The huge male lion was stretched out in the middle of the road. He had a thick dark mane and a taut, sinewy body. It was obvious that he owned this space; he was not about to give way for anyone who might want to pass. After all, why should he? He was the undisputed king of the forest. 
     The lion turned his head and met our eyes; his gaze held us spellbound. He couldn’t have been more than twenty feet from us; we could see the many battle scars on his face and sides. Then he sat up, raised his head, and let out a loud and lengthy roar.  
     His mighty call started with several short low moans, followed by a prolonged series of long, escalating roars, and ending with a series of about twenty short whuffing growls. He put his whole body into it, his taut muscles straining and his sides heaving with each resonating note. His voice was challenging yet at the same time mournful - and very loud. 
     A lion’s roar is a deep primal sound that reverberates through your soul. Nobody could watch and listen to the lion roaring close up and remain unmoved. With the amazing acoustics provided by nature, the sound of each roaring note actually echoed, as if he were deep in a vault. I could feel the sound waves vibrate inside my chest. 
     As our guide and friend Gee would say, ‘Oh my god, my father.’