In Kenya, dreams of wildlife come true

Kenya, a paradise in Africa, boasts not only countless animals in the wild but plants and a diverse range of landscape as well.

By Cho Jae-hyon

NAIROBI ㅡ What does Africa remind you of?

It's a question an official from the Kenyan Tourism Board asked me. The words that instantly came to mind were poverty, civil war, and several other negative ones. It was a land practically unknown for me.

But Africa drew closer to me since June 20 when I first set my foot in the capital city of Kenya for the first time. I visited Kenya for a week-long tour along with a group of other journalists, a program jointly organized by the Kenyan Embassy in Korea, Kenyan Airways and Korean Air.

Arriving in Nairobi in the morning, we hopped onto a four-wheel drive off-road vehicle and headed for the first destination ㅡ Ol Pejeta Conservancy on the foothills of Mt. Kenya. It was a four-hour drive on bumpy and dusty roads to the Sweet Waters Tented Camp in the private wildlife conservation, abundant with animals.

The camp had luxury tents with thatched roofs covering them. The lodges didn't have TV. After almost two days of air and road travel, I enjoyed a deep night's sleep in the superb retreat in the wilderness.

On the second day, we went to the Mt. Kenya Safari Club, a scenic retreat set in over 100 acres of landscaped gardens. There I had the chance to ride a horse. It was quite a thrilling experience, going through a zigzagging, hilly course with great views on horseback for about an hour.

While it was a bit scary at the start, I eventually learned that as I relaxed my body and let it go rhythmically in sync with the horse's movements, we became sort of a single entity. The horse, named Knight King Cole was such a loving creature.

Located near the club, was an animal orphanage that treats sick and raises lost animals. It was like a huge open zoo. Visitors can feed ostriches, monkeys, impalas and many other animals that aren't afraid of people at all. Monkeys will hop onto your head and shoulders. We took turns to ride on the back of a 150-year-old tortoise. According to the guide, the tortoise was just a teenager as it lives until it is 300 years old, believe it or not.

The highlight of the third day was a trip to Lake Nakuru, the home for countless pelicans and flamingos. Tens of thousands of large birds presented a breathtaking sight. At one point, thousands of pelicans abruptly started flew in groups like numerous fleets of airplanes from a place far from where we stood. It was really quite spectacular.

A Chinese tourist kept uttering exclamations at the stunning sight, continuously taking photographs.

On the fourth day, our expectations ran higher as we were scheduled to visit Maasai Mara, the most famous wildlife reserve in Africa. It lived up to its reputation.

Minutes after driving into the reserve, we saw three lions feeding on a buffalo just several meters away from the vehicle. We collectively frowned and flinched at the vivid sound of lions' teeth biting and crunching the bones as they dug their heads into the carcass.

The male lion's face was all red with blood.

Afterwards, we also came across two lions dining on a zebra about 100 meters away from our vehicle. They were initially sharing it with hyenas. But one of the two female lions suddenly bit one of the hyenas in the neck, sending a clear warning to the rest of them: "No more sharing." One hesitant but courageous hyena attempted to approach one more time, but the lion howled loudly.

The hyenas gave up and went away.

Lions, zebras and giraffes were so beautiful against the background of savanna grass, baobab trees and horizons. I loved the colors ㅡ they were so beautiful. It was really a masterpiece created by nature.

On day five, we visited the Maasai Village where Maasai tribes live, preserving hundreds of their traditions. In the village, about 120 Maasai people formed one family under a chief in his 90s. Maasai men can have a number of wives. They are known as one of the bravest tribes on the continent ㅡ one must kill a lion to become a true Maasia warrior.

They presented some dancing, jumping, singing and several other traditional rituals. Cow excrement was everywhere on the ground of the village surrounded by huts made of the said substances and thatch.

Cow blood is one of their staples. They showed us how they get blood from a cow without killing it. After three men firmly held down a cow, another knelt right beside the cow and shot a wooden arrow in the neck.

After three shots, blood began gushing out of the small resulting hole and a man collected the dripping blood in a jar.

Afterwards, the man poured the blood into a small bowl and drank it. They asked us to try it, saying the blood makes a man stronger. Out of curiosity, I drank some, a bit hesitantly.

The taste? It was warm and somewhat sweet. It was not bad actually. As they said, I felt more energetic.

On the last day, we used a 10-seat aircraft to return to Nairobi from the Sarova Mara Camp. At Carnivore, a restaurant famous for game meat, I tried some alligator, which was actually rather delicious.

I only saw parts of Kenya for a short period of one week.
But it was an unforgettable experience. On the flight back to Seoul, the thought of going back to the jungle of gray buildings in Seoul made me miss the African country all the more. But at the same time, a word sprang into my mind: Hakuna matata! No problem!