Into the Wild

An Africa safari was on our member Ms. R. Banerjee’s to-do list for many years. She finally ticked it off this year in August and brought back photos of magnificent beasts and the wonderful people she met there.

I have always loved birds and animals. As a child, I used to have a pet cat, and I still love feeding the birds and stray animals in my neighbourhood. I enjoy watching nature documentaries and had, for many years, wanted to go on an African safari. I had saved it for my later years because I had heard that it involves being driven around. However, when I travelled to Kenya and Tanzania, I realised that it is not something to do in one’s old age. I did not anticipate how dusty and bumpy the roads would be.
I fell down twice and was bruised and battered, but the sightings made the trip worthwhile. I couldn’t believe my luck when I spotted a baby elephant enjoying its mother’s milk. I even saw three lions hunt a gazelle. It was a failed hunt, but I stopped feeling bad for the lions when I saw that they weren’t short of food—massive herds of wildebeest and zebras thundered across the plains. What a majestic sight that was!
I will never forget the sunset I saw on the Serengeti plains, and Kilimanjaro, a table-top mountain. There was no cloud cover that day, and we were lucky to see its snowy peak. I even met some members of the Maasai tribe in the Maasai Mara National Reserve and got to see how they live. Some of them even spoke English!
I loved my time among the African people. But for me the highlight was the animals. I will always cherish my time in Africa for all my life.

(As narrated to Support Elders by our member.)