Amboseli - day 2

We were up early again this morning to meet our guide at 6.30am for an early morning game drive. The camp has its own reserve area where the guide is allowed to drive off road, as usually in a conservancy the vehicles have to remain on the road. So very early into our drive we were up close and personal with some male lions - I was a tad nervous as the one large male was about to go hunting, and we went right to him. Our guide, being a Masai warrior, is not at all nervous of lions and we got right next to the males - its a bit unnerving when they look you in the eye! We then found a group of giraffes which we followed for some time - they do have such a funny gait. 

We then drove through the dry lake bed - Amboseli means the place of salt dust and as they are experiencing a drought the lake is a dry and dusty salt pan - it fills to a shallow depth with the short rains in November, but at the moment the whole reserve is very dry and dusty, which makes it easier to see the animals. Amboseli is known for its elephants and today we saw a large herd of elephants crossing the lake bed. It was quite a sight and we watched them for a long time. My blip therefore had to be of the elephants today. I have added extras, including one showing just how close we were to the elephants - at one point one large elephant mock charged and came far to close for comfort!

We then stopped for a bush breakfast - tables and chairs under a tree with a chef cooking omelettes, bacon, sausages  and pancakes for breakfast - it was lovely. 

We were then taken to visit a Masai village. The Masai people live in the reserve and graze their cattle in amongst the wild animals. It's the job of the warriors to protect the cattle from the wild animals - in days gone by they would kill lions but these days they are educated to appreciate that the wild animals attract tourism, and so bring revenue to the villages when tourists like us visit their villages. We had to pay a fee and they entertained us by dancing and then giving us a thorough tour of the village and explaining their lifestyle and culture. Thomas thought it was one of the highlights of this trip, but Luke on the other hand found it a bit too commercial. He said he cannot understand why they live in such primitive huts made from cow dung in the most basic conditions, yet have mobile phones. Due to the drought they have been forced to use tourism to supplement their income, but they are usually a self sufficient nomadic tribe that move across the area, not being stopped by any border between Kenya and Tanzania. I have added extras of the dance I did with the women and another of the Masai warriors.

It was another thrilling day of some incredible and unforgettable sights. We are busy all day and there is no wifi (or proper lighting) in our (luxury) tent so although I am able to upload my image in reception, I am finding it difficult to spend any time on journals. I did see that yesterday's giraffe image is right up on the first popular page, thank you for that.