Did everyone get out in one piece?
Angry Mutware, approaching our car & flapping his ears. (J. Robertson)
BY JOANNA ROBERTSON
Elephants are quite fast—they’re known to run about 30 kilometers per hour. We could only drive 40 kilometers per hour, with wheels spinning and dust billowing out behind us as we tried to get out of the brush. He kept in hot pursuit for at least a couple of minutes while we kept praying and driving as fast as we could. We had to do some S-curves and uphill turns to get back to the main road—all pretty thrilling when you’re bumping around in the back of truck with no seatbelts and there’s an elephant chasing you! But we were moving—and it seemed as if we were moving slightly faster than the six-tonne crazed beast behind us, so we felt pretty good about that.
After about 10 minutes of driving at top speed, we felt reasonably sure that we’d lost our giant friend, so we pulled over and stopped the car. We all piled out, knees shaking, adrenaline still pumping, so overwhelmed with relief and residual fear that we literally didn’t know what to do with ourselves. One moment I was laughing, then the next I was welling up to cry, then I was shaking again and needing to take deep breaths to calm down. I surprised myself with my somewhat delayed reaction to the overdose of adrenaline coursing through my veins. After several minutes of hyper chatter and a group hug we were back on track again.
My impression of elephants as “friendly giants” has been challenged for sure! We were later told this particular elephant seems to enjoy rolling cars. It was amazing that, although he looked intent on flipping us, he didn’t once touch our car, not even with a tap with his trunk—a miracle in response to our prayers.
Off to bed to wear off the last of my adrenaline high. I’ve been up since 5 a.m., and I have to be up again at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow to start the house-building work. I really
have to get some sleep! Hopefully the malaria pills (which are known to induce psychotic dreams) don’t combine with the memory of our eventful day at Akagera Park to create one major nightmare tonight. iT!
Joanna Robertson travels primarily for work, but always manages to find time to wander wherever she finds herself. Her experiences have taken her across five continents and 20-some countries, from city slums to rural community gardens and from humble homes to the middle of vast wilderness. But whatever the destination, Joanna is passionate about sharing her stories and experiences with anyone who has a heart to listen.
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Thanks for sharing your wonderfully wild experience with us all !!