Nyonie

"Safari!!!..... In Africa!!!..... Am I really going???"
 I broke out into goose-bumps while going to the port.
"This must be a dream!"  I said and pinched myself.....ouch....  No....this was real!

The thought of going for an African Safari itself was immensely exciting for an urban dweller like me! 
My first experience in the jungle.... how thrilling!

Nyonie is a part of the Pongara forest reserve.

We caught a boat from Libreville to go to Nyonie.

After about 50 minutes in the ocean, we traveled in a creek for some time where the water was fairly still. 

While disembarking, we observed little white things moving in the mud. On inspecting them, we found that those were crabs waving their scissor-like hands at us. 

I would have liked to take a closer look but did not fancy getting a mud-pack with acupuncture thrown in as a bonus.

So, I stopped studying the endearing habits of crustaceans and got into the Land Cruiser that was awaiting us. It took us to the resort in 45 minutes.

It was a nice, cosy beach resort. The food that was served was delicious; though I don't know what it was :)
But very soon, I stopped wondering about the ingredients and concentrated on enjoying the meal. 

We started our safari at 4 p.m. sharp. We were going for a drive through the jungle! 

Deep, dense, tropical forests....... huge, tall trees with many birds of different types. I was almost intoxicated with the amount of oxygen that I was inhaling.

And then suddenly, there were these large open spaces ..... the savanna grasslands. 

We saw wild buffaloes grazing. 
But where were the elephants?...... Not a sign of them!
Our guide kept on looking for them all over the savannas. Finally, our patience and his perseverance paid off. We saw plenty of elephants after sunset :)
But they kept disappearing into thickets as soon as they sensed our vehicle approaching. Who would have imagined that such enormous creatures could be so shy?

Then I observed something strange. There were a lot of tiny huts, not more than 30 cm in height,  all over the plains. I thought they were giant mushrooms and pointed them out to the children. 
But surprise! They were not!
Someone in the car informed us that those were ant colonies. 

Its almost as if they had an entire civilization of their own, oblivious to other larger creatures around them. 

(I wonder if there are creatures superior to us, who are observing us with the same amused curiosity.) 

The next day was even more exciting. We went for a nature walk in the forest! My heart was pounding when we entered the jungle. It took me a long time to feel at ease.
  

We heard a lot of bird calls and monkey sounds but could see neither. We also saw elephant and buffalo droppings but the elephants and buffaloes were equally elusive. In a way, it was good for me. I would have been scared out of my wits, had any animal suddenly made an appearance.

We were told that there are no predators in this forest. I chose to believe it. And if I was being stalked by a big cat, I didn't know it.

We later came across an elephant's bones in one clearing. It had been killed a few years ago by some poachers for ivory. I picked up one bone to see how heavy it was. It was heavier than a cricket bat. The guide told us that it was the leg bone. He even showed us the skull. But I did not feel like lifting it...... not even for scientific purposes.

Finally, after walking for 3 hours in the jungle, our guide took us to the sea shore.... I was so relieved to be out of the jungle, that I felt like throwing myself into the ocean! 
We walked for almost 30 minutes along the beach and reached the resort. A small welcome committee comprising of the people who had opted out of the trek was standing there to greet us. I think they must have been relieved too.

What an adventure! Unforgettable.