Thursday, 23 July 2009
Jambo (Kiswahili for "Hello")!!! Just got back from my first game drive! It was TOTALLY exciting! All the Land Rovers left for the mid morning game drive at the same time, but then went their separate ways as each guide four-wheel drove over grasslands, forests, and river banks of the Masai Mara looking for big-game 5 and other exotic animals. My group spotted a family of elephants right away! Then Thompson gazelles (size of little fawns), hippos, crocs, zebras, ostrich, and a sundry of exotic birds. The highlight was 2 male lions sunning themselves on a termite mound. Gideon, our game expert, drove us near -- about 5 feet away in an open vehicle!!! But the one predator that gave us the most action was the female cheetah that we came across at the end of our drive. We saw her go after a baby gazelle. What a sad fate for the Thompson gazelle, but such is the way of life on the Masai Mara. Survival of the fittest is the creed, not the exception. But talk about an exciting first drive! I saw 2 of the big-game 5 (elephant & lion), so I have 3 more to go in the 3 days remaining of my safari. Hopefully, tomorrow will see continued success. I shared today's experience with a group of Austrians who were a lot of fun. We promised to meet back later at the evening campfire to regale our tales with other Safarians, but first I had to head to the spa room to make my massage appointment. I needed a pampering treatment after a long day's travel and an exciting game drive. Afterwards I went to dinner, and belatedly found out that people dressed a little more formally (some of the men wore dinner jackets, and the ladies were adorned in heels and jewelry). Granted this formality was something the Brits favored, but gauche diners from the U.S., Australia, and Canada remained more laid back in cargo pants and t-shirts. LoL. Dinner was another delicious fare, and discussions at the main campfire afterwards was a nice way to wind down. We didn't linger too long, because we had the next day's drives beginning at the crack of dawn. So with that, I'm closing my journal until my next post. La La Salama (Kiswahili for "Good Night")!!!
