Dreams Really Do Come True-Day 3

After a day of heavy rain, the shining sun proved to be a very good omen.

 Our group divided into a Girls Car and Boys Car, and set out on Day 3 in search of animals. We were after all, in the world famous Serengeti. For Anders, the elusive leopard was his personal Holy Grail. Our driver Simon assured me we’d see one that day, a promise I chose not to share with anyone else, just in case.

 Heaven is driving through a game park with the roof popped open: A little wind, sunlight on your face, and the thrill of watching animals  in their natural habitat. On this day, there was no shortage of animals, or vehicles. The vastness of the area can suddenly come to a screeching halt. In the midst of an endless plain, we stumbled upon a gathering of safari rigs inching their way towards an isolated acacia tree. The smile on Anders’s face in the car ahead confirmed my suspicion: a leopard! Happiness is seeing your child realize a dream and at that moment, Anders was living his. (Little did I know, it would just get better) Happiness for a driver, is fulfilling the promise of an animal sighting for a client ensuring a hefty tip. 

 In the meadow across from the leopard, more cars gathered. Three lionesses were actively hunting zebra and using the line of cars as cover. “Animal Planet” unraveled before us as we watched the cats stalk their prey, oblivious to the live audience surrounding them. Only one in six attempts at a kill is successful; alas, despite our patience, this one was one of the other five.

 Satisfied after seeing a little of everything, we went back to the camp. We joined a guide and “armed” (poisoned arrows!) guard for a bush walk, tracking animals from the ground. Just when I thought Anders’s day couldn’t get better, the guide let him carry a Maasai spear for the duration of the excursion, granting yet another of his humble wishes. (in case you haven’t noticed, Anders has thing for weapons)  Threatening storm clouds forced us to retreat back to camp early with the unexpected bonus of getting picked up by the staff in an open-air vehicle.

The entertainment continued after dinner, when we piled back into the open-air vehicle for a nighttime nocturnal game drive, aided by a powerful spotlight. The camp manager apprised us that we wouldn’t be able to go off-road due to the muddy road conditions, but if we were game, we’d drive along the main road instead. Three guides, three adults, and six bundled kids, we headed out into the dark seeking the glowing eyes of wild animals.

 It took about three minutes for the driver to veer off the road and drive straight towards a large bush. Soon, the car wasn’t going forward. The engine ran, but the tires were spinning. I remember thinking, “I thought we weren’t supposed to go off the main road?” but assumed they knew what they were doing.

 Wrong.

 Having never been stuck in the mud with car wheels spinning to no avail, in the dark, in the middle of the Serengeti, I wasn’t sure if I should be mildly nervous, or really nervous. Didn’t lions hunt at night? What about hyenas? We could walk back to camp with the spotlight, but we’d set ourselves up as a walking buffet for any prowling predators between the car and camp. But wait, we were in an open-air truck that wasn’t going anywhere. Maybe we were a stationary meal already.  I started to scan the horizon and keep watch for anything that moved.

 Out of six cell phones on board, not one received service in this particular spot. So much for calling the camp to get help. Two guides left the truck and returned forty-five long minutes later with a tow. Not without repeated effort, the truck finally became un-stuck and we resumed our drive perhaps a little less enthusiastically with Mark calling from the backseat at regular intervals, “Hey guys, let’s stay on the main road, OK?”

 The spotlight managed to locate animals both on the ground and in trees. Bush Babies, hyenas, mongooses, owls, and a wild cat appeared in the next hour of driving. I tried so hard to stay awake, but the mishap in the mud had put us way behind schedule and it was long past my bedtime. One by one, we fell asleep in the cool, fresh air, with only David alert enough to respond to the guide’s factoids. Back at camp,we rolled out of the rig like drunken sailors, and stumbled back to our tents.

 For all of us, but especially dreamers like Anders, it was a very memorable day (and night) in the Serengeti.