Safari

Very early Monday morning the group left for safari. Breakfast was at 5:30 and at 6:30 we began our 2 hour drive to Tsavo. Our first game drive is actually on the way to the lodge. We enjoyed many animals and the Savannah terrain. The last couple of years they have been in a drought, but it has rained there this year. The vegetation was more green and the red dust was greatly reduced.

We have not been to Voi Safari Lodge in 2 years and were pleasantly surprised that they have done some renovating. The view is as spectacular as ever. Voi is on a hill and you can see for miles. At the bottom of the hill there are a couple of watering holes that attract the animals. There are almost always elephants there. There are steps down to that level and a blind from which we can observe the animals up close. It is very cool!

There is a late afternoon drive and a late supper. During supper some lions came to the watering hole. We enjoyed watching them until some elephants chased them off. That was funny!

We have seen a LOT of very little baby elephants. So cute!!

This morning we had an early morning game drive before breakfast and it was the best one we've ever had. We saw a lot of lions and enjoyed watching them for a long time. There were 2 males, 3 females and a couple of cubs. We actually got to watch them stalk some animals and then watched one of the young lions try to kill a smaller animal. He didn't succeed so mom stepped in and finished off the task. It was incredible watching them!

All too soon it was time to pack up and return to Mombasa. One the way home we stopped at a Masai village. One of the tour guides told us about this village. They are trying to raise money to build a new permanent school building so they were giving tours of their village and talking about their lifestyle. So, we went. It was fascinating. We learned so much.

On the way home we stopped at the wood carver and did our first souvenir shopping. That was fun! Pat, we thought of you.

It was late afternoon when we arrived back at Neptune. We checked back in and enjoyed a hot shower to wash off all the red dust from safari. It's been a relaxing evening for a pretty tired crew of people. In just 2 days we will be on our way home. Homesickness is growing. Thank you to each of our loved ones who have supported us in so many ways in this trip! We appreciate you more than we can say!!!

Tomorrow we travel to Tiwi. It is south of Mombasa. The trip with narration by Jim Horne is an experience in Kenya's history and diversity. We will visit a center that is fully developed to see into the future of the centers we support.

Good night from Kenya,

Denise