,” but somehow I found myself in the middle of the Okavango Delta in Botswana, inside an enormous non-hunting game reserve in Africa and to my surprise, I found myself completely spellbound by the endless blue skies, the exotic wildlife and the constant thrill of the unexpected. This was a no-frills, no-holds-barred view of nature up close and personal. The Sistine chapel may have its charms but it pales compared to watching “the king of the jungle” close in on its prey with its pride of lionesses waiting to pounce nearby. The fierceness of it all was shocking, powerful and absolutely riveting.
Our safari trip consisted of waking up at 4 a.m. every morning for a hearty breakfast and jumping into an open Land Rover and cruising into the bush by 4:45 a.m. Despite the early hour, I found my eyes peeled alertly scanning the fields and hoping to catch a glimpse of predators closing in on their prey. Cameras at the ready, my safari group and I waited patiently often up to three hours on end for a sighting. Normally impatient, I found that there never was a dull moment in this watch. By 10 a.m. we were ready for tea, usually served outdoors and consisting of dried fruits, cookies and hot tea served in thermoses. Lunch followed at noon, often served by a picturesque lake or within sight of a panoramic view of the plains. By sunset we headed back to camp for an early dinner and were back in the jeeps ready for night drives by 9 p.m. We followed the animals’ daily regimen and ate and slept according to their body clock.
We were taught to observe the various paw prints to track the animals into there lair, how to distinguish predator from prey by the gleam in their eyes during night drives, and to listen to the various nature calls from birds to coyotes. The unforgiving food chain that marks everyday life in the African plains may seem harsh to “animal lovers” because “Bambi” is basically the main food group, but it’s a survival necessity for the lions who hunt them and the scavengers who benefit from the scraps.
From almost being capsized by a hippopotamus to being chased by a bunch of naughty monkeys, it seemed that everyday we were on safari was a real life adventure. Someday I vowed to return. In the meantime when the hustle and bustle of city life starts to grate on my nerves, the memory I carry of African blue skies never fails to ease my stress and brighten my day.
For more stories, check out the Sunday Inquirer Magazine’s Favorite Places issue this Sunday, April 13.
