Our flight to the Mara was fraught with the ever anxious moments when the photographers arrive with equipment impressive enough to 'look professional' and therefore bulky enough to fill the whole plane. One would think that the airline would be used to tourists who are also photographers.
However, our group of Canadians, who are avid photographers, which means lenses large enough to cause concern [think Bazookas] and we boarded the plane at Wilson with camera equipment and backpacks intact. Our arrival in the Mara is like a jamboree with great hugs, back-slapping and laughter we are welcomed back as long-lost friends. David and I are made to feel like return family and 'Mama Safari' takes up her role again.
The game viewing was spectacular as expected. Lion and baby [baby] cubs, elephant and rhino, cheetah and leopard all did their [almost] daily parade. The group who ballooned saw from the air all but lion, which they almost swung into as they drove to breakfast. That was before 9h00!
It rained a great deal but as always we enjoyed the companionship of the group filled with fun and nonsense.
As always we visited a Masai village where we were entertained to a botanic lecture on how to use various local plants in our daily lives. Most of them required boiling, drinking and then a long hike to remain behind a bush for a length of time. Nothing I would like to try soon.
I also visited a village on the Ololoolo Hills and met the three wives and 20 children of James. A wonderful and friendly day.
Photographs did you say? Yes David took about 6000 images, most of them fantastic. I am only too pleased that I don't have to edit them.
We will be putting them on our website soon, but I add a few bird images for you to enjoy.
Kohraan
Vulture
