The landscape in front me looks like a scene out of Jurassic Park; it is almost like Kualoa Ranch on O’ahu. As we make our way down the rugged red dirt road I start to make out shapes of the zebras and wildebeests. As we get to the bottom of Ngorongoro Crater I immediately stand up, grabbing my camera so that I can get a better view of the landscape and all of its inhabitants.
Before the start of this trip I set up three goals: eat something I’ve never eaten before, network- create new friendships, and see at least one lion. I ate this food called ugali, I now have more friends than I can count on my fingertips, and today I saw nine lions.
Our favorite quote of the day: “Cats are all the same,” says Marin as three female lions started to crowd around our car to find shade and escape the hot sun. The lions slept underneath our safari car when we parked next to them to get a closer look. Later we saw one young adult male lion guarding a recently killed buffalo. Later still we saw a male and three females lying in the grass next to the road. It has always been a dream of mine to see a lion. I’ve seen them at zoos before but this moment is different. When you look at them in a zoo, you don’t get the same adrenaline rush as you do when you spot them on a safari. Our safari guide Swai, “Like chai” as he likes to say, says that there are up to three or four prides in the crater but it’s rare to see so many lions in one day, especially to see them up so close. The lion is a beautiful creature; it is graceful and powerful, striking the ground with a type of force in every step. On safari, you also wonder what exactly they will do once they start moving around, especially when they turn toward your jeep.
On to our next adventure, bike riding!
