The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

TURN YOUR CLOCKS BACK AT 2A.M. THIS SUNDAY Continued from page 47 railings. As | stood watching, a herd of Cape Buffalo numbering in the hundreds marched from amongst the trees and circled the entire lake. | watched in awe, for as quickly as the large animals arrived they also disappeared. It was unbelievable watching Africa’s natural inhabit- ants roam free, making me feel like an intruder. There were antelopes, baboons, and a group of warthogs, some of whom drank while kneeling. Young warthogs are unable to reach the ground with their faces as their legs are too long. | continued to gaze at the sights of Africa’s natural splendour. Time passed quickly, and around two-thirty in the morning | decided to call it a night. | had just fallen asleep when a loud buzzer sounded, waking me with a start. Naturally, | assumed it was a fire, but quickly realized it was the hotel's way of notifying guests that a herd of elephants had arrived at the nearby watering hole. | dressed and moved onto my balcony and as my eyes grew ac- customed to the moonlit surroundings, | was suddenly shocked to see half a dozen of the world’s largest land mammals standing directly below me. It felt as if | could simply reach out my hand and touch them; it was easy to lose the perspective that these animals were wild. Elephants live well into their six- ties and grow five sets of teeth during their lifetime. The last set simply wears down and the elephant can no longer chew natural foods. In the final days of an elephants life it seeks terrain where the grasses are soft and pliable, allowing it to live out its time in peace and tranquility. Elephants live in small herds which seem almost like families. When the males reach the age of fourteen they are forced away from the group and left to make it on their own. These outcasts normally attach themselves to another herd, ensur- ing that no inbreeding destroys the strength of the species. My next stop was the Mount Ke- nya Safari Club, built by actor William Holden in the 1940’s. It was construct- ed on the slopes of Mount Kenya and positioned directly on the equator. When | saw peacocks and storks walk leisurely over the rolling hills of green grass and flowered bushes, | knew that this place would forever hold a special attraction for me. he white stucco building was decorated with hundreds of artifacts of African life: masks and spears, tusks and skins; all reminders of the Africa that | had studied in school. | continu- ally glanced around corners, for | was certain Johnny Weissmuller might appear at any moment. The Mount Kenya Safari Club was surrounded by tea plantations, some- thing that | had never seen before. | was quite surprised at the smallness of the leaves. After a few days | found it dif- ficult to say good-bye to this beautiful resort, however, the wilds of the Sam- buru region lay ahead and my guide explained that we had to make it to the lodge by nightfall. He said it was forty kilometres away, and | looked at my watch wondering what | was missing, for there were at least three hours of daylight remaining and forty kilometres would, after all, not take more than thirty-five minutes. We had no sooner started on our trek when the road abruptly ended, and what was a crude form of pave- ment a few minutes ago became gravel held together by potholes. The Land Rover bumped and tossed, and | remembered why | really did not enjoy the rides at amusement parks. Our journey continued. As | glanced behind during one of the few occasions when my head was not being bumped against the roof of the Land Rover, | saw nothing but a massive dust cloud as our driver pushed the vehicle to its limits. It is said that when you are in danger and surrounded by fear, your life flashes before you. | found this to be true. “How long do these cars usually last?” | asked. “Two years,” the driver, Raffi, replied. “How old is this one?” “It is nearly three.” He smiled, as if proud of having accomplished some- thing others had not. | sat quietly, staring at the wonders around me realizing | was in a world foreign to me, on an adventure that | would never forget. 10 Min East of Port Perry, Take 7A to Durham Rd. 57, 6km south 1.877.986.4437 © Fx: 905.986.5979 © www.asselstines.com 50 FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2010