JUST KEEP LOOKING

I've seen lions many times. In many zoos I'm not all that proud to have visited, in countless pictures and documentaries. But when I saw him in that dry riverbed, at sunset in the Kruger Park, it was as if I had never seen one before.
Our driver had turned the engine off. Other safari guides had told him by radio that there was a lioness in the area. He told us to stay extremely silent, and that we should wait for the male: "He will come any time now. He must be looking for his lady."

So we waited. Five minutes or so, and we heard a gentle roar flowing in the air. Suddenly, the bushes right beside the jeep started to move, just a couple of meters from us. Everything went silent. And just like that, he was there.
It may be exaggerated, but the adrenaline was definitely flowing. We had no protection, and this enormous wild cat was pacing two meters away from me. TWO. His mouth was half open. His mane covered almost his entire body, not at all as Simba and his perfect hair. This boy had a mane that went all the way back to his... back. His head was tremendous; his paws were as big as dishes; he was huge, and fat, and muscled; definitely well fed.
This is the part when I realized I had never really seen a lion before: In an abrupt but subtle movement, he turned his head towards us. He stared at us. I perfectly sensed him looking straight into my eyes. I could see every detail in his face: His nose was filled with little flies; his whiskers were abundant and long; he had ridiculously small ears; his eyes were round and yellow, and despite being quite small, they gave a penetrating look, that made it impossible to look away.
I couldn't even sallow. It seemed to me he was evaluating us, deciding whether to hunt us or not. He kept staring while walking past the car, and then he turned his head again, continuing in his search. All this probably lasted less than a minute, but it felt like a good half an hour. When we lost sight of him, there was a deathly silence inside the car. We looked at each other with our mouths open; my hands were sweaty and shaking. It was pretty intense.

All I can say now, is that the king of the jungle has his name well earned. He is a majestic creature, the most impressive cat of all. And although I first thought he saw us like preys, I quickly realized he wasn't: He was humble enough to greet us, to welcome us to his land, properly looking straight into his guest's eyes. Definitely the most fearless, most kind king I'll ever meet.