Page 70 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 12

MY AFRIKA
MY AFRIKA

bush. Observing the night crossing
helped confirm what we had been
told the night before. We had a
few conversations with the bonfire
adventurers about life, Afrika and
the wild animals and then our new
friends moved over from the bonfire
to the other side where the music
masters were hanging out, just to
give us some privacy. It was such
a kindness because there was no
bonfire where they were going and
Ahmed Gate we are really
Photo: Samuel Phillips grateful
to them
for what

our payment for the second night we they did. It
there either, so we settled it within went. wasn’t the
ourselves that we were going to most ideal
finish our camping adventure, with This thing for
God and the Moran angel he had time them but
sent by our sides. Then we went to we they sacri-
town to sort out some things, and set up ficed their
along the way discovered one of the camp comfort for
most delicious treats at Café Urban. next ours and
to the bonfire and sat quietly waiting called it our
We were hungry, it was afternoon for the evening groups to come honeymoon. Our love for Marsabit
and we were looking for something and go. Right on queue they began was just increasing all the more. We
to do away with the need to cook to arrive and settle in. At twilight, got into our little ark of a tent and
that night when someone from a the rangers and officers we had tried to get some sleep – hoping no
hardware shop we had visited in met at Abdul gate came by with the animals would want to come in two
2017 to help us get up the mountain firewood for the bonfire and we had by two or alone. Suddenly, about an
recommended the special platter a nice chat with Francis, the Tour- hour later, as if on cue, the music
there. Then the very friendly waiter ism Officer, while our new friends, went off and everybody drove off
and barista, Robert, recommended rangers Anthony and Hussein, who at the same time and the campsite
the same thing. We had no clue what we had met that morning, offloaded was plunged into deep silence,
was coming but we said yes to it. A the wood and set up the fire. The interspersed only by the call of night
huge sinia (round, metal, circular lights came on and everyone settled birds, the sound of seeds falling to
platter) of food was placed before down to one thing or another. A the ground, the crackling fire and
us containing pilau, chapati, fried few hours later, I noticed something our breathing.
beef, kachumbari (onion and tomato moving in the shadows near where
salsa), beans (in a bowl), cabbage, we had pitched camp on day one. It Later the silence was broken by a
a bowl of chicken soup and chips was crossing from the washrooms large group of animals – probably
(French fries). All this for the equiv- we were using near our abandoned the baboons – shrieking and doing
alent of about $10! Our eyes were campsite to the deep forest on the battle over something. Eventually,
wide at the sight of it and we soon other side. I thought I saw hooves, they settled down and the forest
discovered that as hungry as we which would make sense because was quiet once again. Our senses
were, even our rumbling tummies earlier a beautiful bushbuck had were super-heightened by this time.
were not equal to the task. We had dashed across the clearing in the I can tell you that I heard something
to carry the rest away with us, along early evening, before sunset, pausing walk past our camp, in the bush
with a complimentary coffee courte- only briefly to glance in our direc- just beyond the reach of the light
sy of Robert. Back to the campsite tion, before disappearing into the sometime after midnight and I could
tell that it was moving from higher

70 | we tell the true afrikan story