Masai Mara Safari I

3 P.M. on First Day of Safari

Best days ever? I might already declare so. This morning we flew from Nairobi to the Masai Mara National Park. The flight was simply amazing. We flew in a twelve seat plane over the Kenyan bush and then landed on a dirt runway in the middle of the plains. Our guide met us at the airstrip, and we immediately went to see animals. On our way to the camp, we saw hippos, crocs, zebra, zebra carcasses, impala, warthogs, and antelope. We should be able to see the all of the Big Five here (lion, leopard, water buffalo, cheatah, rhino).

Our camp is simply amazing. It is a bush camp which means that we have luxury tents situation in the middle of a grove of trees. There are no fences around the camp! Let me repeat that there are no fences are the camp! Our tent looks onto the plains where water buffalo graze two hundred yards away. At night the buffalo and hippos come into the camp. The camp hires Masai warriors to scare away the animals. We cannot walk around at night without a guard. How cool is that? The hippos and buffalo also come and sniff your tent at night which I am really looking forward to.

I could go on and on about the camp. The food is delicious and everything is catered to your needs. I could really get used to this. Presently, we are sitting on the porch in front of our tent watching the rains fall over the plains while reading and journalling. At 4 p.m., we will have tea and biscuits and then depart for a three hour game drive. If this place offered me a job right now I would instantly take it. Of course I would finish my work with the Jubilee Centre, but I am that in love with this experience. Jonny and Michele feel the exact same way. I am off to lay in the hammock and read my book until the game drive.

(By the way, the really good photographs on this blog were taken by Jonny Hoffner. I will tell you later when his photography of Africa is ready to be purchased.)