Today we will start the Journal with a quiz!

Waking up at 4:00AM to hear the sound of a mosquito inside your mosquito netting is:
1. Amusing
2. Soothing
3. A sure way to get you out of bed and searching for DEET
4. An opportunity to contemplate the injustices inherent in our legal system

The morning started with various antelope and some guinea fowl. Then we came upon a mother giraffe and two babies. The babies still had their umbilical cords. They were so tiny...only a few inches taller than me! After that we saw a number of elephants and a couple of Somali Ostrich. We had recently crossed over a ravine when the call came in that a pride of Lions had been spotted. We made a couple of valiant attempts to get back over the ravine but ended up having to backtrack and cross where we had come over. By the time we got to the scene there was quite the crowd of minibuses.

It took awhile until a 'spot' opened up and we could see a couple of males and 4-5 females under a tree. Once we moved around a bit we were able to see that they were munching on the remains of a zebra. The males stayed under the tree, eating, but a couple of the females wandered out or lay in the sun. Unfortunately it was getting late and we didn't get to hang out with the lions for long.

We headed back to camp, washed up and Anne and I headed over for our camel ride. We had to wait for our bus-mates, Anne and Kate, to finish, but we each got our own camel, so that was cool. Camels have a very odd gait. They also smell and spit. Not necessarily in that order. Instead of stirrups we had a loop of rope. Instead of putting the front of your foot into the loop in the rope you put the back into the loop. Or if you are me you put it in but then make the mistake of moving some portion of your body more than 1" and your foot comes back out. In case you are wondering, it is not easy to get your foot back into the loop. At least so I have heard....

It was enjoyable none-the-less. We talked to the Maasai who owned and led the camels and learned a bit about their culture and traditions. For instance, boys are circumcised at the age of 15. I made sure to let them know that I had successfully passed that age. They also have to go out and kill a lion in order to get married. When asked if I was married I replied that I was not. They asked why and I told them that I had not seen a lion before today and was thus not qualified. In case you are wondering how one goes about killing a lion (apparently semi-automatic machine guns are not allowed) you get a stick that is about 6-8 inches long and sharpen both ends. When the lion tries to eat you, you thrust the stick into the lion's mouth so that it can't bite down and then stab it repeatedly with your spear. Oh yeah, you also need a spear. Because it can't bite you the only thing you have to worry about is that the lion often decides to rake you with its claws. But hey, that is what skin-grafts are for, right?

We returned and had lunch. Arguably the best lunch I had all day. In the afternoon, someone had an aromatherapy massage. As usual, I won't name any names. The only hints I can give are that she is known for selecting lousy roads when navigating and there is a picture of her above...and to the right. Meanwhile, I finished writing my postcards and mailed them at the front desk. Notice how I think of others while some people think only of themselves? What can I say?

Then we were off on the afternoon game drive. Once again on the lookout for big cats. Once again our fearless and peerless driver, William, led us flawlessly. Except for the part (see left) when we got stuck. But we won't let that detract from the overall experience.

In addition to various species of cat-food and elephants and the like we saw leopards! Two of them a hundred feet or so apart in different trees. The first one was only about 5-10 feet off the ground in a pathetic excuse for a tree. (see right) The other was in a much nicer tree about 20 feet off the ground. In addition to the leopards we saw quite the collection of minibuses. I think I counted 25 or so around the leopards. The leopards did not seem to take much notice. Apparently we didn't look too edible. Just as well I suspect. We even got right under one of the leopards as it lay there in the tree. Check out the leopard page for those pictures. Sadly we had to move on as there were more cat about. Ok it wasn't at all sad.

Our final spot of the afternoon...or maybe spots...was a cheetah walking along the road. William positioned us expertly so that he walked right past the van. You will note that this cheetah was quite thin. Reminds me a lot of myself, except for the spots, grace, thin stomach and strong legs. Oh yeah, and the fact that the cheetah has four legs and runs really fast. Other than that we are nearly identical. I mean except for the color of our hair, and eyes, and well...I guess we aren't so similar. Never mind. Well we were pretty safari-ed out for the day. At least I was not obliged to stake out the leopard feeding. Somehow the thought of a waiting for a leopard, in the dark, 100-200 yards away, for some number of hours no longer seemed as important. Possibly it was because I had just seen a couple of leopards about 10 feet away in broad daylight?

Back at the hotel we saw a crocodile sunning itself on the far side of the river and a couple of large owls up in the tree. Dinner, as usual, in the dining room. And it was buffet style! Who would have guessed?

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