The Big Five

We are long overdue for a post on our trip to Kenya, but I tell you what, it has taken me all of the last three days just to weed through our 800+ pictures to find the best ones (and eliminate the really not-good ones)! Plus, I'm not sure how to turn Kenya into a blog post. The consensus around here was that it was the best trip we've ever taken together--a perfect mix of resting and seeing things, being together and visiting friends. Plus, it was the ideal place to go when you have a broken ankle and don't want to walk much. All in all, two thumbs way, way up.

We spent two nights and two full days in the Maasai Mara National Park, together with the lions, elephants, and hippos (only we were safe and snug in a fancy tented camp, guarded by electric fences and Maasai warriors). We got up before the crack of dawn to go on game drives and were able to see the sunrise over the Mara each morning, then went out again in the late afternoon, just as the animals were getting restless and hungry.

I couldn't believe how many animals we saw! August is usually the Great Migration of the wildebeests and zebras, and in some places they stretched far across the plains. But we also saw herd after herd of giraffes, watched groups of elephants, and followed a bunch of lions (!). We chalked up all the "Big Five"--lions, elephants, water buffalo, rhino, and cheetah, all pictured here. In particular, we really enjoyed watching a cheetah stalk a herd of wildebeests as the sun was going down one evening.

Jason at our "little" tent

In the hours between game drives, we took long naps in our tent and read books, stirring ourselves for afternoon tea before our 4:00 p.m. departure. It was unbelievably awesome. After much hemming and hawing, we decided to get a new camera, something with a bit more zoom and pizzazz, for the trip. Hugely successful idea, as you can see with the pictures here. There are clearly too many for one post, so keep checking... (Or check here.)