Last Day Safari Blues

Sunday, 26 July 2009

This morning's sunrise (as was all sunrises here) was

absolutely gorgeous, and totally got me through my

bout of last-day-safari-blues. I didn't want my trip to end!

The camp's balloon safari ride was up and running.

I wonder what the Maasai thought of this sighting?

Saw a family of elephants wading in the Marsh.

Then this long-necked beauty came peeking from behind a bush.

Eureka! We struck gold! A leopard sighting at last!!

We headed back to the camp elated. Just have

one more big-game 5 sighting to go! 1-Rhino-a-go-go!

But breakfast was interrupted by a cape buffalo

that showed up dangerously close to the camp's edge.

We were too excited to think of the danger....

But the Maasai patrol had it under control.

Then it was back to my final game drive before

I was to leave for Nairobi. Goal: Rhino!

Instead we spotted Maasai illegally bringing

in their cows to graze on the Game Reserves.

Totally blatant.... and totally busted!!!

There must've been about 200 cows.

"Bad boys, bad boys... Whatcha gonna do?

Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?"

Unfortunately, I never saw a rhino. Ugh! Had to

head back to camp so I could make my flight.

According to my game guide, rhinos have become scarce.

Sadly, only 37 black rhinos were left on the Masai Mara. :(

But I did see a couple of lions on the way back to the camp.

Cameras whipped out and quickly clicked away...

As these royal ladies headed back to their pride.

I looked back at the camp, as I headed for the air strip.

And the sight of "Major Tom" (dubbed affectionately by

the staff) was both sad and comforting. His cheerful smile

and snap salute were always the last things we saw before

turning into the camp at the end of the day. Overall, it

was a fun-packed and thrilling 4 days, and one that I will

never forget. Everyone should live by the rules of the wild:

Hakuna Matata! (Kiswahili for "No worries!! Be happy!!")

African Wildlife

Saturday, 25 July 2009

The remaining game drives today were great, despite not seeing the last 2 big-games on my checklist. (No leopards and rhinos, Oh My!) But, here's what I did see.... so dang kewl!

Mama hyena nursing her baby.

Hyenas laughing and wrestling.

Bad to the Bone!

Male (L) and Female (R) Ostriches.

Zebras, Topis, and a Silver Backed Jackal!

More herds of topis and zebras.

Ever so cunning silver backed jackals on the go.

A tree full of vultures. Whoa!

Eyeing an elephant head carcass.

Lunch Time! Table for one.

True Baboon Love! Scratching itches and....

picking each other's head lice. Awwwww!

And baby makes three!

Coming across a sleeping lioness.

A stretching warthog. (Remember Pumba in Lion King?)

Warthogs were everywhere on the Masai!

Twinned young giraffes!

Strike a pose. Show me some leg!

Black & white colobus monkey.

Elusive, and yet so cute!

Zebras at the Mara River.

Another cheetah sighting..... still no leopard.

Awesome! She leapt onto this leaning tree.

Scanning for game in the horizon.

Time to head back to the camp. 1 day left to go. Ugh!

The Great Wildebeest Migration

Saturday, 25 July 2009

Well, it's day 3 of my Safari adventure and I have 2 more big-games left to find (leopard & rhino) and the great wildebeest migration to see. So far, in the last coupla days I've only seen one or two wildebeests out on the rolling plains of the Masai Mara. Ugh! Gideon, my game guide, explained that since the Mara River was low this year, the wildebeests were slow to come into Kenya in the first month of the migration season. The migration takes place annually from July to October when 2 million wildebeests cross from the Serengeti of Tanzania into the Masai Mara as they look for water and ample grasslands. By this time, I should've already seen overwhelming herds but none of my drives have come across them. So, this morning's game drive had my group heading a little farther west near the Mara River to see if we could find them coming into the Masai. As luck would have it, we saw a gazillion wildebeests ahead of us dotting the landscape! I was so stoked! As we got closer, I saw them running free and frolicking in wild abandon. It was soooo kewl! Then I heard them lowing, a sound similar to a cow's moo with a hint of a foghorn's blare. I couldn't help but laugh when they lowed at my safari group, because we lowed back and then it became a lowing contest! LoL. It was a wonderful experience being in the midst of the great wildebeest migration. It was exactly what I wanted to see... resembled what I read about... and that it indeed was one of "life's greatest spectacle on Earth". Life was good!