Hippopotamuses cross in front of the jeep. This is the only time that I will get to see wild hippos out of the water. They're enormous, bulky animals, but beautiful nonetheless. We drive onwards and arrive at the make shift airfield. The sky is slowly brightening. It's a deep red colour right now. Three yellow and green balloons are being inflated. To climb into the balloon, the basket is turned on it's side. It's divided into eight compartments. We crouch down, horizontally. The balloon becomes more inflated. Slowly, the basket turns upright. We take off.
The sun breaks free of the horizon. Perfect timing. It's stunning. The crimson palette of the sky changes to dazzling oranges and yellows. Two baboons run along the Serengeti plains below us. We see giraffes, bat eared foxes, lots of hippos (now bathing in the water), buffalos and a huge herd of elephants. Every so often, the pilot inflates the balloon more. There are times when there's just complete silence. No engine. No noise. It's wonderful. The flames which keep the balloon afloat, keep me warm.
We land in the long grass. We ride in jeeps to another part of the Serengeti, just minutes away. Champagne and orange juice in the dazzling sunshine while the pilot recites various historic facts about balloon flying. The Montgolfiere brothers built the first balloon in 1783. The brothers placed animals in a balloon (a sheep, a duck and a rooster) and flew it in front of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI and the French court. Later that year, the first humans would ride in balloons.
Next, we drive onwards towards a large acacia tree. It's breakfast time. Long tables are dressed with white linen, golden napkins and silverware. It's a contrast to eating around a campfire. We walk towards the tables. A man wearing a turban greets us. He pours a large jug of hot water into a metal hammered bowl. We individually wash our hands here.
For breakfast, I eat tomatoes, sauteed potatoes, mushrooms and beans. The bread rolls are soft and still warm. They are being freshly baked meters away in a stone oven. I also eat water melon and the best pineapple I've ever tasted. I see the same large herd of elephants we saw earlier from the balloon passing in the distance while drinking coffee from a china tea cup. The matriarch follows the herd from behind. What a view to have breakfast to. I meet some people who are from Frankfurt Zoo and are trying to find out ways to reduce poaching in the Serengeti. It makes me think about what I'm doing with my life and what I could do.
We make our way back to camp. I ask the driver why there are dark blue and black flags hanging off certain trees along the roadside. They're the same colour as the top I'm wearing. He explains that these colours attract the tsetse flies. The trees on which the flags hang are poisoned. Fantastic!. I'm a human magnet for tsetse flies, which like to feed on vertebrates and cause sleeping sickness!. Of all the tops I could have worn that day...
Along the way, many antelope cross the road as we approach the campsite. We have a few hours here to relax. I change out of my tsetse fly top. A random sudden downpour of rain comes out of nowhere. It disappears quickly and the sun comes out again. I hear from the local guides that last night, hyenas had been through the camp and lions had just been meters away. I'm both intrigued and skeptical. Are these just legends they entertain tourists with?. Lions and hyenas close to our tents. Surely not.
We go on another safari in the evening time. It's much cooler at this time of day. We see lions lying on tree branches along the way. We also see leopards doing the same. Three curious lion cubs stare at us from their tree. Two hyena cubs are stretched out on the road, blocking it. They refuse to move and just look at the jeeps as a mild inconvenience. We drive around them. Many people dislike hyenas, but I think they're wonderful. Standing on top of the front seat, with the roof taken off the jeep... zooming along the open dusty roads, feels like flying.
We return to camp. A few of us walk near the long grass in search of a galago (also known as a bush baby). It's a tiny nocturnal type of primate. We see movement as we shine the torches out towards the long grass and trees. Something is out there. Gleaming orange eyes are caught in the torch light. The animal disappears. Our African guides later tell us it was a leopard.
Dusk becomes night. Back at camp, we light a fire and have dinner around it. Bats swoop overhead and circle around, barely visible against the dark sky. Being curious about the rumours of hyenas the night before, I decide to stay up late, around the campfire. Niamh, Barry, Nick and Gavin stay up too. Isaiah, a driver remains with us. Isaiah's hearing and sight are incredibly well developed. He silently points towards a dark area beyond the campfire. The grass rustles and we shine our torches over there. Yellow eyes are illuminated.
It's a pack of hyenas. They are hungry and have come searching for food. They stare over, unflinching, for a little while. They then retreat. We do not move. We hear them calling out. Isaiah explains that they're calling for more hyenas to join them. Lovely. At this point, I'm not scared due to Isaiah's calmness. However, I am very surprised. Here we are in literally the middle of nowhere, with a pack of wild hyenas standing a short distance away calling their friends. There are no guns or spears. Soon, there is only three of us left at the campfire. The others go to bed. A lightening storm is taking place high in the air, within a cloud, in the distance. It looks really cool. Isaiah, Nick and I go on a walk around the perimeter of the campsite, where the long grass is. We haven't seen the hyenas in a while. Isaiah is armed with a beer bottle. It starts to drizzle. Thunder sounds. We see shapes crossing the campsite. It's the hyenas. They're back. I follow them. Suddenly, lightning illuminates the entire campsite for a split second. It's so bright. There's a hyena a few meters in front of me!!. They're timid creatures tonight. Luckily. The hyena nearby reminds me of a bear. It's fur is thick and long. It's posture is quite hunched over. What an amazing experience.
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