Hoo! Hoo! Two long cries followed by a puff of breath. The watcher's horn could be heard. I put on my bathrobe and bumped into some of the other guests. What a spectacle! Near the gallery two lions, tired by their hunting, were resting in the long grass, still panting. I couldn't take my eyes from the scene, tied to the rhythm of the exhausted beasts' breathing. When one of them yawned I did the same and headed back to bed.

Specimen: Lions (2)
Place: Northeast gallery
Time: 2:45 a.m.

Hoo! Hoo! The horn was heard again and the message sounded like the previous one. The night was drawing to a close and some elephants were heading towards some water. I watched the procession, eyes half-closed, sunk down in a wicker chair.

Specimen: Large and small elephants (17)
Place: East gallery
Time: 5:10 a.m.

Attentive to my comfort, the houseboy brought me a wool blanket. Though chilly, I stayed on, listening to the sounds and silences. On the horizon, a pink stripe streaked with gold announced the beginnings of a lovely day. A spotted hyena began to laugh, birds came out of their nests, a few Thomson gazelles freed their legs like graceful ballerinas… the savanna was reawakening. I wrote everything down in my notebook. Stiff all over, I emerged from my cocoon, with the happy feeling that I had witnessed a show put together by an exceptional director.

I tiptoed across the salon where a few sleeping guests had chosen to remain between observations. I silently poured myself a hot cup of tea and once again returned to my room to fall into a well-deserved sleep.

9:00 a.m. - I didn't hear the music of my alarm clock. It was the little monkey who woke me by scratching at the window. I smiled at him appreciatively since it was nearing breakfast time and the excitement of the night had given me an appetite. I stretched lazily, looking at the ceiling. No, it wasn't a dream! A leaf from the tree fell down; I collected it, wanting to preserve all the precious souvenirs I could from this trip so I could relive the happiness some cold winter morning.

The library was well-stocked and housed all kinds of treasures. The cover of a book caught my attention though I didn't recognize the author. I thumbed through the illustrated pages and index. Sitting on the veranda with my binoculars and camera at my side, a large glass of hibiscus juice on the arm of my chair, the savanna at my feet, I began reading. I learned that it is the lioness who hunts and brings food to her family. She catches about 30 victims each year. A sick or elderly lioness will be abandoned. I also learned that an adult lion requires almost 30 kilograms of food a day, so to round out its diet, it can travel 10 to 12 miles in 24 hours to get what it needs, even if it means stealing part or all of other animals' meals. After all, isn't the lion the king of animals on the Kenyan plain, the aristocrat of the African savanna?

The hours went by quietly. I didn't even get a visit from my little monkey. I set my book down and stared out into the vastness. Suddenly I saw a cloud of dust in the distance, and heard the sound of the horn breaking the silence. An animal came into view. I grabbed my binoculars: an enormous rhinoceros was coming towards us. The veranda was then taken by storm. It was dramatic and frightening. Having made his point and calmed down, he changed directions. Whew! With a trembling hand I wrote:

Specimen: Rhinoceros
Place: South gallery
Time: 3:32 p.m.

Unable to continue with my reading, I went and put the book back on the shelf and exchanged impressions with some of the other guests who were as shaken as I was. I calmed down with a glass of cognac before going back to my room. I began getting ready for our departure the next day as I waited for the dinner hour. I took from my suitcase a long dress with a zebra print on an ochre background that I chosen especially for this farewell dinner. A few appreciative glances eased my anxiety for, though I love to travel, I hate to say goodbye. Cocktails, discussion, exchange of opinions, and comparisons of our books were all elements that marked this evening. Dinner lived up to Treetops' high reputation and the night was rather quiet.

Departure
After many handshakes, it was my turn to go down the rope ladder. "Don't look down!" the ranger told me. I counted one rung, two rungs, as I looked up at the sky, knowing all the while that there were almost 13 meters of empty space below me. Damn! There was my little monkey in front of me, opening his month to reveal his decayed teeth. He was hopping and shrieking. I stayed frozen on the eighth rung. The houseboy chased him off and I continued my descent, more dead than alive. When I finally reached the ground, I heard a noise in the leaves. I turned and saw my little monkey sitting on a branch watching me leave.

"He had adopted you from the beginning and this afternoon he felt your fear." I then felt immensely sad and looked at him through different eyes. He was now so well-behaved that I couldn't help smiling. I waved my hand and jumped on the spot. He understood my message and responded with some somersaults. I took out my little notebook and wrote: 1:45 p.m…. a tear slid down my cheek and smudged the ink on the page. He'd been the first entry, and now the last, noted below the ink smudge. I had called him "Mawe," little king, in memory of the African legend. Then he disappeared into the thick foliage of a baobab tree.

When the park gate closed, just before getting into the jeep I saw an elephant in the distance escorted by some white egrets, an idyllic and now familiar tableau that marked the end of another wonderful adventure. But I'll be back.

Reflections
Africa is a land of striking contrast, with surprising luxury existing alongside the prevailing poverty. For example, at Treetops, this rustic hotel that you enter on a rope ladder, a houseboy in livery and immaculate white gloves served me champagne in a crystal flute while I, perched in a tree, watched a leopard devour his prey, as I noted the time in my book. A privileged observer, I thought to myself that this animal fighting for survival would have had his meal whether I were here or not. That's the law of the jungle.

I undertook this trip to see the animals, to discover cultural and ethnic characteristics, to encounter again these people so deeply attached to their traditions, and to watch the hours pass by without watching the clock, since time is not measured in Africa.

Did you know that…

• a ranger is a game warden attached to the Ministry of Waters and Forests
• Thomson's gazelle is known for its amazing leaps
• the baobab is a tree with a huge trunk
• up to 10 meters in diameter
• which grows in African regions. It is even found in Australia.
• the gnu is a hunchbacked African bovid, with very curved horns, measuring 1.2 meters at the withers. It looks like a buffalo.
• the hyena is a carnivorous mammal about the size of a large dog, measuring between 1 and 1.4 meters long. Its coat is grey or fawn-colored, spotted or striped. It feeds on the remainders of carcasses killed by larger animals.
• the rhinoceros is a large herbivorous mammal, massive and squat. Its skin is thick and has little hair. It has one or two horns on the sides of its snout. After the elephant, it is the largest mammal on earth, measuring 4 meters in length and weighing about 3 tonnes.