Thursday, 1/19/12 - A Day in Heaven

Yesterday we had agreed with Robert that we would do an all day safari instead of morning and afternoon game drives and Robert said he'd have the camp kitchen prepare boxed lunches for all of us. Morning "appointments" are getting a little harder to meet but nothing as shameful as our first morning in Rwanda. Every morning when we get started I "remind" Robert (no, I promise I'm not nagging) that I still want to see a hyena. So for those who don't know, beause I surely didn't before going on safari, all of the guides have CB radios in their safari vehicles and they can adjust the volume however, they speak Swahili or other African dialects or languages so we don't know what they are saying. Unbeknownst to us, Robert listened to the CB chatter and drove the distance to a good hyena spot.

It took us a while to get there but of course there were breathtaking sights to behold on the way there. We finally come upon a hyena in the grasses! I'm ecstatic! The hyena is skittish because of our presence and is trying to get to a topi carcass (Robert is that good he can identify a carcass). Enjoy the following pictures!

We don't know where we're headed next but we trust Robert and we have all commented several times how enjoyable and successful our safari has been. Well lo and behold, we come upon another hyena sitting right in the middle of the road!

Paula and I are feeling so blessed and content. Thankful, overjoyed and blessed are a few words that come to mind. We are enjoying our drive, company and day immensely! After a potty break at a safari camp interestingly enough owned by our hotel in Nairobi, La Mada, Robert takes us to a watering hole and tells us we can get out of the truck - what? Yup, we walk to the higher bank and there they are: approximately 15 hippos wallowing and snorting the afternoon away! We find a very large, fallen tree trunk and settle down to watch in awe and wonder. Paula and I make a pact to never leave this spot and I'm in a complete state of nirvana! The pictures below not only show our safari boots we bought in Nairobi but also the overhanging spot-backed weaver bird nests on the other side of the watering hole.

True to our word, Robert finally has to force us back in the truck approximately an hour later and just in the nick of time; we are barely settled back in the truck when we come upon a lone lioness in the stalking position. Unbelievably she is about to make a kill in the middle of the day! The pictures below show her baby warthog kill, eating her kill in the grass, following her to a waterhole, and then following her to a shady resting spot. We are so close we can hear her panting and crunching bones!

We are now speechless and have to pinch ourselves! Have we died and gone to heaven? There really aren't any words to describe our bliss! I'm really not sure how long we drive but Robert stops under a lone tree, there are empty weaver nests above, and Robert spreads out a blanket and we have our boxed lunch in the middle of the Masai Mara!