Safari Day Four...

...aka the best day of my life.

It's hard to put today into words. So much happened. So much was seen. So much was new. So much was exciting. I'm going to settle for a list. Where appropriate, I'll add a little extra detail.

1) Balloon ride. First time. Won't be the last. Pilot had a hint of Roger Moore about him. Just a hint mind.
2) Ignorant Indian. Tit for brains that rather than create a space for me, upon instruction that I'd be joining his family's section of the ballon, decided to edge into the available area and turn his back on me. Needless to say, he was suitably shoved out of the way.
3) Ignorant Indian. Having taken his shoes off he was some what surprised and taken back when I accidentally trod on his foot. After two apologies with no reply I made it my purpose to piss him off as much as I could. Needless to say, I did not move when he wanted to get the killer shots. Childish but enriching!
4) Lioness stalking prey.
5) Wild Boar charging out of their home.
6) Seeing all of the big five in one day....boom! And hippo!
7) Seeing one of only 40 black rhino in Massai Park.
8) Being within a metre of a fierce looking Hyena that had risen from slumber and come to the conclusion that we were afetr its prize (buffalo head plus scraps of meat) so it came back to reclaim it. At this point we had no windows and were some what alarmed. If I'm honest, I think I released something rather unfortunate in my pants.
9) Visit to Massai Mara village. Eye opening. A male is circumsised at 18. They hold their hands out flat in the air, palms down, during the process. Any sign of flinching and they are banished from the camp and sent out to the wild - never to return, essentially dead.
10) Game drive in the afternoon amidst a monumental storm. Seriosly vivid lightening in the jet black sky.
11) Pride of lion slowly approaching our vehicle as another startled them. Quite what use closing my window would do, I fail to understand, but close my window I did.
12) Beating the Massai village champ at the jumping ritual that secures Massai Men a mate....boom!
13) Wathcing a leapard preen iteself for about 10 minutes.

In Other News
Quotes of the day:
1) 'You English like champagne like the chinese like their bread.' This made it clear to us that we were not alone in being alarmed by the dietary habits of the oriental chap sat at our breakfast table. 6 slices of plain bread eaten with a fork. I'm not sure I'll ever see that again.
2) Ian: 'what if it's half hanging off when they are banished? Do they at least get a second chance?' Needless to say, the Massai warrior was less thn impressed.
3) Vicky: 'Do you think the smell of bacon will attract the lions?' A rather alarming statement as we sat down to our open air breakfast in the middle of the open land.

Moment of the day:
Wathching Ian 'call out' the Massai for a jumping contest, only to realise that white men can't jump. Or, more suitably, white dwarves can't jump.