We stood staring out over the Serengeti, squinting behind out sunglasses as we barreled along into the wind and dust, the car dodging around on the unpaved rutted road. We drove for over an hour across the dry grasslands, peering out over the plans for as far as the eye could squint through the dust. The afternoon sun was hot and we were partially shielded by the raised Land Rover roof. We kept glancing at each other and smiling, soaking in the vast and overwhelming space. As we delved deeper in the vegetation changed, becoming greener and more dotted with trees and shrubs. With the change, so came the animals. Tall slender giraffes nibbled on spiky trees. Groups of wildebeest and zebras and impalas roamed around, peacefully sharing grazing space.

The maze of roads wove back and forth in a pattern that was indecipherable to me but well understood by our driver. The air began to cool as the light turned golden. Along with at least 15 other safari vehicles we pulled up near a tree to peer in on a lion pride, full from the hunt and lazing about in the shade. As the lion lifted her head and faced the crowd the clicking of shutters and flashes lit up the otherwise peaceful evening. The strong and slender body of the lion was beautiful, her face graceful and intimidating.

We returned to camp and enjoyed the perfectly salted leek soup, rice with peas in coconut sauce and banana custard for desert with the chilled white wine we had bought back in Arusha. The air was cool enough to enjoy the soup and wear long sleeves and pants to hide my desirable skin from the mosquitos. As I brushed my teeth and prepared for bed, the real contemplation over what it meant to sleep in a pitch-it-yourself tent in the middle of a wild animal national park set in. I started asking our guide a lot of questions. “So there’s no fence?” “No.” “So can I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night?” “Just go close to the tent.” “Has anyone been killed here?” Laughing. “No, no.”

So I wasn’t convinced of the safety of this whole set up, and as the wind rustled the tent throughout the night along with other loud indecipherable noises I was relieved when Jason finally woke up and told me he would accompany me to pee. He peered out first and reported it was safe so I slithered out of the tent and popped a squat a few feet from the tent, trying to execute the fastest pee of my life. As my eyes adjusted to the light the large looming shapes in the distance came into focus and the outline of the buffalo herd walking through our camp became clearer. They were 30 feet away and moving at their slow and lumbering pace. I froze and hissed to Jason that in fact it was not safe outside then finished my business to scamper back into the tent, my heart pumping. It didn’t turn out to be a great night of sleep.

We rose before six to begin our early morning game drive. The air was cool and crisp and dry, requiring a lightweight jacket and reminding me of fall in Oregon. We watched a beautiful corner of the earth wake up as we drove around for hours on the Serengeti, spending long spans of time not talking as we stood or sat and gazed out over the land. We suffered mild disappointment at not having a nicer camera to capture what was turning into an epic experience. It quickly turned into one of those moments where I realized that no camera or photo would ever capture the magic of being here. Lions are cool to see photos of, but they are awe inspiring to watch saunter around. And only the physical experience of watching them that is captured by the human eye can really relay this.