Got up at 5am to leave at 6am...but the truck was over 2 hours late (typical kenyan timing!) We were all so excited! The journey there was so bumpy, fast, dangerous and long. It took us 5 hours to drive to the Masai Mara!! But it was a good chance to see the landscapes :) We stopped off at the Great Rift Valley which was so breath taking! The size of it was huge and you could see for miles! You could see the mountains and everything!! On our way as we approached nearer to the masai mara...we saw all the masai villages! We could see round mud huts and large sticks that formed a circle around the group of houses...which made the fence look very effective! We saw more and more masai people on the side of the road with their fiery red cloth draped over their shoulders, their distinctive jewelry which sparkled in the sun!! Our camp was called Ol-Moran. It was so beautiful! It reminded me of the Maldives where there were tents dotted around the campus with a purpose built bathroom at the back with a fully working shower and toilet :) phew!
There was the main reception and restaurant/bar which was so modern and lovely to sit in. There were brightly coloured flowers everywhere and you could hear all the insects buzzing away all day and night!! We were greeted with a cool flannel and juice which was very welcoming! Our bags were then taken to our tent and we had time for a bit of a sunbathe (it was so hot!!) before our afternoon safari at 4pm. We got in the van with the roof lifted up!! We entered the Masai Mara National Park we saw a landscape so indescribable! We saw gazelles, LOTS of wildebeest because it was their migration season, zebras, giraffes, an elephant herd at sunset, lion cubs and much more!!! It was so exciting!!
We then got back and had a few tusker's after the long hot drive through the mara. We then had a lovely cooked meal on a help yourself basis...yummy!! Soup, rice, lentil curry, beef stew, vegetables, chapattis, salad, beans and fruit salad for desert. We then headed back to our tent to catch the lat half hour of the electricity befor ethe generator was switched off at ten! Had a lovely hot shower, tooked up in my sleeping bag and bed, mozzy net, pj's and hoody. It was the bestest nights sleep I had yet! The sound of the insects outside sent me to sleep :) AND THERE WERE NO MOZZIES OR BUGS OR CREEPY CRAWLIES IN MY TENT...RESULT!!
Woke up at 6am ready for our early morning safari at 6.30am. It was still dark, very exciting! We saw so many lions!! Our driver was so good he drove right up to them...the male lion looked straight at us and we got so scared w hid in the van. I swear he wanted us for his breakfast!! We saw so many lion cubs in their den- so cute! After a good safari we headed back for breakfast (a full fry up!!) Then we managed to twist our drivers arm round to take us to the mara river to see the crocodiles and hippos and hoped to also see the wildebeest cross the river for their migration. This extra safari trip wasn't included in our price and so we got it for free! We just ha to pay extra to enter the national park, around 60 US dollars each. It was worth it though! We almost saw a cheetah because the other safari vans buzzed it through the radio system but we couldn't find it...so close! Unfortunately there were no wildebeest at the river but we saw a HUGE crocodile and so many groups of hippos! We also saw a male ostrich guard his eggs and stalks and more elephants and giraffes on the way to the river (which was a 2 hour bumpy ride through the game reserve) so was well worth while! AND I saw a girl from my uni IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MASAI MARA SAFARI!! WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF THAT!?
We then drove back to Brackenhurst straight from the river (shame we couldn't stay longer at the hotel to sunbathe as it was so hot!). The journey was very long (5 hours), dusty...i thought i had a tan but it was the dust!, and very very bumpy!!!! even my seat belt couldn't keep me tightly seated!
Arrived back at 6pm ish and was welcomed by all my friends I have made at BRACKENHURST It was sucha lovely feeling when they were excited to talk about safari :). The pictures we took were AMAZING!!!
Project tomorrow :) our first day of the drama workshop at LCC!!
