DAY FOUR -
From: Jim Sanders
Sent: Fri 8/18/2006 8:57 AM
The sum of all the superlatives which one could muster wouldn't adequately describe the last two days. But I'll give it a try!
We flew on a four-engine commuter plane from Wilson Airport, a small tower-controlled commuter terminal designed to ferry passengers between Nairobi and remote Kenyan destinations.
Our plane was headed to the Maasai Mara, a larger game reserve in south-west Kenya. There were four stops planned . . . ours the last in a series of dirt airstrips, each separated by a five to eight minute flight. We never were higher than 500 feet above the Mara, which made for some fun sightseeing. We began to identify various animals in the plain below which all the more heightened our anticipation for the next day and a half.
Our guides met us at the "airport" in two Toyota Land Cruisers, modified to have two sections of their roofs be removed. The opening was padded, allowing us to stand up in the car and have an unobstructed view of the animals.
Our thirty-minute ride to the hotel purposefully took more than two hours so that we could begin our sightseeing immediately. In fact, almost right away, we had the rare privilege of seeing a majestic male lion peacefully resting under a tree. Since all the tour cars are in radio contact, it wasn't long before the area was swarming with other tourists, all hoping to capture the cat on film. At one point,
he was startled enough to get up and walk away. As he did, you could hear all the shutters flying. What a joy to watch this amazing animal gracefully make his way to a quieter part of the Mara.
The trip that evening also included zebra, wildebeests, impala, antelope, elephant, giraffe and baboons. Hard to believe this wasn't a ride at Disneyland!
Our hotel was up on a mountain top which had an incredible view of the plain below. Such a great view! We each had our own bungalow. Katie and I had a few minutes out on the deck watching the sun go down.
No phones, no TV, and power shuts down at 11:00. This place is unbelievably remote. HOWEVER, our cell phones did work. Who'd a thunk?!?!
We were up at 5:15 the next morning to meet our 6:00 call for a half-day tour of the Mara. How wonderful to witness our second African sunrise. Just spectacular. Another day of huge herds of animals. We also had a picnic breakfast out in the bush while a hyena made his way past us.
We happened upon a cheetah and it's four kittens/cubs. So fun to watch these small cats play. While they lounged, all the animals, even in the distance, were standing at attention, their eyes fixed in our direction. It seems the prey knows exactly where the predator lives.
We made our way down to where the wildebeests cross the Mara River, exposing themselves to the crocodiles in the river. There were 20 or more dead animals being fed on by vultures. We watched them "think" for more than an hour about when to cross. Just about 300 yards downriver, we counted 17 crocs, many of which were more than 15 feet in length. Lots of hippos too! Dozens.
All that to say, we didn't see any carnage, just the left-overs. Such an amazing part of the world!
We're off now to eat at the world-famous "Carnivore Restaurant"-and we'll try eating many of the animals we saw today: crocodile, ostrich, zebra, etc. Should be interesting.
Tomorrow is another project trip, then off to the airport for a three-hour wait before departure. We've been told NO carry-on anything…only wallet and pills. Hopefully, that will relax a little bit.
So, we won't be in email contact again. Look forward to seeing you all!
Jim Sanders
From: Jim Sanders
Sent: Fri 8/18/2006 8:57 AM
The sum of all the superlatives which one could muster wouldn't adequately describe the last two days. But I'll give it a try!
We flew on a four-engine commuter plane from Wilson Airport, a small tower-controlled commuter terminal designed to ferry passengers between Nairobi and remote Kenyan destinations.
Our plane was headed to the Maasai Mara, a larger game reserve in south-west Kenya. There were four stops planned . . . ours the last in a series of dirt airstrips, each separated by a five to eight minute flight. We never were higher than 500 feet above the Mara, which made for some fun sightseeing. We began to identify various animals in the plain below which all the more heightened our anticipation for the next day and a half.
Our guides met us at the "airport" in two Toyota Land Cruisers, modified to have two sections of their roofs be removed. The opening was padded, allowing us to stand up in the car and have an unobstructed view of the animals.
Our thirty-minute ride to the hotel purposefully took more than two hours so that we could begin our sightseeing immediately. In fact, almost right away, we had the rare privilege of seeing a majestic male lion peacefully resting under a tree. Since all the tour cars are in radio contact, it wasn't long before the area was swarming with other tourists, all hoping to capture the cat on film. At one point,
he was startled enough to get up and walk away. As he did, you could hear all the shutters flying. What a joy to watch this amazing animal gracefully make his way to a quieter part of the Mara.The trip that evening also included zebra, wildebeests, impala, antelope, elephant, giraffe and baboons. Hard to believe this wasn't a ride at Disneyland!
Our hotel was up on a mountain top which had an incredible view of the plain below. Such a great view! We each had our own bungalow. Katie and I had a few minutes out on the deck watching the sun go down.
No phones, no TV, and power shuts down at 11:00. This place is unbelievably remote. HOWEVER, our cell phones did work. Who'd a thunk?!?!We were up at 5:15 the next morning to meet our 6:00 call for a half-day tour of the Mara. How wonderful to witness our second African sunrise. Just spectacular. Another day of huge herds of animals. We also had a picnic breakfast out in the bush while a hyena made his way past us.
We happened upon a cheetah and it's four kittens/cubs. So fun to watch these small cats play. While they lounged, all the animals, even in the distance, were standing at attention, their eyes fixed in our direction. It seems the prey knows exactly where the predator lives.
We made our way down to where the wildebeests cross the Mara River, exposing themselves to the crocodiles in the river. There were 20 or more dead animals being fed on by vultures. We watched them "think" for more than an hour about when to cross. Just about 300 yards downriver, we counted 17 crocs, many of which were more than 15 feet in length. Lots of hippos too! Dozens.
All that to say, we didn't see any carnage, just the left-overs. Such an amazing part of the world!
We're off now to eat at the world-famous "Carnivore Restaurant"-and we'll try eating many of the animals we saw today: crocodile, ostrich, zebra, etc. Should be interesting.
Tomorrow is another project trip, then off to the airport for a three-hour wait before departure. We've been told NO carry-on anything…only wallet and pills. Hopefully, that will relax a little bit.
So, we won't be in email contact again. Look forward to seeing you all!
Jim Sanders
