The Lesson I Learned on My First Trip to Africa

It was dark. The only light shining down on the dirt road on which I was walking was that of the moon and stars that had started to twinkle and glow like diamonds in the black sky. But as brilliant as they were in the sky, they weren't providing much illumination to all the darkness that surrounded me. The air was beginning to cool as the temperature started to drop. The only sound was that of my breathing. Until it wasn't. The rustling of the bushes to the right of me, the pawing hooves on the ground, the snorting of the startled creature letting me know how unhappy it was to be startled and disturbed - all seemed to be intensely magnified and echoed wildly in my head as my breath caught in mid inhale, my legs turned to stone and I swear that my heart stopped beating.

Before I spill the details of the outcome, I need to first take you back and let you know how I got myself into this predicament.

Our guide drove us into the Drifters bush lodge located on the Balule Nature Reserve (which is situated next to Kruger National Park) late the previous night after a day filled with events for another post. After arriving in Johannesburg, Balule was the official start of our three week tour of South Africa. After receiving our wakeup call - which was literally our guide walking up to each tented cabin calling our names - we got ready and made our way to the common area to help with breakfast. I was itching to see the game reserve in the light of day and start experiencing all the wonders of coming across animals in their territory and natural environment. Little did I know, but I should have been careful of what I wished for!

The tented cabin I was sharing with my best friend and travel buddy was the last of six spread out on the one side of the common area building. Distance wise, I would estimate it to have been a good quarter to half a kilometer away. Each cabin had some space between the next one, and that space was filled with brush and trees. Standing on the deck, or on the road in front, I could not see the common area in any form. All the cabins were on one side of the dirt road, with more trees, brush and open space on the other side. With daylight shining on us, the area seemed beautiful and serene. If there were animals around, we would have been able to spot them. Because we were on the animals' turf, they would leave "presents" on the road or hiking trails to let everyone know they had been through the area. Every time we walked to or from the common area, I would play a mind game with myself trying to remember which piles of dung had already been there on the way to it, and which ones were new on the way back.

That morning was spent on a guided hike - walking the grounds of the reserve all the while gleaning tidbits of information from our very knowledgeable guides. A little aside - interspersed throughout the conversations that were had with our guide, starting on our first evening together in Jo-burg, were rules, guidelines and suggestions on how we were to conduct ourselves while on this tour, and most especially while we were staying on the game reserves. A few of them - always be aware of your surroundings, don't wander off on your own, walk with a buddy and make sure you let someone know where you are going. Let's continue. Mid-afternoon we went on our first game drive in the open air vehicles. This is what I had come to Africa for! Turning the corner just past our cabin this was our first sighting. See the giraffe so close to where I was staying brought home the fact that we were sharing their space. Giraffe, zebra, impala, elephants and more. To see these amazing animals interacting together with no fences inbetween was incredible. My love for Africa was solidified.

We returned to the camp to prepare dinner and share our experiences for the day. Everyone was talking and laughing. As dinner ended the music was turned on and the party was just starting. I felt the need to go back to my tented cabin for a reason that at the time seemed really important, but today I can't remember what it was. Whatever it was, it was only going to be a quick jaunt there and back. So, unbeknownst to anyone (not even my friend), I left the building and started the walk. The farther I got away from the common area, the quieter the music and laughing got - until I couldn't hear any noise at all. Wait! Was that dung pile in the middle of the road there on the way to dinner, or was it fresh? My pace started to slow as I concentrated on the road just ahead of me, trying to determine fresh piles from old ones. Being in the middle of Africa, there were no street lights to guide my way. And this, my friends, is where and when the start of my blog post takes place.

The blood started to flow from my heart again - only now it was beating to the tune of some wild punk rock drummer trying to take out all of his aggression on my poor internal organ. But with that, my brain started to function again. It registered that I was actually almost at my tented cabin. The stairs to the deck were about 20 feet away. The trees and bushes to the right of me were swaying madly like in the middle of a storm, branches were snapping and the snorting was getting ever so slightly closer to me. Was the warm air I suddenly felt on my arms coming from the nostrils of the bohemuth in the bushes (oh my God is he really that close?), or was it just my own breath being expelled from my lungs that couldn't hold it in any longer? That instant of fight or flight adrenaline coursing through my viens brought along a series of thoughts and mental tug-a-wars between both sides of my brain:

- if I try to run back to the common area I am sure to be charged by whatever is in the bushes and I won't end up a winner in that race

- what's the point in screaming/yelling - no one will be able to hear me anyway because of the distance and music playing

- has anyone noticed I'm gone and wondering where I am

- I'm about to die on my third day in Africa

- when Dad is standing at my gravesite, all he is going to do is shake his head and say "I told you I didn't want you to go to Africa"

- all I have to do is make it to the stairs - if whatever is in the bushes chases me, it won't fit between the rail and the cabin wall (how do you know that? I don't)

- I'm not a runner - you don't need to run, it's a quick 20 foot sprint

- the snorting sounds like a bull - I'd be a matador if I had a red cape

- I can't die now - there is still so much of Africa I want to see

- I have to make a decision - NOW

Although it felt like forever, all of this took place in mere seconds. Don't think, just do! Here goes nothing. Channeling my inner Bionic woman (yes, I may have just dated myself), I slowly turned towards the path leading to the stairs, took a deep breath and rain like the wind. I skidded a bit as I hit the deck and was then sitting on the side of my bed not remembering how I had opened or closed the zipper on the front of the tent. Heart racing again. Deep breaths. What's that sound? A little hysterical laughter escaping my lips. I reach for the flashlight at the end of my bed, turn it on and wave it along the mesh of the tent trying to see if I can catch a glimpse of what had the standoff with me. Bad move as it only made it more angry and alerted it to where I was. Now the trees along the side and front of the deck started moved and snapping as this heavy animal moved and took up residence in the area just below the deck. Guess I'll be staying inside for a bit!

As everything inside of me started to slow down and get back to normal, all I could think was "I am in Africa. I'm in freaking Africa!" A huge smile made it's way across my face. This is something I will never forget. I attempted the flashlight move a few more times, but it always brought along the snorts and branch snapping. So I stayed put for a while longer. After about half an hour of sitting on the edge of my bed I knew I had to get back as I had already been gone too long without anyone knowing where I was. Several swipes of the flashlight. No movement or sounds. Can it be that the animal has given up on being angry with me and moved on to something more interesting? Wait a few minutes and try again. Same results. Wait and try one more time. Nothing.

Now I just had to get back to the common area building in one piece. As quietly as I could, I opened the zipper, stepped out and closed it behind me. Wait - do I hear anything moving from any direction? No. I tip toe to the stairs and slowly make my way down each one. Stop at the base and listen again. Appears to be all clear. Don't run - if anything is lurking in the bushes I don't want to think I'm challenging it to a race. I remembered to bring the flashlight with me, so I was using that to light my way, but also figured I could throw it at whatever came out of the bushes at me. As I power walked back to the common area, my head was on a constant swivle and my sense of hearing was heightened. Music. Laughter. That means I am getting closer and almost there. Breathe.

As I walked back into the main area, everyone in the group turned to look at me. "Where have you been?" "What were you doing?" "We were just about to go searching for you." And then our guide walked up to me as I was recounting what had gone down. "It sounds like you had a run in with a very upset water buffalo. They can be mean animals." He pulled me aside and asked if I remembered the rules he had laid out over the past few days. If you were paying attention, you will notice that I ignored every single one he had laid out. I was lucky that night in Africa. Things could have turned out much different than they did. I could have been seriously injured or killed, or dragged off into the bush. Did I learn my lesson? You bet. From that night onward, and for every subsequent trip I have taken to Africa (or other places), I have been a stickler for people in the tour group to remember this rule:

Always listen to your guides!