Today began our journey at the Honeyguide Ranger Camp, and almost immediately upon arrival I saw wild Jonathan pictured in his nature habitat. You can usually spot these creatures out from their distinct Yale dad hat, smooth Black sunnies, and a never-ending beam on their face. A little pro-tip that usually only the experts are in on, is their very distinct animal call – one I became familiar with at 9:00 this morning. It’s a bit barbaric, this call, it goes SA-FAR-EE, SA-FAR-EE, SA-FAR-EEE usually complimented with a fist pump in the air and oozing jubilance. Pictured below is said wild Jonathan.
I’m still at a loss of words for how our first day of safari has been, and I’m positive, like the beautiful scenery on the safari, the experience cannot be so accurately captured. Around 3:30pm, 9 of us huddled into one of the Land Roveropen-air jeeps and set out to begin exploring what we would later find out to be about a 54, 000-acre reserve (imagine over 54,000 football fields). The star of my experience today has by far been Julian, one of the two rangers who are guiding us on our trip. Not only did he give us an amazing 3-hour safari tour, but he brought knowledge, passion, and a great humor to the experience that made it infinitely better. It was obvious from the first few minutes of our ride how much his work meant to him and the excitement he had to share it with us. The few animals we saw were the wildebeest, jackal, kudu (a type of African antelope), and the vervet monkey. We learned everything from their diets and how they survive winters, to their mating types (to quote Julian some “hoes ain’t loyal”), to the complicated language systems that exist between certain animals. Julian of course got to sneak in little ranger nerd moments as he showed us how to age animal tracks on the path and how to tell the direction a snake was moving in based on the way the dirt was mounded in their tracks.
The safari would be remiss without the chaotic moments so add in a riveting lion chase as we hurry to find a sneaky male lion the other group spotted – sadly, we just missed him. Then we got into a sticky situation in the mud and it’s safe to say that was an experience we won’t forget but Julian handled it like a G.
Animal-wise the elephants stole the show. They were absolutely stunning. They were huge but elegant and graceful. The most surprising part about them is how quiet they are for their size. I was absolutely shocked to hear these giants move so silently. And in their presence, our entire group could not help but be silence as we watched in awe seeing these beautiful animals exist in their natural habitat. It was truly indescribable.
Many hours later, hanging out in the Boma (a cute little eating and bonfire area at the camp) I got to hear Julian explain how he recently changed careers to follow his passion. Since he was young, he’d been fascinated by the wild, or the bush as it is commonly referred to lol, and after being stuck in a job that wasn’t fulfilling and left him feeling stagnant, he finally got to be in a job that “doesn’t even feel like work.” His imparting wisdom was that we follow our dreams and do what makes us happy. So, from the very beginning of this day to the end I’ve got to witness the power of the safari and the joy that it brings to people. In experiencing it, I can truly say that there’s nothing else like it – from the animals who call this place home, to the beautiful mountains that line the sky, to the vibrant stars sprinkled over the landscape – this safari has shown me artistry that exists within nature, and the blessing it is to get to experience it so intimately.
P.S. I can currently hear Jonathan, Paul, and Del scream singing country music, and it is bringing me an immense amount of joy as I write this XD
