Note: Once again, we are so appreciating your supportive, insightful comments. Asante sana!

Swahili lesson of the day:

Habari?-How are you?    Sawa sawa-Ok/Fine     Ndiyo-Yes     Hapana-No    Tafadali-Please    Cordiya Breksana-Spinal Injury (just kiddin’)

Going on safari is not for the faint of heart, the very pregnant, or those with spinal injuries. Miles and miles of jarring roads (apparently much complained about but never improved) are enough to shake the brains right out of your head. I tried imagining that the rattling was actually massaging my internal organs and creating a sort of exercise replication for my jostled muscles which helped me refrain from leaping out of the vehicle and jogging, nay walking, alongside of it. I’m exaggerating (a little) for fun, don’t let this discourage you one iota from going on a safari!

“The Cruiser”
Photographed by Malcolm King-Fontana

The Mara is expansive and one feels a thrilling resonance with the iconic images of the African plains dotted with exotic animals from movies and photographs, a sort of, “Wow, this is actually real!” We saw so many amazing animals that after some hours I found myself going a bit numb. Apparently there is a beauty saturation point…

Here are just some of the highlights and things that we learned:

“Tusker Duo”
Photographed by Malcolm King-Fontana

Elephants are the coolest animals ever. They have a lifespan of up to 70 years, they go through 5 different sets of teeth during their lives (no need for Metamucil here), their gestation period is 22 months (makes 9 sound like the blink of an eye), they have very tight social bonding and were described by our guide as, “very emotional.” They are highly intelligent, sensitive and fiercely communal. We were regaled with a number of first hand stories about elephants banding together to protect the babies and mourning their dead. They are like dolphins only more wrinkly, a tad larger, and they like to pour water on themselves with their trunks rather than live in it.

“Lions for Lambs”
Photographed by Malcolm King-Fontana

All antelopes all of the time! Two of the most prevalent antelopes on the plains are Thomson’s Gazelles (dubbed Tommy G’s) and the larger Grant’s Gazelles (which I nicknamed Granny G’s). Topi’s are a highly social antelope with very unusual markings and beautiful coloring. The Eland is the largest antelope. Dik Diks are very tiny, heart-rendingly adorable  and mate for life. Bushbucks have been known to be tame-able (Out of Africa features a beloved bushbuck called LuLu). Male Impalas, to me, are the most gorgeous of the antelope, with their sleek caramel-colored bodies and startling spiral horns.

Kenya is all aflutter with birds, some of the loveliest we saw were the teeny tiny Scops Owl, Lilac-Breasted Rollers, and starlings.

Wildebeest, like moose, are some crazy hodge-podge from a prehistoric era. They look part horse, part cow, part buffalo with a smidge of antelope.

All babies are cute, including baby warthogs.

Zebra are like really fancy donkeys.

“Rise”
Photographed by Malcolm King-Fontana

Giraffes never failed to cause me to squeal out loud in delight, with their necks and heads towering over the dwarfed trees and their beautiful colors and markings popping out against the muted earth tones of the Mara.

Leopards, I think, are the most beautiful of all of the big cats (and one of the most elusive). We were fortunate enough to see a young female very close and it took my breath away to look at her face.

We also lucked out and saw a rare pack of wild dogs (looking like a mix of hyena, dingo and dog), one of the most efficient hunters in the Mara, as well as the most vicious. Most predators suffocate or otherwise kill their prey before eating them but wild dogs eat their prey alive, simply tearing off their flesh and limbs while they are still living.

Hippopotamus are the #1 killer of people, Cape Buffalo (larger and more aggressive than Water Buffalo) are #2. But it happens rarely and only when the animals feel threatened.

“Getting psychical, Simba-style!”
Photographed by Malcolm King-Fontana

It is mating season for lions and we happened upon two happy couples who do the deed every 15 minutes or so for 4 or 5 days straight. Can’t be too un-careful! It was startling to see them mating several feet away and I had to remind myself not to be embarrassed for them in their public spectacle. It looked to be a very tiring business with a lot of snarling and roaring. One lion pair was rather more romantic and included foreplay of nuzzling and rubbing against one another. After mating the lioness rolled on her back, paws skyward, like a playful kitten.

Least favorite thing: during high season when the Mara has a lot of visitors, there is the disturbing phenomena of numerous vehicles crowding around a single animal or group of animals, moving around like aggressive paparazzi to get the best vantage point for the camera-wielding hordes. It doesn’t, however, happen all of the time, and it remains an amazing gift to be so close to wild animals in their natural habitat.

One day in the Mara our morning began with a 4:30 a.m. wake-up call and a drive in the dark to an open plain where we embarked on a hot air balloon ride; a surreal float over the vast Savannah as the sun rose, herds of zebra and wildebeest dotting the plains, two cheetahs spotted (by moi), a bumpy landing over termite mounds, followed by a champagne breakfast. We were joined by a cheeky baboon hoping for a hand-out to which a balloon pilot succinctly said, “If you feed that animal, you are killing it.” The hopeful baboon received nary a crumb.

“Beauty by definition”
Photographed by Malcolm King-Fontana