Maasai Mara

We both slept well and, especially for the Sweet Thing, that is huge. We were up on our own about 7:15. ST went for something to eat while I got ready then I hobbled to the restaurant to meet her. She is having "tummy trouble" and feeling a bit out of sorts. So I am taking care of her (ya right with my foot) and lovin' it. We headed out about 8:30AM and almost immediately the fun started with giraffes. As per what we experienced yesterday, wildebeest (a.k.a. gnu) and zebra were the most common creatures we saw. Today we also saw topi, heartbeast, ostrich, gazelle, impala, hyena, crocodile, hippopotomaus, warthog, leopard, cheetah, lion, and a handful of birds. We saw an assortment of vultures chowing down on a gazelle carcass. We were told that the hardest animal to see is the leaopard and the one we did see was nicely camouflaged in a tree. Apparently they are very possessive with their kill, disappearing into a tree and no sharing. The cheetahs we saw were devouring a carcass. William told us the cheetah will only eat fresh meat and usually when they finish there is nothing even left for the vultures. The lions on the other hand will keep returning to old kill and feasting again. The hippos we saw were huge and they can be as much as 4,000 pounds. They stay in the water during the day and come out at night to eat grass. We have not yet seen the rhino but I imagine that is the mission when we go out again at 4PM. The zebras, gnus, and all the antelopes are great buddies, all grass eaters, and travel together. We were told a gnu migration could be a few million animals, moving in single file, with a few miles from one end to the other. There is no status associated with the first and last in the line, just a matter of coincidence. I was quite surprised to find out the "killers" who are herbivores, especially the rhino and hippo. We had to drive quite a ways to find water where the croc and the hippos were hanging out. We were allowed out of the vehicle at the water spot to see the hippos. The one croc we did see was lounging on the bank and seemed asleep. At one point, we found a cluster of vehicles and as it turned out there were 2 male lions chilling in an almost dry mud puddle. There was a female close by and ST got some great shots of the lions. We were less than 20 feet from them. The safari vehicles all have radios and communicate with one another on interesting sightings as well as emergencies. Yes, ferenge has been killed on safari and yes the vehicles do sometimes get stuck in the mud. It is a real obstacle course for the drivers to avoid the huge mud potholes and navigate up and down deep tracks that have been made by previous wheels. They must stay on the roads and risk a $150 fine if they are caught straying off the beaten paths. We returned to camp not long after noon. I hung out in the bar and started writing this BLOG when the bartender showed up with the 6-string Yamaha I had been lusting over last night. I played all my favourites then when the Sweet Thing showed up I did "Waiting for a Girl Like You". I did our 2 Steely Dan favourites then we lunched. ST finds it a little cold and, surprise surprise, I find it just right. For her sake I would like it a few degrees hotter. We are heading out again about 4PM for a few more hours. Tomorrow we break camp and head over to Lake Nakura and another lodge. When getting dressed for dinner last night, the Sweet Thing managed to drop an earring down the drain in the bathroom sink. I suggested her going to the front desk and naturally they sent someone over with a wire who got it out. As has been the case during our stay here, they were very helpful. Right at 4 we were off. I played the guitar for over an hour before we left and loved it. We learned some stuff about the animals we have been viewing for the past 2 days. Towards the end of the day we were pointed at a dead young gazelle carcass hanging in a tree. William told us the leopard will stash the dead prey in a tree so nobody steals it. I can well imagine that said leopard then returns at its will to munch on the animal. It must roam for miles and miles but always know exactly what tree the remains reside in. We did see another leopard in a tree, It appeared to be sleeping when we first arrived. One after another 2 giraffes sauntered by and the big cat started moving around but would not dare make a lunge for either; the giraffe is too big for the leopard to handle. William told us that there are 12 species of animals in the Masaai. He mentioned the gnu had migrated to the serengeti as expected this year but, upon arriving there, did not find it to be as fertile as it was expected to be. Therefore, they came back. He also mentioned that there could be a few weeks (or months) that there are very few creatures in the masaai as they have all moved south. Sounds like Jewish people from eastern Canada and Florida. Tomorrow we depart for Lake Nakura t 7:30AM. The drive there is about as far as it was yesterday from Nairobi to the masaai. The drive on Wednesday from there to Ambroseli is the longest of the safari. On Friday the drive back to Nairobi is again about 4 to 4.5 hours. We took some pictures today of a giraffe probably 6-8 feet from the big beast. ST loves the giraffe and will probably be adopting one to look after the back yard. We also hope to get it to keep the second storey windows clean. After dinner we went to the bar, me with my Tusker and ST ordered a cognac. I played the guitar and ST belted out some campfire songs including Leaving on a Jet Plane, Dona Dona, Four Strong Winds, Hey Laudy, and If I Had a Hammer. The gals outside the bar loved it. After many tunes, the hired singer started with Let it Be then many many more. We crashed about 10.