Kenya: the buffaloes strike back

by Annabel Arkesteijn (Netherlands)

I didn't expect to find Kenya

Jambo Kenya. I get off the plane and immediately feel a change in the air around me. It is hot and I can feel my shirt sticking to my back under my backpack. I hear the engines of multiple planes behind me, but combined with the warmth and the unknown scents of this country, it feels like a blanket of serenity is falling over me. The next morning the alarm goes off at an ungodly time and I lazily rub the sleep out of my eyes. I open the curtains and am startled by a family of monkeys running past my window. I enter the dark night, ready to go on safari. In the back of the jeep the thought to close my eyes for a few seconds crosses my mind, but in the early morning, when it is still nice and cool, Kenya’s interesting life starts. Parades of Kenyans begin their two-hour walk to work in the city at 5 am. They don’t own a car or bicycle, so walking is the way to go. As the sun rises, we drive into the safari park. The morning sun paints the savannah in a beautiful palette of orange and when we first see an antelope jump past our jeep, the title song of the Lion King starts playing in my head. We drive far and fast, and for a long time we do just that. We are surrounded by vast plains of red sand, dry high grass and old trees. The sporadic vulture that wouldn’t look out of place in a thriller movie, gives this experience a surreal feeling. Even though the giraffe is officially no member of the big five, its majestic movements makes him part of my big five. The large animal walks slowly and pauses to eat some leaves right next to our jeep. I could have watched this animal for hours, but after a few more moments we say goodbye to the giraffe and drive up to a big herd of buffaloes, not even 10 minutes later. Slowly the chauffeur tries to get even closer when he abruptly stops. Out of the bushes a lion emerges. With its belly almost against the ground and his head turned toward the buffalo herd, the king of the jungle tigers over the road in front of us. I hold my breath when he gets closer and suddenly attacks. The buffaloes break up and try to escape the attack when a smaller buffalo gets separated from the rest. The lion jumps and sinks its claws in the defenceless animal’s behind. But then something unbelievable happens: the herd of buffaloes turn around and come to the wounded buffalo’s rescue. Startled by the fast approaching buffaloes, the lion leaves its prey and runs away. After a few moments the wounded buffalo gets up again and the lion stumbles back across the road to lick his wounds. After beholding this spectacle, it is time for a relaxing sunset. In the shadows of the Kilimanjaro, the sturdy jeep climbs up a steep road towards Kudu Point. Clinging to the chair in front of me, my knuckles turn whiter than white. In the peaceful colours of twilight, the chauffeur steps on the accelerator, and along steep cliffs and thorny bushes the jeep sputters towards the top. A little dazed and nauseated we fall out of the jeep, glad we made it to the top. Once we catch our breath, we’re blown away by a magnificent view. The clouds around Kilimanjaro have cleared and from our vantage point we’re treated to the Tanzanian mountain in its full glory. A campfire cracks in front of us and suddenly twenty women appear, dressed in beautiful colours and bells around their ankles. They sing, stamp on the floor and dance like only African women can. One of the women takes my hand and pulls me onto the improvised dance floor. I knew Kenya would be an amazing adventure, but I didn't expect to find a lion hunting in the wild and fail, or dance with twenty Kenyan women in front of the most amazing sunset. This was truely one of the most surreal days in my entire life.