Today was the BEST GAME DRIVE EVER!!!!!!!!!! We started off kind of sad because we were assigned to a new guide because Duncan was going out with Lynn and Steve for their unusually short morning drive as per their request. Well actually we were pissed because Duncan was great at spotting cats and we were assigned to an unknown person. But Benson, our new guide was great and really FUNNY. He resembled and had the personality of the Pink Panther (cartoon not the Peter Sellers films) except he is black not pink.
Right from the start I knew we would have a good time because he had such a relaxed attitude. He is Masaai and from the area. He has been guiding for the past 10 years. Before that he started as a room steward and then worked his way up. He started at the same time as Albert and Maurice (the general manager). Each excelled at his initial position and each was promoted through the years. Benson told us he had a dream that he would be telling people about animals and the bush and it came true. In fact, most of his dreams have come true so any time someone tells him they had a dream that they will do something in life, Benson believes it will come true. He also told us that he is a good story teller and entertains his friends and village with animal tales.
As we drove into the park, he spotted a lioness in the distance, when we drove to see her I noticed a male was there as well. Then this Hartebeest came running out of nowhere in the direction of the female lion. She ran to catch him, but the Hartebeest was too quick and out of reach so he got away. Then the lioness turned her attention the male lion because she wanted to mate. She flopped in the grass with her behind in the air ready for the taking, but the male lion walked right by her and kept going so she hopped up to chase him. We drove off.
Then we saw another lioness looking really hungry and stalking a big heard of wildebeest. She was crouching down really low and slowly moving towards them through the tall greases. The wildebeest were busy grazing and had no idea she was there. She was hard to see at certain points because of the tall grass, so we had to really concentrate to follow her as she planned her kill. Then all of a sudden she took off and ran at the herd. Benson started chanting “Oooooh it’s a kill, kill, kill, kill.” There was a slow wildebeest that she had her eye on, but he was running sideways looking at her as she chased him. I guess he got a cup of courage with his grasses this morning because he turned to face her and fight. Intimidated by his aggression, the lioness retreated and ran off. We were shocked that she gave up. We started laughing and wondering why she gave up.
We drove around a bit more looking at different animals: topis, wildebeest, hartebeest, mongoose, impala, cape buffalo, various eagles and other birds. Then we spotted another female lion. We drove near her and took some photos.
By this time, it was about 9:45am so we decided to stop for breakfast. Duncan stopped under a tree. There was a wildebeest carcass nearby. It had been picked clean and did not smell, but I could tell by Veta’s face she did not want to eat near it. But once Benson started imitating the wildebeest running sideways looking at the lion and how he turned to fight her, we all just had to laugh and laugh.
After breakfast, we headed to the river for another crossing. We got a great spot for viewing. This crossing point was the same one we were at yesterday. Veta said she was not so into it because she had just seen a crossing the day before. Benson said no two are alike. While we waited he told us that he did not know when he was born. He had to investigate the year through talking about events that happened around the time he was born. So he discovered the year was 1974 and the date…well he randomly picked up it, June 8th. He did the same for his wife so they now have birth certificates and passports. Benson let me sit in the front of the truck in the passenger seat across from the driver and he hopped in the back. He reclined in the third row waiting for the show. Again he imitated the wildebeest challenging the lion and we all laughed.
Then all of a sudden a long line of wildebeest appeared behind our cars and started run towards the river. Keep in mind these are the wildebeest that have already crossed. They ran down to the river (first picture) to drink. Some got confused and started crossing the river back to the opposite side. The sight of these wildebeest in the drinking at the river’s edge got the huge heard that had been milling about deciding when to cross went crazy and turned from the safe slope they usually enter the river from, and stampeded to the high embankment across from the drinking wildebeest. The drop was at least 12-15 feet. All of a sudden they started rushing down the steep embankment and into the water. Then some just started jumping and hurling their bodies into the river. It looked like they were committing mass suicide. They landed in the water a started crossing. It was a huge clusterfuck because the jumping ones were landing on the ones already in the water. One jumped and flipped and went crashing into the water on his back. It was such a wild frenzy, we just kept laughing and snapping photos. Benson, then asked me to stand up so he could get a drink out of the cooler. He got his soda and then sat down laughing at the wildebeest.
Just when it looked like the crossing was over. The wildebeest that just crossed got confused and ran back to the river to cross back. The funny thing is the entire time there were two crocodiles on the riverbank within snapping distance from the feverish mob, but they were so fat and full they were paralyzed with food and never moved.
We sat for a while more watching and laughing. It was already 1pm so we decided to head back to the lodge; along the way we passed a family of elephants with a small baby. On the road back, a Masaai older man flagged us down. He asked Benson to get him some help because his cows had gone into the park and were located near a herd of wildebeest. As we continued driving, Benson stopped at various points asking the younger Masaai men who live in the area to help the man retrieve his cows. The Benson said he would contact the park rangers when he got back to the lodge. We got back around 2pm and were just in time for lunch: burgers and fries with tiramisu for dessert.
After lunch, I got ready for the 4pm afternoon ride and Veta went to the spa and skipped the game drive. Too bad for her because it was amazing. I was back in my regular car with Lynn and Steve and Duncan. We entered the park and saw the usual suspects, but we were on a mission to see the leopard and Lynn still had not seen any baby elephants. About an hour into the drive it started raining hard. Duncan passes out rain ponchos and we continued to drive. Duncan spotted a group of elephants in the distance so we started driving towards them, but we got distracted by two mating lions. We sat with them for a while clicking our porn shots and then moved on. We got a quick glimpse of the baby before the family of elephants went into the forest and we were unable to see them because of the trees and bushes. We kept driving in search of the leopard. Then another family of elephants appeared with a tiny baby. So we stopped to take pictures. It was almost 6pm. We have to be out by 6:30, but Duncan wanted to check one more tree. As we drove up, there was the leopard and he was eating a wildebeest in the tree. Down below were two hyenas waiting for any body part that dropped from the leopard’s feast (check the wide shot of the leopard in the tree, the hyena is visible in the lower right). By this time it was 6:30, so Duncan drove fast to get us outside. He took a shortcut to a side gate so he would not have to face ranger wrath at the main gate for being late. We reached the side gate by 6:40…not too bad.
We made it back to the lodge around 7pm. Woooooohoooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a stellar day!!!!!!!!!!