IN THEIR WORLD

Each morning on a safari, darkness is what you need to greet. I couldn’t sleep and woke up around 4 am the first few mornings. When you’re energized for the coming day, you just can’t sleep! This me time gave moments on my own to listen and think. The soul of Africa can be felt in the darkness. The quiet yet subtle sounds – then slowly the birds start signaling morning. Others could hear lions roar in a distance.

The Serengeti is at the equator. After being at 38 degrees North – the equal days were welcome. Between 6 and 7 the sun came up and between 6 and 7 the sun went down. Like clockwork year around.

Each evening around the dinner table we would each let Gary know what time we wanted warm drinks delivered to our tent. Our tent steward would bring us a pot of hot water for my tea and a pot of water for Michael to press. He told me the coffee was delicious. Larkin and Jess learned over time they wanted one pot of hot chocolate and two peppermint tea bags to make peppermint hot chocolate. I’ll need to try it someday!

Breakfast began after our “Dark Side of the Moon” escort walked us to the fire pit. The darkness slowly lifted as we had more hot drinks, fire prepped oats, fruit etc. The morning meal was never in the mess tent but outside because we’d all get our thoughts and bodies together quicker. After last minute toilet stops – we were off!

If you want to see the action, you have to be butt in a seat and moving into the pre-dawn light in the Land Cruisers. The quality of the light for photos of course is the best at dusk and dawn. The three Land cruisers would spread out and look for what the local wildlife was up to for the morning.

The cheetah on the left, the birds soar above, wildebeests in the background and the hills rising above the plains. Cloud cover – yet still endless and breathtaking. The waste paper flowers are the little white flowers that are out this time of year that look like trash from an airplane.

Zebras and Wildebeests are migrating in this area of the Serengeti during the early part of the year. Over a million wildebeests come and go wandering the plain as “No-malice” food for carnivores. It just is. We are in their home. We are in the Maasai homeland. We can not judge that the poor little wildebeest or baby zebra didn’t move fast enough and got eaten or an old giraffe that died of natural causes is now food. Again, it just is. We can not judge that our wonderful serving crew in the camps are all men. It wouldn’t work otherwise and they are all hard working. Maasai, Christian, Muslim, some other tribe or a combination – we are in their world. Appreciate what it is and respect it.

Zebras are ubiquitous – we saw them near the runway when we landed…on our drive into the trees of our camp. The cute little babies with their fuzzy brown stripes, warmed our hearts. We saw zebras with wildebeests, gazelles, giraffes you name it there were stripes abounding.

Larkin captured a hare and serval on camera. Mongoose at termite mounds were often seen but scattered as soon as they were aware of activity. I think our group captured a few rumps going down their holes.

By about nine each day it was time for a coffee – tea and check the tires break. Our guides made sure the feast was set out and there were no surprise animals to greet us. Men that side of the cruisers by the trees and women on the other side. Men are so lucky they have the point and shoot equipment. Women, squat, balance, hold a rock or a tree or a muddy tire. Each Land Cruisers had little paper bags for the toilet paper. No paper waste was to be left behind. It made for burning material in our nightly fires. Each safarist had the right to request to check the tires. It just couldn’t be around the animals of prey. But a quick jaunt away from the action could be found. Unfortunately one afternoon one land cruiser needed to check the tires and found a tree replete with nasty bees. Not a good combo.

Each day was 6-8 hours in the morning and early afternoon and then a lunch to regroup, take a nap and get ready for the late afternoon excursion. It was fun to glance at photos during this time but my eyes would never stay open long enough to go through them all.

Birds in trees everywhere we looked. A birds eye view makes more sense after spending three days in the Serengeti. I have never been a birder but I now understand the beauty of watching and photographing birds – and knowing their calls.

I think the leopard in a tree was one of our favorite sightings as it was unexpected but desired.

Lions and lioness’ were to be found in many locations – I think our favorite was on the rocks!

Spencer and Elizabeth made the trek with Marty and Diana on safari with Gary’s Wilderness Explorer group a few years back. If I remember the story right it was raining as they neared this beautiful umbrella tree in the middle of nowhere. Spencer is 6’7″ and one of the other participants mentioned this tree must be Spencer’s umbrella. Since that time its always been known as Spencer, the tree.

One afternoon we trekked the long way around Spencer and drove up to see a rug, pillows, wine, spirits, drinks and munchies. We enjoyed sunset drinks by Spencer the tree. As we wound down our drinks and appetizers, we watched herons fly from what seemed to be miles from nowhere and land in the tree. The sunset was subtle but lovely.

Amazing how thousands of photos take time to sift through and how Apple just messes them all in a jumble time wise on my phone. I try to find the best and post them even if they may not be in order. If the photos don’t show up well on a phone or a tablet, the blog will look better on a computer. The trip was magical and I’m trying to share the photos that speak to me. Enjoy the blog!