Saturday, March 29, 2014

Safari Day!

This morning we left the Honey Badger Lodge at 8am to head to Kenya for our safari expedition. We had an uneventful ride to the border. When we arrived, we filled out our necessary paperwork and soon discovered that our ride past the border hadn't arrived. Thankfully, the wonderful Honey Badger drivers and Jeremiah came up with an alternative plan. They received temporary visas for the day and drove us to the Amboseli gates.

We arrived at the park around 1:30 and were greeted by some very eager Maasai merchants. Needless to say, many of you reading this blog will be receiving some beautiful, hand-crafted gifts :) 

The drivers from the Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge arrived at the gates and we said goodbye to our trusted and witty drivers from Honey Badger-George, Henry and Peter. We are so grateful for their patience this past week. They were always very courteous and allowed us to pick their minds as we tried to grasp the complex Tanzanian culture. 

We popped the roof open as we made our way to the lodge. They were many animal sightings on the way in. We were greeted at the front entrance with cooled, scented wash cloths and passion fruit juice. Not exactly "roughing it" :) While waiting for the group, we witnessed a monkey sneak some biscotti from the cafe area. He was promptly chased away by one of the Maasai warriors with a palm branch-only in Africa!

The safari was amazing. We saw zebras, elephants, water buffalo, many different bird species, hyena, baboons, cheetahs, and several other unidentifiable animals. The savanna is overlooked by Mount Kilimanjaro  which arose from the clouds as the evening progressed. We ended the night with a wonderful dinner. 

This has been an amazing and unforgettable experience. I believe everyone's goal was to make a difference in the lives of the African people, but we head back with some very enriching memories that have changed each one of us for the better. Thanks to everyone for your donations, emails, encouraging words, and unfaltering support. We'll be stateside soon! 

-Krista



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