This weekend we went to the massia mara! we were all given permission to have the friday off work because it was a special once in a life time trip etc... So we left Kisumu at 8.00am on friday morning for our adventure... After 6 hours of travelling on bumpy pot-hole ridden roads we arrived at Mara springs camp in time for some late lunch. The camp was situated just outside the national game reserve and was lovely considering it was a 'budget camping option'! we stayed in 2 and 3 man tents which had beds...was deffinately a bonus as we had psyched ourselves up for roughing it! So...after lunch wew set off for our first late afternoon game drive at about 4 o'clock. After a hlaf an hour argument with the people in the office at the park gates about getting in for student prices we managed to enter the park...for the agreed price - although we did lose half an hour ggrrr! anyway the gates were still in sight when we saw a herd of zebras and some wildebeast crossing the track! the zebras are so beautiful, and just so extravagant! you would have thought that they wouild stand out like a sore thumb but the black and white stripes are deceptively camaflage in the distnace. At oine point they came so close to us that you could have touched them! the wildebeat were quite cool too although they are so ugly... i know its cringe worthy to say it but they just reminded me of the lion king when they were charginmg through the gorge! lol We were really luckyu on the first game drive we saw lots, it is hard to remember on which day we saw each animal though... But we saw lots of giraffes on each day and also antelopes, impalas, gizelles, warthogs, voutchers, buffallo, all sports of birds... we also saw two big cats! On the first day we saw a female lion with her cubs at dusk - it was amzing, there was onl;y one othere van there and they didnt move at all, it was just a mutaual staring competition! the cubs were gorgeous, there were three of them lying together! got some awsome photos! We also saw a cheetah not long afterwards...it was so cool, it was just walking areound and looking at us as if it was posing for the cameras! Then some american idiot went and ruined it for everyone by going really close to it and scaring it off! im sorry if im offending anyone but american bloody tourists really get up my nose, there voice is so loud and irritating for a start! After seeing a good number of animals for the first day we had to rush back beacuse the sun was setting fast behind us and they are really strict about all the vehicles coming outr before 7, we got there with just one minute to go! The sunset was amazing! It went so red and the sun set so fast that you could almst see in move down behind the horizon! Whewn we arrivewd back at the camp we had dinner and then we were not lond out of bed - safari rides are supprisingly tiring! I trhiunk its because we were standing up all day in the van and it was so bumpy we were constantly having try and stay upright, was such good fun though! Once the driver didnt see a bad bump in time and we all went flying! he he We decided to have 2 game drives at dawn and dusk rather than to have one 6hour one during the heat of the day....apparently there are way more animals in sight during the early and late hours and plus 6hours in one go mwould be knackering! So at 6.30 am just as the sun waw creeping up behind the mountain we left for game drive number two. It was so cold....it is so amazing that it can be so cold then so hot once the sun has come up! we were all in hoodies first thing but by lunch time we weresweltering! We saw alot animals again...lots of girraffes, zebras, wildebeast, antelope but probabl,y the highlight was two families of elephants! They are such amazing animals! They are so big yet so graceful at the same time! They just plod along watching the world go by...i love them! Later on we saw another herd with some babies! They were soooooooo cute, just like dumbo! lol i got this reallky cute photo of the baby with its mum...! Then we saw lots of voultchers flying over head whihc means there was a kill - so...we followed them and found about 30 scavengers feating on the leftovers of a lions wildebeast! it was disgusting, it really stank, but was quitye intersting! we got back at about 9.30 and there was a full english breakfast awaiting us, i could have cried with joy! the first bacon weve had for 6 weeks! during the day we just chilled around the camp site and then left again at 3... we had an extra long drive of four hours. (maybe the tip we gave the driver worked, lol). We again had lots of fun and saw lots of the samew anaimals...we saw a male lion sleepiung under a tree which was fantastic! He was massive even though he wasnt full grownb becauuse his main wasnt very big! We could stay for long beacuse the ranger was ther but it was still amazing to see him. we another cheetah as well...but we didnt see any leopards which i really wanted to see... We went to the mara river and saw lots of hippos...they are so copol! they just bob up and down the water coming up for air, alomst like syncronated swimmers!lol the next morning we wne tout for another early drive before heading back to kisumu... we alkl had an amzing time and i think it was just lng enough. by the end of th last game drive wewere all a bit tired of being thrown around the r\avn for hours on end and had seen so many beautiful animals. the mara itself is just so beautiful, its just miles and miles of swooping plains of savanah under a bright blue sky and a scorching sun. i could stop taking pirctures! It was a long journey homew because we broke down-something wroing withe the raidiator.... we only have three weeks left of the project, cant believe it! Julie and i have organised a 'tenteleni extravaganza' on the 1st september - which is a sports day in the morning and a variety show in the afternoon for all the placements and the park in town. So we are doing alot of practising and organising for that this week... it will be so good! Hope you are all well, love suz x x x