In East Africa there's a body of water named Lake Natron. Straddling the border between Tanzania and Kenya in the great East African Rift, the lake is a primary breeding ground for a species of flamingo. Many years back, Andrea and I walked its shores and were witness to a flock of thousands of these muted pink birds take flight as we approached. Lake Natron has a dark secret as it has the unofficial distinction of being the world's deadliest lake. High evaporation rates intensify the water's natural alkaline nature and create an extremely caustic environment with a pH north of 12. This can strip human skin and any living thing that dies in its waters is calcified, literally turned to stone.
Lake Natron sits in the shadow of an active volcano, Ol Doinyo Lengai, meaning "Mountain of God" in a local Maasai dialect. The vulcanism stoking the mountain also contributes to the chemical makeup of the lake as well as its 100°+F temps When we scaled this mountain during our stay, I was blissfully unaware it had most recently erupted mere weeks before our arrival.
On the plain between Lake Natron and Ol Doinyo Lengai is an outcropping of granite the locals call Pride Rock because of its resemblance to the promontory in Disney's The Lion King. When we hiked to its peak, the expanse of the rift valley opened up before us, and the opening Lion King song started playing in my head. Art imitated life as we saw flocks of flamingos land and cluster by the lake, giraffes walked with their stately gait at the edge of a tree line, and a small herd of elephants sauntered slowly along a path in the distance.
There was one critical difference. The Pride Rock we were standing on was not the territory of lions, but rather a large troop of baboons. During the day, they would scatter across the plain, but the entire troop converged on the rock at night for shelter.
It was getting towards evening and I noticed Abdullah, our guide, was visibly on edge. He looked over his shoulders and summarily decreed, "We need to go. Now."
My focus went from the valley below to our immediate vicinity. I was surprised to see a baboon was sitting on every sizeable boulder on the escarpment, and every pair of those orange eyes was keenly focused on us. We were effectively on their home turf, and never before or since had I had such an acute feeling of, "You done stumbled into the wrong neighborhood, Boudreaux."
As we did a quick hike down to the base, I looked behind us several times. Their numbers had grown significantly, and a large host now sat where we were standing only moments before, intently watching our rapid departure.
We made it safely to the Land Rover, and as we closed the doors and drove away, I looked up at the cliff. Backlit by the light of the setting sun, the undisputed masters of this Pride Rock created an unbroken silhouette along the ridgeline. They continued to scope us as we drove away, emanating a final vibe of, "Y'all be on your way, y'hear?"
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