Safari = AMAZING

Hey Everyone! We're back from Safari. I can't even put into words how amazing it was. The past two days (3 really...) have been pretty rough for me health-wise. I've got some sort of gastro sickness that has slowed me down a bit, but somehow I managed to hang in there and still enjoy our days at the parks. Special thanks to our awesome driver-tour guide-extraordinaire for his sharp driving and quick stopping skills for when I needed a quick exit of the vehicle to puke on the side of the road....

Sunday we spent in Lake Manyara. Lots of beautiful greenery and wildlife there. Many many baboons too. We saw hippos, elephants, giraffe, zebra, impala...it was just incredible. According to Ramon, our tour guide, Lake Manyara is 'a dying lake' due to silt washing down from the surrounding landscape. It was easy to tell how large the lake used to be, but now is diminishing. He said unless the government steps in to redirect the silt, the lake will likely dry up in 10 years. I'm certainly glad I got to see it before that happens.

I didn't really know how sick I was until that night, at Bougainvillea Lodge. I tried to eat the lovely dinner they made for us, but my stomach wasn't cooperating. Fortunately, I'm traveling with two great caretakers - Chris is a Nurse and has been making sure I'm taking my Cipro.

I almost didn't go on the safari the 2nd day because I felt so terrible in the morning. We talked to Ramon and he assured me there were places to stop along the way if I felt badly again. So I hopped in the truck and off we went.

I can't even begin to describe the day at Ngorogoro Crater. It must be one of the most beautiful places on earth. This time of year it's lush and green on the bottom of the crater. We had the most amazing day - and saw every animal possible...even the elusive cheetah!

The most incredible part was when we came upon a pride of lions. There were several lioness' and their cubs. We quickly realized there were also a few lioness' across the road in the tall grass stalking a heard of buffalo that were migrating across the crater floor. We watched as the mother lions directed their cubs to go hide. Then the stalking lions zeroed in on the last buffalo - a young, weak one very far back from it's herd. We saw the entire kill - it was unbelievable. Even Roman, who has been doing safari tours for 17 years was amazed. He said he's only seen a lion kill a handful of times and never once in Ngorogoro Crater. Most of the time lions hunt at night or very early in the morning.

After the young buffalo was suffocated, one of the mother lions came back to get the cubs so they could eat. She called to them and they came out of hiding. I somehow managed to get the entire thing on video. As soon as we get to where we have a little faster internet connection, I'll upload it for everyone to see. And if someone can get me the number to National Geographic, that would be great! ;-)

The rest of the day was just as amazing - we saw the black rhino, which are very low in numbers due to poaching in previous years. We also saw a cheetah, of which there are only 3-4 total in all of Ngorogoro Crater. All in all, it was a nearly perfect day!

I couldn't help but think more about karma/pay it forward/do unto others - you name it. We were given two amazing days on safari and the rest of the week we will spend helping the kids of the orphanage and day care. It couldn't have been any more clear to me.

I was able to upload a few of the nearly 500 safari photos to snapfish. Please check them out here. I would love to show more, but internet is quite slow here.

Miss everyone back home lots!!!