Recently the actor took a family break and visited Africa, the land of adventure.
Having visited Africa while shooting many years ago, actor Chunky Pandey chose Africa rather than a beach or shopping destination for his younger daughter when it was time for a holiday. “We have this impression of Africa being a large mass of homogenous land but Africa is actually very diverse. I had shot for Vishwatma there ages ago and then visited again for my honeymoon. Africa is so rich in wildlife and my seven-year-old daughter loves animals, so she asked me to take us to Africa,” says Chunky.
Recalling his expedition essentials, “Our first stop was Nairobi, where we stayed at the Giraffe Manor, run by the family of the late Baroness Karen Von Blixen, whose memoirs were brought to life in the movie Out Of Africa. This place had, aside from giraffes, many other animals, and we specially loved the baby elephant. Infact the giraffes are so close to the guests that they come inside and join you for breakfast!” he laughs.
Post breakfast with the long-necked gentle giants in the Kenyan capital, Chunky and family took a flight to Mount Kenya, the only place on Equator with snow! “After Mount Kenya we went right to the Equator line, that we all had read about in school. We then went to Masai Mara and stayed in a hotel on a cliff with a steep drop into the river infested with hippos and crocodiles. One night was especially disturbing as a lion was hunting a baby hippo. We were that if we can spot any one of the Big Five i.e. wild buffalo, African elephant, lion, leopard and rhino we would be lucky! But we were more than lucky, as we spotted all five and many more! We actually saw the leopard drag an antelope up a tree,” he adds.
He elaborates, “They had a jungle shopping centre and, girls being girls, my wife was busy shopping when a lioness walked close by! Later at the Swahili beach hotel in South Mumbassa, we snorkeled and did camel rides. My kids saw black mamba, green mamba and other lethal snakes in the wildlife park. We also ate in a restaurant, Alibaba, which is inside an actual cave!”
Summing up his experiences in this adventurous journey to the land of jungles, Chunky in his jovial style says, “Besides the fantastic memories we also came back tanned — not the regular tan you get in other places, this is the equator tan — looking almost red in colour. I think our friends may have turned green with envy!” he smiles.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}