64 FOCUS - MAY 2017 we encountered the situation and he smiled reassuringly explaining that he would immediately shut off the engine and we would sit silently so that we would not pose a threat to the giant mammal. I felt confident and when we suddenly came upon a large matriarch who stood staring in our direction I looked at Rafi and he smiled reassuringly. We watched the elephant while my camera went non- stop. Suddenly I noticed her stomping her foot continuously on the dusty ground. I looked at Rafi, who was no longer smiling. He looked around and silently pointed to a calf that had been separated from the mother, by our Land Rover. A moment later the elephant began to flap its ears and stepped closer toward us. No more than 3 metres away I had now stopped breathing. A short moment later she raised her trunk and bellowed out a loud, ear shattering trumpet sound, which shook the surrounding trees. As I froze in my seat I was shocked when Rafi threw the Land Rover into re- verse and drove backward as fast as he could. The elephant followed and Rafi increased his speed. We swerved around bushes and flew over bumps and when the elephant neared the calf it stopped. We slowed and came to a halt when we were a safe distance from the mother and calf. I looked at Rafi and asked what had happened. Why did we not turn the engine off and sit as still as possible. Rafi looked at me and said, “I know that is what we are supposed to do, but did you not see how big that elephant was?” I chuckled and caught my breath, looking around to make sure we were not near any other elephants. I liked Rafi and respected his talents in the jungle, but never let my guard down again when we were near any wild animals. The best way to visit the Ngorongoro Crater is to com- bine it with two Kenya safaris: one, north into the Samburu region and a second into the Masai Mara. This will give you an extremely good perspective of wild animals, people, their culture and the magnificent landscape of the Serengeti. Unfortunately, Africa is suffering greatly and the strain is reflected in the animal populations. My very first time in Kenya was in 1997 and the wildlife population was much greater then. If you have thought about visiting east Africa, do not put it off much longer. Ngorongoro Crater (continued from page 63) Sometimes the wildlife can be very intimidating. Jonathan van Bilsen is a photographer, author, columnist, keynote speaker and can be followed at photosNtravel.com Note: The Ngorongoro Crater is the setting for Jonathan van Bilsen’s 4th espionage novel, ‘The Crimson Mask’ available at Books Galore and More in Port Perry. Nothing is more frightening than a huge elephant charging at you.