Maasai Mara - Feb 12 & 13

Driving to Mara Siria Tented  Bush Camp was an experience that I doubt I will ever forget.    The first half of the drive was on a paved highway along the rift valley ridge.   It was amazing to see.   On one side, a Kenyan tribe focuses on agriculture and on the other side the Maasi Mara focus on livestock (goats & cows).   The second half was very bumpy & very dusty & very hot.   We were exhausted by the time we arrived to the camp.   The staff joked around and told us we had just received our first African massage.   We had lunch and had rest.   As we rested, the temperature started to cool off and winds started to blow.

At 3:45 we headed to Maasai Mara for our first game drive.   I do not know how people can doubt in the existence of God especially after experiencing his creation in this type of way.   It is common to see elephants, giraffes, zebra’s, gazelle’s and wart hogs roaming in the open spaces.   All of us really wanted to see a lion.   Well, we saw a lion perched on a rock sunning himself – what a magnificent creature.   We also saw 2 black rhino’s together.   We are told this is not a common experience.   We were also delighted to see a leopard hiding in a bush.   We were disappointed that we did not have a full view of him but our guide told us he can go on many drives without seeing a leopard.   In a matter of two hours, we saw the Big 5 – elephant, rhino, leopard, lion, & buffalo.   

We headed back to camp, cleaned up and went to supper.   Because we are at a bush camp in the wild, we cannot leave our tent when it is dark without an escort.   All of the people at the camp gathered in the reception area.   We then were escorted to a circular stone hut with a thatched roof.   We were treated to a 3 course meal.   The chef grilled beef and pork on the BBQ.   It was fabulous.   The best surprise of the night according to the kids was coming back to the tent and crawling into bed and finding hot water bottles warming up the beds.   

On Saturday, we headed out for our safari at 8 am and made it back to camp around 4:30.   It was a spectacular day.   We drove a long distance.   The park is over 1560 square kilometers.   One of the highlights in the morning was going to a river where hippos  were hanging out.   The kids were a bit freaked out because we were outside of the vehicle.   We also saw a cheetah hiding in a bush in the morning as well as a lion & lioness playing in the grass.   We headed toward Tanzania for lunch.   As we were eating a little black fisted monkey came closer & closer.   He tried to get our garbage.   Mark was trying to shoo him away and Aby put down her apple and grabbed the camera.   The monkey quickly came to our table and grabbed Aby’s apple and started eating.   We could not believe how fast he was.   There were a variety of little lizards here as well.   We all had a chance to stand in Tanzania.   The kids were excited because they have been to 5 different countries on our trip now.

The highlight of the day was Simon (our driver) spotting a leopard in a tree.   This leopard was huge.   We took pictures from a distance.   Simon was able to drive closer & closer.   It was simply amazing.   I think all of us could have stayed there for the rest of the afternoon but there were crocodiles to be seen.   None of us were expecting to see croc’s on our safari.   

This has been an incredible experience for all of us.    The weather has been cool – which we were not expecting.   We are trying to be positive about it because more animals were out during the day as a result.   When we arrived back to camp this afternoon, Micah’s stomach did not feel great again.   The poor guy has an upset stomach again.   We are all hoping it is better before we head home on our 5 ½ hour drive.    The rain is pouring, Micah is curled up in bed, some Zebra’s just walked by our tent and we all can say “God is simply amazing”.