In which I'm charged by a hippo...

At the very end of last year, I finally made it to the Parc W for a combo camping/safari trip. I considered it a major accomplishment, as the last several tries, I've ended up staying home with sick littler ones while my husband took the older kids. It was a great trip - well worth the effort and something I'd recommend to anyone traveling through this part of the world! 

We did have one very exciting-to-the-point-of-scary moment, however.

Friends offered to give us a boat ride (with an outboard motor, thankfully), and were cruising around a large island in the middle of the Niger River where elephants are seen (almost daily), as well as several other different animals. We were looking for elephants and crocodile slides as well as keeping an eye out for hippos; the growth along the edge of the river was thick enough that we were only about 20 feet or so from the shore.

I was in the front of the boat, and we were trolling quietly along, gently reminding the kids to stay quiet so they wouldn't startle any animals that might be there, when out of nowhere, this flash of grey starts running along the shore, parallel to the boat. I pointed at it, but couldn't exactly tell what it was due to the growth along the edge of the river.

Then we came to a small, open place...

To read the rest, please join me over at Missionary Mom's Companion today! 

Thanks to our friend, Melissa Gray, for permission to use the first photograph.