Day two, safari…Beyond our wildest dreams….

After a considerable wait this morning we were able to get these shots of a young lion with his head jutting out of a culvert. The mother and babies were living in the culvert for protection. 
The lions, not all visible due to the narrow size of the culvert, came out to look, one at a time. We were less than 25 feet from this breathtaking event.
This lion kept a watchful eye on us. We didn’t feel any danger in watching them, making no quick movements or loud noises, very important in ensuring safety on safari, although the actual risks are minimal.

Suddenly, the young male lion in the above photo jumped out of the culvert, walked across the road to enter the culvert from the other end.  What an experience for the four of us in our safari vehicle watching this event.  With Anderson at the wheel, we were ensured an exquisite safari.
We can only post 12 to 15 photos a day with the slow Internet connection here in the Masai Mara, far from civilization. Over the next 48 hours, we’ll continue to post every photo we can.  

Hippos, happy, homebodies, hanging around together!

We could sit for hours and watch the antics of the hippos. Their lethargic movement and playful personalities are a pleasure to behold.


A lone hippo arises from his nap to check things out.

 We realize that this gruesome photo may be difficult for some to see. But, it’s a part of the food chain which we decided we would accept on our safaris as a reality of the life cycle. This crocodile was consuming either an impala or gazelle.
For now, with limited time to write more details after a 6-hour safari this morning (Sunday), with an additional 3 hours coming up this afternoon, we’ll continue to use the time to take more and more amazing photos.
The Mara River.  Our tent is located on the shore where sounds of hippos fill the air beginning around 4:00 am as they awaken.
 No swimming in this river!
Need I say…we are in safari heaven.  In the past 24 hours, we’ve been on safari for 10 hours, and it’s not quite 2:00 PM. Exhausted, dirty, suffering from lack of sleep (the delightful hippo sounds kept waking us up!), Tom says I can’t wipe the smile off of my face.  Nor can he! 
This is a Topi only found in the Masai Mara.
 “Please pinch me,” I told Tom. “I must be dreaming!”
We’ll share more photos tomorrow and continue upon returning to Diani Beach. Thanks to every single reader out there as you join us in the adventure of a lifetime!
Back soon with more!
Error correction from yesterday’s post. This photo of Mount Kilimanjaro was lost when uploading due to Internet constraints. 
The windows on the plane were scratched and cracked making it difficult to take clear shots. For some reason, these photos wouldn’t didn’t upload yesterday.