May 29, 2010

Quote of the Day: “As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are, otherwise you will miss most of your life” – Buddha

We started the morning to another wonderful breakfast and a more wonderful and breathtaking view of the Rift Valley near Ruaha National Park. After breakfast we started our game drive with Alex, our driver and guide. After driving for some time he took the roof down. Meghan and I promptly jumped on to the roof of the LandRover, feet dangling; Kate and Carrie were in front of us sitting on the back of their chairs looking over the roof of the car and quiet Hope sat up front. We saw hippos sunning themselves on little islands jutting out of the river and timid ones popping their heads in and out of the water. There was an abundance of impala and many other like-type animals. We saw a menagerie of giraffes, zebras, and elephants. I’m not sure whether it was the time of year but we were also treated to baby zebras, baboons, giraffes, elephants and impalas. The icing on the cake was watching a male lion resting and cleaning himself and about 6-7 female lions intently watching a hippo eat grass on the river bank. We had a delicious boxed lunch. On the return to Hilltop we were thirsty and out of water. We stopped for refreshments and the mood in the car suddenly changed. We all began chatting and laughing again. It’s amazing what rehydration can do! When we returned, “the girls” went to their lodge, Carrie went into the shower and I promptly bought a bottle of wine and just sat and took in the view – again. We had a wonderful dinner of spiced rice, fried fish, ratatouille and salad. We were all back at our rooms by 10 pm.