I had never traveled to Africa before, and it was truly one of my most magical experiences to date. I was reminded of this quotation in May when I visited South Africa for the first time: a two-week press trip to Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town, with a weekend on safari. As author Hans Christian Anderson wrote, “To travel is to live.” Especially after a prolonged period of isolation and lockdown, nothing compares to the experience of encountering other cultures, places, and people. But it is also a journey of awe and transformation. Nowadays, travel can be a hell of an experience - delayed and canceled flights, logistical and emotional hurdles related to COVID-19, irate and sometimes hostile fellow passengers. It’s a mantra that holds true in the real world as well. It was one of the reasons he loved his job so much - one never knows what one will find out among the wildlife. This was an extraordinary act to witness, our guide whispered to us from behind the wheel.

I gasped and grabbed the hand of my friend Ivan in the seat beside me in the other hand, I filmed the scene with my phone. The male walked a few steps away and roared in staccato bursts across his domain. The female, aglow in the amber light, growled, shrugged off the male, then turned around on her backside. The lovemaking lasted only about half a minute. The sun was setting over the Thanda Safari, a luxury private game reserve in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. Shocks of gold brushed the African plain and the two lions mating mere feet from the safari vehicle.

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