The Void Between Hearts ~~ongoing~~

ⓉⒽⒺ ⓈⓊⓃⓇⒾⓈⒺ

54|ℬᎾℳᎯ

I'M AWOKEN by a hippo bellow so deep that my tent shudders. 

Simultaneously, my phone rings. "Nants! Ingoyama Bagithi Baba!" I changed my ringtone to Circle of Life from Lion King to match the Kenyan theme.

"Hey," I answer still quite shaken by the rude hippo.

"Hey, did you sleep well?" he asks.

I pull my phone from my ears to look at the time while my other hand furiously rubs at my sleepy eyes. 4:30 a.m.

"Yes I did," I say. "But do you know how illegal it is to wake somebody up by this time? 4 a.m. fine, 5 a.m. splendid but 4:30 a.m?"

Between the hippo splashes and the tweeting birds, I can hear his laughter from his tent.

"Meet me outside in an hour, exactly one hour, or we'll miss it." 

I sit up smiling. "Where are we going to?" 

"Wear thick clothes and bring a hat, it's cold around this time," he says.

"I don't have a hat but I like the sound of that." I squeal.

"You're going to love the sight even better," he says.

"Ok then see you in an hour." I hang up, before stretching myself into a long yawn.

I don't remember ever sleeping so comfortably. My bed at home is great, but this, this is just wow. 

We flew in yesterday on a small plane that landed on an improvised grassy runway, after which we took a short drive from the airstrip to the hotel. So far, I have met two really awesome people. At the airstrip, we met Mutua the driver and here, Anisa, our tour guide. 

The main lodge of the hotel—Fairmont Mara Safari Club—is just as impressive as my tent. There’s no doubting the classic safari theme here; real wooden ceilings, African furnishings complete with animal prints and art, handmade beadwork, deep leather chairs, huge open fireplaces. And a view of The Mara River from almost everywhere.

My tent contains a four poster bed, hand-woven rugs, full en-suite facilities, with hot and cold running water, electricity, free wifi and, a completely private outdoor shower which I'm super excited to see. Also, I have my own private deck with an unobstructed view of the river with hippos and crocodiles for company. 

In summary, Ivan is godsend.

I roll out of the bed before walking up to the wooden wardrobe where I unpacked the Kenyan part of my suitcase last night. I lay out my black baggy Adidas tracksuit and trainers before grabbing my towel, toothpaste, toothbrush, shower gel and sponge.

I take the short walk out the back of the tent into the outdoor bathroom. Once I enter into it, I laugh excitedly.

"What did you expect?" I ask myself.

The bathroom is a wide four corner rectangular space, complete with everything a bathroom should have, only that it has no ceiling. I look up at dawn's face, its dense dark coat is speckled with many blinking eyes, stained by only a few bleak beams indicating the approaching sunrise.

I'm not sure how much time I have left from the one hour so I quickly brush my teeth, ever so often glancing up at the open sky. It is one thing to bath in the secrecy of my bathroom at home and a whole different thrill to do it under the watchful eyes of Simba's ancestors. 

After my hot shower where I took great care to leave my hair dry, I step out of the bathroom, breathing in the fresh forest air sprayed with the childhood nostalgia of wet mud and leaves.