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Mating in the Mara
I usually view getting up at 6am as a chore...but not when I knew what was in store for this weekend! IT'S SAFARI WEEKEND!!!!
The 6 hour mini-bus journey to the Masai Mara was an experience in itself! After a sooth 3 hour ride we hit the 'real african roads'. Well, I'm not sure you can call something a road when its easier to drive on the verges! Lets just say, it was an adventure! I spent the last 3 hours in various states...occasionally howling with laughter, occasionally gripping the seats, and more than occasionally hiding behind my hands willing the bus to stay upright! But (obviously) all was fine. We made it
The first thing we all did was run to the toilet - a crucial piece on information; as u can imagine our bladders did not appreciate being shaken up for 3 whole hours! After being greeted by the lodge staff with hot towels and a cooling lime drink, we were shown to our tents. Yes, tents - we were roughing it! Having to sleep in a 4-poster double bed, with a full bathroom suite and an on site pool was torture! Haha - joking. It was pretty luxurious (as luxurious as a tent can be!).
Over the weekend we went on 4 game drives; 2 sunrise drives and 2 evening drives. On the friday evening we set of for our 1st safari! The bus was spilling over with excitement. Cameras were clicking at every opportunity - and we hadn't even entered to reserve yet! We couldn't wait! On entering the reserve I was stunned by the beauty of the scenery that greeted me. Flat, yellow savannah plains stretching far into the distance to meet the faint mountains on the horizon. The odd african looking tree scattered among them, and (of corse) hundreds of grazing gazelles, zebras, warthogs, impalas and topis. I didn't know where to look!! We were surrounded. I instantly fell in love with the warthogs - they're so ugly and cute!!! hehe. Standing with my head out of the open roof of the van as we cruised the african wilderness, truly was a soul-searching moment. Was this real?! I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Just gorgeous!!
Anyway, enough cheese.
When we bumped into a heard of elephants (almost literally) I was stunned at their size. GINORMOUS!!! Somehow, when they are in the wild - and blocking our way (!!) - they seem even bigger than any that I've seen at a zoo. The elephants grazed past us - grabbing plants with their trunks and kicking the roots to upheave them. A baby elephant made our hearts melt (SOOOO CUTE!). Although he was probably taller than me, he looked so dainty against the huge muscualr bodies of its parents! I waved at him (I know, what a gay!!) so I think we will always remember me...because elephants never forget!!
After passing a cheetah just chilling in the shade, we found a pair of lions. They were lying in the grass about 15m from the bus, just soaking up the sun - nothing to interesting. And then...a bit of movement. The male lion has decided: "IT IS TIME TO MATE!". The female manages to wriggle out of his grasp and tries to make a run for it! But, sure enough, the male persues her and she finally gives in ("oh, alright then!"). He's a happy boy He tries to lie down next to her after he's got what he wanted and she turns her back on him ("I'm tired honey, leave me alone...") Haha classic. It was hilarious. I felt like David Attenborough in Planet Earth. My very own live show!!! I'm sure that's something that I will never see again!
Well that was obviously the highlight of the trip (and of my life!!). The other game drives did not live up to the shenanigans of the first! Highlights of the next 3 game drives include:
- Watching a breathtaking sunrise over the african plains.
- Mr Giraffe meeting WILD giraffes.
- Chilling on the side of a creek with a load of hippos bathing in the water below.
- Tracking 3 dots on the horizon, creeping through the grass, which turned out to be cheetahs - who fancied a roll on the road right in front of our van!
- Watching a stand-off between 6 lionesses (creeping through the grass) and a pack of zebras (and 1 very stressed gazelle!). This seemed to be the start of a hunt! The lionesses attempted to move closer (from about 20m away), but they would have to wait till sundown to get the best chance of a catch. The zebras had noticed them and stood nailed to the spot. The had to remain fixated on them so that the lionesses did not get chance to sneak up on them! So they just stood and stared. I was secretly relieved (although I would have loved to see a hunt) because i do like zebras :)
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