What an amazing day!

What an amazing day! It began rather early. Ashley is my roommate in our tent. She thought she had heard an elephant. She got out of bed at 5:30. There is a river that surrounds the camp. Many times, animals come to the river to get water. We had a hippo there all the time, we saw dikers ( like a deer) and baboons come to get water. Anyway, we got up and got going. We got to see a hot air balloon take a group out on a game hunt. Mom says when she turns 60 that is what she wants to do. Very cool! We were in the van on the look out by 6:30. The sun had not yet risen so we got to see it rise on the plains. It was amazing to watch the sun rise. Completely beautiful! We saw lots of animals. In the morning game trip we saw a herd of elephants with several small babies. They we in the bushes. We also saw giraffe on the plains. They are so easy to spot in the yellow tall grass. At about 9:30 we were taken to have a bush breakfast. We parked the car and walked for about 10 minutes out into the game park. We turned a corner and 2 tables were set up with linens and breakfast. There were several Masia with knives and a guard with a gun. There were lots of baboons who were interested in what we were doing. It was a different experience then I have ever had. The food was good and the scenery was even better. After the breakfast in the bush, we were taken on a walking safari with 2 Masai warriors. The went on foot through the bush. We found fresh droppings, but never saw any dangerous animals. We saw a lot of spiders and a crocodile on the bank. What an exhilarating experience. I was excited, scared, and a little worn out. That was a first for me.
After our walk, we went for a dip in the pool. Ashley, Patrick and I were the only ones. It was cold…colder than the Baltic sea…but it was so refreshing and really helped my back out a great deal. After our dip in the pool, I took a short nap in our tent. The sounds of the animals put me to sleep. I am not sure if it was a bird, frog or monkey that was making this calming sound. I slept so sound. Some of the group went to the Masai Village for a tour and a chance to learn more about the culture. They said they really enjoyed themselves and they were intrigued by their culture. At 4 pm they had not returned, but there were enough of us to go ahead in one van on the afternoon game drive. We saw lots more animals: 15 lions, including cubs, cheetah, zebras, and many more. It is amazing that you can be that close to the animals and they seem not to even care.
After the drive we had dinner and were entertained by the Masai dancing, singing, and jumping. It was fun to watch and see the bright red costumes. The Masai are so fascinating because they are one of the only tribes left who have held fast to the old world traditions. We hung out with Patrick and learned about his life and what young people do in their spare time. I so enjoyed getting to know Patrick better.
We went to bed in our tents. My brother decided to play tricks on Ashley and I by scratching on our tent. We laughed and laughed. Finally we went to bed to the sounds of the animals.
It is amazing how wonderful Africa is and how I am blessed to be a part of this experience.
Love to all especially Megan, Kyle, and Charley!
Love and happiness,
Bethany