Today was a day of optional activities. It started with a game drive...still no rhino...in which we saw many reticulated giraffe including the one at left drinking water. We were told that lions attack giraffe when they are drinking because the giraffe can't kick and it takes them awhile to get back up again. Lions also attack baby giraffe if they have not started walking yet (usually accomplished within minutes of birth) as they are unable to hide between their mother's legs.

We also saw Thompsons Gazelle zooming about and a number of common zebra. When we got stuck...I mean when we had the privelege of having Alex in our bus in Samburu she pronounced "zebra" with a soft "z" like the English "zed" so we decided to call common zebra by the English pronunciation and grevy zebra by the US pronunciation to avoid any confusion. Common zebra have wider, often less well defined, and browner stripes than grevy zebra. They tend to look fatter too. Grevy zebra have bigger, rounder ears as well.

After the game drive we headed over to see Morani, the tame rhino. Apparently he was saved by humans some 18 years ago after his parents were killed. They have since tried on several occasions to reintroduce Morani to the wild without success. He is apparently not very rhino-social and kept going hungry and getting beaten up. Maybe "Morani" is some joke name in Rhinoish? Morani has his own personal guard who follows him around, with a sub-machine gun, and protects him from poachers. Just after we arrived he decided to take a little nap so we took pictures next to him.

After visiting Morani some people (read: "some other people") went to see another school. This one had been around for a few years and included eight classrooms, ten teachers, and grades one to eight. The children sang several songs for the group including Stairway to Heaven. Well, they sang songs anyway. After lunch there was another optional tour of a spinning and weaving coop which I failed to go on as well. It was established in 1977 by the US Embassy and Presbyterian Church and employs 102 women.

Also in the afternoon there were optional horse riding or a nature tour with Alex. I went on the nature tour which included walking around the encampment and learning about the various vegetation and animals.

I decided against going on the nocturnal game drive which was a good thing because at dusk about a half-dozen giraffe showed up at the watering hole to drink. They of course do this so you can't take pictures of them because there is not enough light. Which didn't stop me from wasting film, but hey. The giraffe were followed by the black rhino from the prior evening (not really shown at right). You are wondering why I am suddenly using black and white film, well I wasn't. For some reason dark grey rhino at night does not photograph well. Who knew? He looked very low and solid next to the giraffe. He reminded me of a battleship. Wide, low, grey, vaguely dangerous. During dinner the elephants came out in force. Over a dozen (13 in fact), showed up, including some young, in two shifts. They drank lots of water, and I mean lots! One even trumpeted. Hello? I am trying to go to bed now, can you keep it down out there?

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