safari time

Nothing beats driving across open fields filled with animals into the sunrise. Sitting in an open jeep feeling the wind rush through my hair, there was no place that I could think of that I would have rather have been. This week Reika and I got to go on an amazing safari. We were filled with excitement. When we got to the safari club the first thing we were told was “Make sure you zip your tent all the way because we have naughty monkey’s hanging around this area.” Reika and I both looked at each other and burst out laughing upon hearing this. When we arrived we were first taken to our tents to settle all of our things. We had heard stories of how nice these tents were from other people, but no one even came close to describing what they were actually like. We walked into our tent to see two huge queen beds with all down feather bedding, a full length mirror (which was our first to have while being here), our first blow dryer, a wonderful bathroom made out of marble sinks, and the nicest shower head that made it feel like I was bathing under a waterfall. It was the most luxurious tent I have ever stayed in. We went to sleep at night listening to the sound of the hippos and crocs splashing in the river just below and all the monkeys playing about.

We went on our safari with two other families that had been visiting Tenwek. We greatly enjoyed their company and have missed them since being back. They both had sons one in his younger 20’s, the other in his older 20’s... Both families really took us in as their own children. We had many good laughs and conversations together. It was a nice breath of fresh air to get to spend that time with them. Seeing as how they all had grown children, they reminded me a lot of my own parents. Especially, the fact that one of the fathers, Reed, LOVED to play any type of game. I never saw him without a deck or cards or game board in his hands. We are going to miss our weekly game nights and dessert with them.

We were woken up at 6am every morning with a personal wake-up call, coffee, and biscuits brought right to our tent. By 6:30 we were on our first game drive. It was an amazing feeling to be driving into the sun, in an open jeep, surrounded by animals. We came just feet away from lions, cheetahs, elephants, baboons. We got to get out and actually walk around the zebras, rhinos, hyenas, elks, gazelles, birds, and my favorite the giraffes. I have never seen anything like it. I’m still having a hard time believing that I got to go. I kept thinking about how much God must love me to have made something so beautiful just so that we could enjoy it. It was an amazing depiction of his creativity and heart. Watching the earth come alive in the morning was an amazing experience.

We had a wonderful driver, Ashford, who was very well informed of the animals. My favorite story that he told was about the tick ticks. He said, “You know, tick ticks actually mate for life, and when one dies the other soon follows from a broken heart or it will commit suicide by jumping off a cliff.” We might be gullible but, Reika and I believed his little story, and I refuse to look it up on the Internet, because I don’t want to find out he was just pulling our leg. In the afternoons we ate a wonderful lunch, laid by the pool, watched the hippos and crocs below, and relaxed.

After lunch we would go on our evening game drives where we would search for animals until the sun went down. It was such an amazing sight to see. We actually got to witness a cheetah racing across the valley to feast on its prey. We were told that the cheetah is the fastest animal in the world. It can run up to 75miles per hour. If one comes across a cheetah in the wild we were told to play dead… YAHH right! At nighttime we would return for dinner and an evening show that was performed by a group of the local Massai warriors. Both Reika and I got pulled up to dance with them. I feel like we are target prey for stuff like that being two young, single girls. The next day we actually had the chance to go visit their village, and they showed us their huts, and way of life. One of the Massai warriors seemed to be particular fond of me. He kept asking, “You remember me from last night?” “I said, “Ohhh you were one of the dancer’s. Sooo I guess you remember me?” He said, “Of course I remember you.” It was at this time that I started searching very quickly for Reika, only to see her watching from afar laughing her head off. I can’t believe she didn’t even try to save me from that situation. He always seemed to be just two inches away from me the rest of the time we were there. This was a much needed break from our time in the villages. We both feel reenergized after a once and a lifetime experience.