Family Ties

I was lucky as a child to travel the world with my family. My mom and dad took four kids around the world, presumably to check in on dad’s epidemiological research. I know now that he purposely wanted us to experience new people, cultures, languages, traditions, and natural wonders. Before I was born, my family lived in Uganda for three years and returned to Atlanta for my birth, so my first trip to Africa waited fifty-plus years until the absolute right moment arrived.  

When I was eight, I was changed forever when we spent six months on a mission on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. These are my first memories of travelling, attending the local school, walking in the rainforest, and chopping papayas with a machete. I spent six months in China before it was open to the world, seeing the terracotta soldiers of Xi’an before they were in YouTube videos.  

As a father, I knew I would do everything in my power to instil in my daughter the same curiosity and wonder these experiences gave me. I waited until she reached that same age, and then — COVID — so we were five years late to Africa.  

My work allows me to spend time with talented filmmakers and storytellers. This is how I came upon Angama,  synonymous with the Mara Triangle, where incredible sequences are captured in nature films. When I learned of their new lodge, Angama Amboseli, I knew it would match my family’s travel style — the mix of proximity and access to the wonders of nature in a more gentle atmosphere. We had never seen African mammals outside of the LA Zoo, so this would be the adventure of a lifetime.

When we first broke through the clouds at the Amboseli airstrip, I lost my breath — the same experience I had seeing Bora Bora for the first time — all the images I had in my head became real when I saw the African landscape for the first time. As the plane taxied, we saw our first zebras and wildebeest, and I could just see in my daughter’s eyes that I had picked the right place. On our journey to Angama, we encountered herds of elephants, watched flamingos fly over the salt lakes, stopped for zebra crossings, and began to absorb the impact of our first day in Kenya.  

Unlike many who go to multiple parks and camps, we spent our whole safari at Angama Amboseli. I have always thought that spending as much time as possible in one spot allows you to really get to know the people and the nature around you. It was a perfect strategy for this trip as we woke every morning in no hurry, enjoying our favourite 'Who can count the most warthogs?' game and heading out with Guide Sabore to see lions, hippos, as well as our favourites, the giraffes and zebras.  

The moment that changed us forever was a lark of an outing: Sabore proposed one morning, 'Let’s go see Craig.' We drove an hour or so to a local Maasai village and picked up John, an expert on Super Tuskers. Not long after, we encountered a herd of protector elephants, and then, as we turned a corner, there he was — Craig, the magnificent Super Tusker, fast asleep with his head resting against a tree, snoring! We sat for about an hour, John and Sabore feeding my curious 12-year-old with knowledge and history of wildlife protection, Maasai land, and the legacy of these giants. I will have a tough time outdoing that moment in the fabric of my daughter's memory.

It was a stroke of luck that two events tied me to Angama Amboseli without me knowing. My very dear friend, Kire Godal, is finishing a film about the great Tusker Tolstoy, whose bones lie in Kimana Sanctuary. And unbeknownst to me, 15 years ago, my mom and dad took a photo in just about the spot where Angama sits now, truly making a mark on my family's soul.