Safari 5!

We had a great safari experience. Once we finally got underway. I know that Froody did a detailed blog on what we did and what we saw, so I'm just going to summarize it and point out a few pix and vids. To sum up, we had 7 days of not doing much other than eating, sitting, and seeing wildlife. It took us a while to get over the feeling that we were in a huge zoo. In fact, I'm not sure I ever got over that feeling. Well, maybe a little when we stopped to watch a herd (yes a HERD) of some 30-40 African elephants, females and calfs. That's a whole lotta animal to see in one place. It really helped show how unending the seregenti can really be. Walter, our guide, was very knowledgeable and Peter, our cook, made sure all our meals were tasty and hot. Some things I learned are: 1. Giant animals like giraffes and elephants can hide very quickly by stepping behind a bush (yes, there is an entire elephant in that pic)2. If you see one lion there's probably several more around hiding in the tall grass 3. Always have the binoculars on you, even in camp 4. African winters means chilly nights! 5. Elephants are Froody's favorite animals.

OK- when most people talk about the "Big 5" on safari they mean 1.Lions 2.Elephants 3.Rhinos 4.Leopards and 5.Water buffalo. Basically, the main macho-dangerous-type of animals that make great trophies back in the day of the big white hunter. Apparently they're still a big draw today on people's wildlife checklist and, to Walter's credit, we did see each of the 5, even the elusive black rhino (hey, some people don't even get this lucky! yes, it's that dark smudge in the middle. if you click the link and zoom in you can make out the horn :-))! Well, I want you all to know that there is another big 5- the big 5 pounds you gain on safari! My clothes still fit, thank goodness, but they do a good job of feeding you on a safari! This is true of all the companies we saw. The food is tasty, you aren't allowed out of the car (unless you set up a walking safari) and you aren't allowed out of the campsite.

Anyway, now the safari is done and we're still amazed by all that we saw during those days. Man, I wish the internet was faster, because then I'd point out more pix: lions eating water buffalo and gazelle, morning and evening at the hippo pool, marsh eagles with fluffy white babies, giraffes, rock hyraxes, and more!