Day 6

December 7, 2018

We take turns sitting in our seats in our Jeep (there are 6 people to a Jeep) and today was our day to sit up front.  Jim got to sit next to the driver who sits on the right side of the Jeep. It is really hard to get used to the driver sitting on right side of the vehicle and driving on the left side of the road.  There was one day when Jim and I were sitting in the back waiting for our morning departure, when suddenly the Jeep began to back up.  Jim sort of jumped forward thinking there was no one in the drivers seat.  But there our driver was, sitting in the drivers seat, on the right side.  It made us laugh.  We have a fantastic driver/guide.  He is not only a good driver on these very rough roads, but is also able to answer virtually every question about the animals and birds we see as well as information about his country and the tribes that live in Tanzania.  We are grateful to have Martin!

We left the crater rim around 7:30 AM. We were told we were going to get an African massage during our 5 hour trip to the Serengeti, and they weren’t kidding!  From the top of the volcano to the beautiful lodge where we are staying tonight was long, loud and a rocky ride on fairly narrow dirt roads.  The vibration of the vehicle made for a massage, indeed!  But no one seemed to mind - it is all part of the adventure.  

We arrived at the huge Serengeti National Park and in less than an hour came across 8 lions laying right at the roadside.  It gave me goosebumps!  When Jim opened his window to take a picture he was no more than 3-4 feet from a huge male lion!  If he had opened the door and stepped out he would have stepped on its tail. To see two male lions up so close was unreal.  I’ve never seen lions in a zoo that had such massive manes.  If we had to leave to return home tonight, I would be satisfied.  This experience has been glorious!

It wasn’t long thereafter that we spotted a cheetah.  With the use of binoculars we could see her nursing one of her three babies.  I cannot convey what it feels like to see these beautiful animals in their natural habitat.  Just a short distance further we saw a leopard in a tree.  We have seen the Big 8!  What a gift this trip has been.

We arrived at our lodge around 1:00 and had a short rest before we went on one last late afternoon game drive.  We thought we had been skunked, but as soon as we turned around to go back to the lodge for dinner, one of the women in our group who was in the last Jeep (there are four) spotted a leopard!  We had actually driven right under him when he was up in a tree sitting on a branch that draped a bit over the road, but didn’t see him!  We turned around again and  saw him climb up a another tree where he posed beautifully for us for as long as we stayed.  He was well photographed!  The drivers communicate with each other by radio so that if one Jeep sees something he can tell the others so we all get to share in the adventure.  

I am frustrated that I can’t post pictures from here, but maybe I’ll add some after we get home.  I am glad I am recording the events of our stay here though, because already it is difficult to keep track of what we saw and did over the past days.  I only know it has been amazing and wonderful.

So I go to sleep once again in really nice accommodations in the middle of what feels like nowhere, knowing I am surrounded by God’s beautiful creatures and thanking Him once again for the blessing of this experience. 

Tomorrow several people in our group will be rising very early for a sunrise balloon ride over the  Serengeti followed by an English Breakfast in the bush.  If only I wasn’t afraid of heights!!