I Dreamed Of Africa
By Kay Trotman
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On a recent visit to Kenya, I experienced the beauty of a country that many people only dream about. Kenya, Africa! It was during the season of the long rains, but nonetheless, a time when the country’s true beauty was evident. Trees reaching for the heavens against the bluest of skies and flowers blooming everywhere you turn. Corner nurseries filled with color and Kenyan hospitality ever present. This was Kenya!
Game Viewing was at its very best on this trip. I saw a sight that will stay with me forever. Just outside of Serian Tented Camp, we spent hours looking amongst the tall grasses of the plains for lions. We knew they were around, they almost always are. But they seemed to be eluding us on this day. Someone at the camp had told us they saw some lions in a tree. What did they mean? We were soon to find out. No one, not even the guides or drivers had heard of such a thing.
As we were headed back to camp after hours of game viewing, the driver stopped and pointed to a rather small acacia tree in the distance. As we looked, we could make out some golden color on the trees, but it wasn’t until we drove closer that we could appreciate the magnitude of what was before us. There were four lions in one tree and four in another, including the matriarch of the pride. This was just too cute and too unbelievable! How could this be?
What are they doing up there and how did they get up there? We were so engrossed, we must have watched those lions for hours on end taking mountains of pictures, and returned later in the evening for more! Our reward for sticking around so long was to see one of the lion cubs come down the tree, slowly and carefully. What an amazing sight! The others decided they needed more sleep and off they dozed after becoming tired of posing for us!
Obviously, this is an uncommon occurrence in the Mara or even in Africa, and we may never see it again, but am I glad, on this day, we were in the right place at the right time. Don’t believe it if someone tells you to climb a tree to escape being prey to a lion. You may be sorry!
Copyright © K. Trotman, Corona, CA