Many people have a wrong conception of Africa as a dark continent teeming with militants, deserts and slums. I was among 25 students from the University of Hong Kong's faculty of biological science who visited Kenya on an ecotourism tour last summer. And what a wonderful trip it was!
It was sponsored by the K11 art mall, and organised by Dr Billy Hau Chi-hang, an assistant professor at HKU's school of biological sciences.
The adventure opened our eyes to Africa's awe-inspiring biodiversity.
During our two-week stay, every safari was like a treasure hunt. We saw more than 300 species of birds, the Big Five - lion, African elephant, African buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros - and dozens of other carnivores and herbivores, including zebras, wildebeests, gazelles and giraffes.
Whenever a colourful bird, a big animal or even a tiny lizard was spotted by someone, we compared what we saw in the wild with what we studied in the textbook.
But my favourite scene will always be the thousands of flamingos at Lake Nakuru, stretching just a few metres from me all the way to the distant horizon.