The pilot looked at my hard-shell suitcase as if I'd brought him a refrigerator! Only soft bags were allowed on that tiny bush plane, so I moved my entire life into a canvas duffel the guide lent me, right there on the tarmac, in front of six passengers who couldn't stop laughing. Forty minutes later, we landed on a red dirt airstrip in the middle of the Masai Mara.

As we arrived, we spotted a family of warthogs trotting across the runway, tails sticking straight up like antennas. I thought it was pretty funny. The airport staff, not so much...

On our first night at camp, Yuuki decided the tent belonged to him. Needless to say, I had a hard time falling asleep next to a cat who was snoring instead of purring. Around two in the morning, a high-pitched laugh rang out right next to the canvas. A hyena, the guard explained to me later. Yuuki didn't wait for an explanation. He leaped across the tent in one bound and slipped into my sleeping bag. I was scared, really scared, but I kept perfectly still so I wouldn't disturb Yuuki. He tends to get grumpy if anyone dares to wake him up.

On the third day, our guide cut the engine on the banks of the Mara River. Thousands of wildebeest hesitated on the riverbank, then the first one jumped, and the whole herd followed in a rumble that made the 4x4 shake! Standing on the seat, I forgot to breathe. Yuuki, perched on my shoulder, stared at the crocodiles like a host counting his guests. I took three hundred photos during the crossing, and Yuuki was yawning in every single one of them...