Uganda 19: February 12, 2005

Unlike Uganda's national parks, which boast beautiful scenery, but limited wildlife, the Masai Maara in Kenya abounded with game. My parents, Liz and I flew in early one afternoon from Nairobi, on the Kenyan version of a flying bus, an Air Kenya prop plane carrying about 50 tourists to various game parks on the plains. Our tented camp, Kicha Tembo (the head of the elephant) was the second stop and we deplaned right into the middle of a giant open grassland. During our four day stay, we enjoyed several game drives and Liz and I went on a hike in the along the escarpment where "Out of Africa" was filmed. The Masaai plains seem to go on forever and they do, in fact, continue several hundred miles into Tanzania as the Serengeti. Just outside our tents, we could look out over the plains and watch elephants amble by, ostriches feed, and gazelles graze. A family of warthogs wandered the grounds of the lodge, like a group of domesticated cats. The weather varied from clear and sunny to torrential downpours. Our first game drive ended up with lightning crackling in the distance and thunder booming overhead. A group of lions we had just located, headed for the shelter of a tree where they gathered together to get out of the rain. Over the course of our stay we saw a pair of cheetahs sauntering down the road, their bellies distended from the latest meal, herds of elephants, a mother giraffe with her newborn, and single rhino. We breakfasted on a riverbank overlooking several vicious looking crocs and then followed a hyena loping along the plain. We saw birds of irredecent blue and rainbow hued lizards, lumbering hippos and svelte serval cats. Each night we returned to comfortable beds complete with hot water bottles to ward off the chill. A very civilized safari.

PHOTOS WILL BE ADDED IN THE FUTURE