Lioness

The other day I was watching a documentary about the making of a movie called Born Free. Some of you (the older ones) will remember that Born Free was a best-selling book by Joy Adamson about raising Elsa, an orphaned lion cub, and then later returning her to the wilds of Kenya. That book became an award-winning movie with a musical score that is still occasionally heard today. (Yes, that is what that Born Free song was actually all about. Born free, as free as the wind blows, as free as the grass grows…)

Land Rover

Anyway, I was watching a scene of George Adamson (Joy’s husband) driving around in his Land Rover, while the narrator told how George had been killed in that vehicle rushing to help a friend who was under attack by armed poachers. And I suddenly remembered, yikes, I rode around in that bullethole-ridden Land Rover! This happened years ago as I was working on an Earthwatch expedition in Kenya and staying at the Elsamere Conservation Centre on the shores of Lake Naivasha. Elsamere is the former home of Joy and George Adamson and contains many of their personal mementos. I remember that seeing their names carved into possessions felt wonderfully intimate but also a bit creepy, considering that both Adamsons were murdered in two separate incidents. It was a constant reminder that life can be short in Africa. And it’s not the wild animals that you need to worry about.

An alien being, AKA squid

Dredging up that memory made me reflect on how blessed I have been to end up in many incredible places in my life. Here are a few other amazing places I’ve been in that stand out in my memory:

Hanging out with a school of squid near Roatan, Honduras. Squid are some of the most bizarre critters I’ve ever encountered, so to be able to just float among them in my scuba gear was sort of like a brief visit to an alien planet. We stared at each other for awhile, then at some telepathic signal, they changed color, switched to warp mode, and vanished.

Face to face with a hippo in the dark. This is not to be recommended, and I certainly didn’t do it on purpose. It happened on the Earthwatch expedition mentioned above. I’m glad I survived.

Inside Army I, the President’s helicopter. It was a LONG time ago, the President had departed hours earlier on Air Force I, and I should probably say no more, lest I get the guys who were guarding the helicopter into trouble. But it was pretty darn cool in there. Kinda like an armored deluxe living room with a ton of extra electronics in the cockpit.

Swimming with pink dolphins in the Amazon River. The water is murky, so you can’t see what creatures might be in there. It’s a bit shocking to have one of these dolphins (they’re pink and gray, actually) surface nearby. Not only did they show no fear of humans; they didn’t even seem to notice our presence.  Now I’ve been insulted by a hippopotamus and a dolphin.

At the Taj Mahal at dawn. A beautiful, peaceful place. It’s a monument to love, but sadly, it’s a jewel-encrusted tomb, not the palace that most imagine it to be.

Those are only a few of the amazing places I’ve been. You can tell that I live for adventure, and that these are not just exotic locations, but special experiences for me. You might also guess (correctly) that many of these experiences will creep into my novels at some time.

Your best places may include the delivery room at your child’s birth, your favorite chair with your cat in your lap, or the family cabin you come back to each summer.

What are some of the most incredible places you’ve been and the amazing experiences you’ve had there? Please share!