Chapter 26

CPOV

We board the private jet for our journey to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Unfortunately, we will be traveling most of the day, but we have plenty of things to keep us busy. Ana is wearing jeans and a CBGB t-shirt, making her look even younger than she is. There is something about her that is glowing, but I can't place my finger on it.

"Christian, what is your parents' address?" She asks me as I am working on a spreadsheet. "I'm writing out postcards."

"Oh, OK." I give her my parents' address. I would have never even thought about sending postcards.

"Look, I even got one for Charlie. I hope he likes elephants." That is my Ana. She is sweet and thoughtful.

"I don't think it matters as long as it's from you. I think he's already trying to replace me." I give her a silly pout making her laugh.

"Well, he is cute…"

Finally, we land in Tanzania. A Range Rover once again takes us to our home for the next couple of days. We arrive at the campsite, and it is the quintessential African safari camp with Flat Top Acacia trees, walled canvas tents, and a fire burning. It's like we are in one of those postcards Ana just wrote out.

"Wow, Christian, look!" Ana points to a lion in the distance.

"The camp is protected, Mrs. Grey, so you don't have to worry." Yaro, our guide points out to Ana. I don't think she considered that, but it helps to put me at ease. I have enough to worry about to keep her safe - I don't need to worry about lions eating her on top of it all.

We get to our tent, and our bags have already been placed inside. "Christian, I thought you said we were staying in a tent."

"This is a tent. See? It's canvas." I tell her while pointing to the wall of the large tent.

"I have never seen a tent…" Ana makes air quotes as she says the word tent. "... with wooden floors, a king-sized bed, and a working bathroom inside."

"Well, now you have. This is how we will camp on our honeymoon. I want you to have the best experience possible."

"This is glamping. But, it is wonderful. Thank you." I laugh at her term glamping. She is standing on our deck in front of the tent. "It's beautiful here; I won't want to leave." Her voice sounds wistful.

I walk up behind her, wrap my arms around her, and kiss her cheek. We just enjoy the view of the Serengeti at sunset. The sky is astounding with light blue fading to purple, to pink, to orange, with the lingering rays of the sun stretching up through the myriad of colors. It shows me how big this world is and how small we are. Forgetting that back home is easy.

After a wholesome dinner which was prepared for us by Aisha, Yaro's wife, we relax by the fire. Ana sits by the fire wearing a light tan fleece jacket and green cargo pants. The flames are reflected in her wide eyes as she listens to Yaro's stories. This vision of her makes me realize how much my love for her grows every day.

The following day we are up before dawn prepared for our first adventure - a hot air balloon ride to give us a bird's eye view of the area. The sun is just starting to peek above the horizon as we are in the balloon ready to take off. The basket is much larger than I thought it would be and it feels very stable. But, Ana still holds onto me tightly, uneasy as we lift off.

The ride lasts for about an hour, and the view does not disappoint. We saw zebras, lions, and elephants. Ana's enthusiasm was that of a child, experiencing the world for the first time. I found myself smiling and getting excited next to her. The feeling is contagious.

After we land, we toast with champagne and are lead to an acacia tree for breakfast. The wooden table is decorated with fine linens and bone china. I am delighted to see Ana have a voracious appetite and eat her entire meal. Once finished we head back to the camp to begin our next adventure.

In the open air jeep, Yaro takes us to the Mara River where we get to witness first hand the wildebeest migration crossing. I have never seen anything like that. We also get to see zebras, elephants, cheetahs, and a resident pride of lions. I can't believe we saw these animals in their natural habitat.

We get back to the camp and decide to relax by the rim-flow pool. I change into my swimming trunks and am waiting for Ana. She walks out in the bathing suit I packed for her. It's a bandini two piece suit with colorful poppies and other flowers. "You look hot, baby."

"Thanks, although I was expecting a bikini." She says smiling and I know she isn't mad.

"You are crazy if you think I am going to let anyone else ogle my beautiful wife."

"Well, then, why not a long sleeve rash guard?"

"Just because I don't want other men to ogle you doesn't mean I don't want access to you." I raise an eyebrow at her.

"You are naughty."

After our little bit of relaxation, we enjoy some tea and snacks and head out for a short bushwalk. I was nervous at first, there wasn't anything around but Yaro, Ana, me, and our security who are donning semi-automatic weapons and look like they are ready for the beginning of WW3.

We walk on a trail which follows the confluence of the river. Suddenly, Yaro stops and urges us to be quiet. He points out a herd of elephants in the distance having a mud bath and playing. We stand there and watch them for a while, and although overused, the word amazing comes to mind.

We start walking once more, and soon Yaro stops again. This time, we see a baby warthog less than ten feet away. It was both cute and ugly at the same time; I'm pretty sure Ana squealed when she saw it.

Back at camp, we have dinner once again prepared for us by Aisha. We sit around the fire eating and listening to stories told by Yaro. He told us folk tales like 'Goso the Teacher' which was told to him as a child. It's late into the night, and the stars shine. Aisha points out Mercury and Saturn to us. I have never seen so many stars in my life. It's amazing how much we are unable to see because of all the lights from our cities. Even in what we call the wilderness, it's nothing like this.

Ana and I bid goodnight to our new friends and head to our tent hand in hand for our last night at camp.