Up close and maybe not-so comfortable, well, at first anyway. I snapped this photo while on a safari in the Masai Mara, Kenya, East Africa. A friend had asked me, "So, how close to you really get to the Big Five?" Is this close enough? [caption id="attachment_2889" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="One of the Big Five, Masai Mara, Kenya. Photo: Doug O'Neill"] [/caption] The majesty of elephants is surpassed only by their curious ability to show up out of nowhere - and quietly. Our group of six, a chatty lot admittedly, had been perched on top of the safari van (it's verboten to walk about on your own) peering off into the distance as we ate our lunch. When we turned around, there she was, the most beautiful creature on the horizon, and only a few metres away. I'm glad I had my camera at hand.