When we visited our local Bannerghatta Park, the animals there were quite a sight. I wondered what it would be like in Africa. “Why don’t we find out?” asked my friend.
And the innocuous question was responsible for our setting out to Kenya, in response to the call of the wild. Two truths became apparent right away. The first was that animals hunt only when they are hungry. The second was that they don’t cause any harm until provoked.
Our first stop was at Aberdares, 7,200 feet high. Telephones and mobile phones are absent. There is no television. Everyone moves around quietly and avoids unnecessary noise so that the animals are not disturbed. People converse in hushed whispers. With dense trees and a sense of stillness in the background, the atmosphere was one of serenity.
We left Aberdares for Lake Nakaru. There were hordes of pelicans and flamingoes. So numerous were the flamingoes that as far as the eye could reach, we saw an expanse of flamingoes in varying shades of pink. The thick growth of algae is what attracts the flamingoes.
The next halt was Masai Mara. Masai is the tribe (tall, warrior-like people, wearing brightly-coloured clothes and lots of hand-made jewellery) and Mara is the river. It is said that when animals were released from Noah’s Ark, they were set free in Africa. And the three safaris we went on did lend credence to this belief. We were lucky to see the Big Five — elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino. We didn’t miss the wildebeest either.
There were long-necked giraffes in plenty and enormous rhinos wallowing in muddy water.
It was a sheer delight to see the majestic lions basking in the sun, their manes shining with golden splendour. One stretched and yawned, as if bored with all the adulation he was receiving. Then he got up, and with lordly disdain, crossed the track within hand-shaking distance. We also saw a pride — older cubs that had been left to fend for themselves as they had ‘come of age’! An interesting sight was a leopard cub, crouched on the branch of a tree, in a vain attempt to hide from prying human eyes.
We even witnessed a kill. Three leopards and two cubs were feasting on their prey, a deer. There were a whole lot of vultures some distance away, waiting to finish off the remains. Then, there was the herd of elephants, led by a matriarch, with the babies just behind, their tiny tails swishing this way and that. It was very, very cute
indeed!
Back in Nairobi, there was a total transformation. It can compete with any European or North American capital for style and sophistication. The city is very clean and green and road discipline is excellent. My friend’s daughter and son-in-law, who live there, took me on a Cook’s tour of Nairobi, which I enjoyed tremendously. The highlight was the Animal
Orphanage, where rescued stray animals are cared for.
Kenya’s economy seems to be booming with tech-savvy women very comfortably transacting business with their male counterparts. The people are cheerful, polite and friendly. On the flip side, mugging and thefts are common. But then, which metropolis is free of such crimes? The discreet traveller does not venture very far after dark.