Written By Rishi Nair (Grade 4)
I was very excited when my father told me that we were going to Tanzania. I had always longed to see lions in the wild, and this was my big chance! So, we packed up and finally set off to the airport. During the flight, I kept wondering when we were going to reach, and what the food in Africa would taste like! The suspense was so high, that even after 4 years I still remember it!!!
Then, at last, we reached Tanzania. Oh, and what a sight to behold!!! It was a modern airport with glass walls that depicted Tanzania teeming with wildlife! I was so excited, I could hardly wait to pass the immigration desk!!! When we left the airport, we went on a bus that took us to a campsite. There, we met our guide, a merry man. He had a very endearing name – Dotto. It was also an easy name to roll off my tongue. We must have called out that name hundreds of times during the 7-day safari, because throughout that period we were dependent on him for everything from breakfast to dinner and small breaks in between. We traveled 7-8 hours every day in his safari jeep over a rough terrain. He drove us around and paused at vantage points from where we had a good sighting of various animals
Every day, we would visit a new campsite with new food and tents and leisure activities. When we reached a forest area, we saw an African Elephant on the road. Dotto told us to be very quiet, to not provoke the elephant. I actually thought he meant elephants have sharp hearing skills and I should not even breathe! I held my breath till the elephant calmly passed our jeep. That was the highlight of the trip, and the reason why it is my favorite holiday!
We have a private family tradition. After every visit to a restaurant, theme park or movie, my father would ask me how the experience was, and give me five options – Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair or Poor. When we were on the flight home, my father asked me my feedback about Tanzania. I told him it was off the charts!
Featured Image Courtesy – Rishi Nair
