• Free Trial
  • Get the Juice
  • Donate Now
Grapevine Magazine
  • Recent Mag
  • Sponsor
  • Library
    • Magazines by Year
    • Articles by Year
    • Articles by Category
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • History
    • FAQs
    • Feedback
  • Contact
  • Book
Select Page
Going Places

Going Places

Roar of the Lion
by John Cooney

IMAGINE A TIME BEFORE COVID, when the world was still our oyster and adventures could still be had. Imagine lying on a bed in Africa, in a tent, in the evening, in the middle of a wildlife reserve. Birds have quit singing. Monkeys have stopped leaping on the canvas roof and swinging from the ropes. Imagine staring through the open flap at a triangle of darkness. Then imagine, suddenly, in the silence, a ROAR! A sharp, explosive, repeated ROAR! And imagine the hair standing up on the back of your neck as you realise (gulp!) … IT’S A LION!

We’d seen several that afternoon. And when this one roared a second time, I realised it probably wasn’t that close. It probably was a safe distance from our camp … probably on the far side of the dry riverbed … and it had probably just scored a hot meal. 

Probably …

But half an hour later, as I nervously walked through the trees towards a lit-up dining area and the smell of barbequed steak, my heart was still beating faster than usual.

 “You hear that lion?” I asked casually. And they had, of course. “But don’t worry,” assured our Kenyan friends. “Lions never come into the camp.” Although, just the week before, two angry males had staged a grand battle on the opposite bank, in full view of a willing lioness plus a campful of tourists.

“My parents taught us what the lion’s call means,” explained Jack, our driver. And he gave a fair imitation of a deep, grunting roar (in English!): “WHOSE LAND IS THIS? WHOSE LAND IS THIS? MINE … MINE … MINE!”

Welcome to Africa …

Our campsite was five hours north of Nairobi, past shanty-towns and roadside markets, along the pot-holiest ‘highway’ I’ve ever endured. Our tents sat on decks under trees along the dried-up Ewaso Nyiro River – a stunning location, oozing with atmosphere. And, as I dozed in a deckchair after lunch, I saw birds everywhere: weavers, hornbills, and lilac breasted rollers. Tiny squirrels foraging in the dry grass. And cheeky monkeys daring me to ignore the signs and leave my tent unzipped.

Going Places
Lilac breasted rollers

On a nearby rocky outcrop some angry baboons got into a screaming contest. But I never found out who won. It was now 4pm, and we were off on a game-drive.

In the cool of late afternoon, Africa’s wildlife starts waking up. And, less than 10 minutes along a bumpy track, Jack spotted a leopard, a big specimen, slinking through the undergrowth, clearly unimpressed by a 4WD with humans dangling cameras out the open top. Two kilometres on we interrupted an alert lionesses, scoping the grassland – dinner for her cubs? 

Going Places

The thrills kept coming, thick and fast: a traffic jam of plump stripey zebras … graceful impala flicking their white tails at us … cute gazelles sprinting off, almost airborne at times … towering giraffes, snatching a drink from a mudhole … and a big bull kudu with massive upright curly horns, eyeing us nervously.

Incredible! I honestly couldn’t believe my luck …

Next morning, after early coffee around an open fire, it was back to work. We’d seen proof the night before that elephants were here – a trail of smashed trees, and elephant-poos the size of footballs. But no elephants.

Maybe this morning?

Five wide-awake warthogs trotted along in front of us, tails high in the air. A huge cape buffalo glared at us grumpily as we steered around him. A squadron of ugly vultures arguing over the remains of a kill. Then, suddenly, we were amongst them – elephants, dozens of them, everywhere – mums, mainly, with long tusks, ever protective of their young – and a playful little baby, just a month or two old. 

Talk about better-than-advertised! 

And as we drove back to camp for a well-deserved breakfast, the hot sun rose higher in the sky. Another ordinary day in Africa had begun …   

Latest Issue & Articles:
Issue 4 2022

Issue 4 2022

What happened to our daughter

The hidden dangers of modern marijuana
By Tara Couture

Pick of the Bunch

Clever Hamsters & Wedded Frogs
by Phun Hee

You Ain’t Gonna Believe This!

Fun facts that'll blow your mind!
Keepers of the vine

Intimacy

The missing ingredient in your marriage?
Keepers of the vine

The Crispy Bits

Kerosene Memories
by John Cowan

Thought for Food

Porchetta PLUS Lousiana Pumpkin Pie
by Angela Redfern

Sponsor

  • Donate Now
  • Sponsor
  • Free Trial

About

  • Meet the Team
  • History
  • FAQs

Mag Library

  • Recent Mag
  • Magazines by Year
  • Articles By Year
  • Articles by Category

Get the Juice

Sign up to our enewsletter and keep up to date!

Follow Us

  • Follow
Copyright Grapevine Magazine. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions. Made with love by Husk & Ampersand Creative.