Lions. And zebras. And buffalo.

In Nairobi National Park on Monday afternoon, we happened upon a lioness while driving along the park road. She slept under a bush 4-5 feet from the road - incredibly close to us! Her head wasn’t visible from under the bush, but her torso, hind legs & tail were in plain sight. Every minute or so, she flipped her tail high in the air as if swishing away flies. I couldn’t believe we sat that close to a lion, probably closer than I’ll ever be again.

We then spent all afternoon/dusk hoping to see lions on the prowl, and late in the evening as we neared the park exit, two huge male lions walked alongside the road next to our van. It was shocking to watch them walking like the huge bad-ass cats they are. We all tried to take photos, but none of us could capture the moment. The pitch blackness didn’t cooperate, and our security guard wasn’t happy when we opened windows to try for a better shot. But we saw them -  three lions in one day. Very cool.

On Wednesday I had a moment that satisfied literally my top personal (non-academic, non-professional) goal for my time here. I have a video of me looking goofy in that moment, but I've spent an hour trying to upload it with no success. Guess you'll have to wait for the details on this one.

An hour or two after that zebra moment, several of us (Kristiana, Elizabeth, Bryson, Charlotte and I) biked around some more of the park. We stopped often for photo ops, snacks and once to totally endanger our lives. We hiked up a steep slope, with Bryson and I leading the pack. We made one and a half important statements on the way uphill. First, I told him how happy I was, how I was having my greatest day in Kenya, how I’d been giddy during my zebra-filled bike ride an hour before. He seemed genuinely happy to hear it.

The remaining half statement belonged to Bryson as we walked toward the top of the hill. Facing each other, with me viewing the lowlands while Bryson faced the upper ridge, he began to say something along the lines of, “You know what I want? To actually be out here on the ground and see––” He stopped himself, absolute shock and terror on his face. “Buffalo. SHIT. Buffalo!” He was staring directly behind me.

I froze. “What do I do?” He told me to walk. “Walk or run?” I took my first steps forward.

“Walk!”

Terrified, we walked – quickly – as Bryson peered behind us every other step. He said something about the buffalo smelling us on the wind and yelled ahead to the other girls to turn around immediately and walk – FASTER – downhill.

Once out of range, I got a few more details from Bryson. An entire herd of buffalo had been 40 yards behind me, and apparently one made direct eye contact with Bryson. It had been an extremely close call with one of the most dangerous animals around.

And I've added some pictures to my Kenyan photo album.