Animal Planet = God's Creation

The kids school, Rift Valley Academy, is on a trimester schedule - that means they have 3 terms per year that are roughly 12 weeks each.  There is a 4-6 week break between each term, that allows the boarding kids to have an extended visit home with their families.  (It is a 2-3 day trip each way for some of them!)  In the middle of each term, there is a long weekend called Mid-term break.  Why do I tell you all of this?  Because, last weekend was mid-term break and we got away for 2 nights as a family.  It was a very refreshing time - the first chance we have had to be somewhere as a family that didn't involve training and transition! 

We went to a place called Masai Mara, which is part of the Serengeti ecosystem.  The Serengeti is the part in Tanzania, and the Mara is the part that bleeds over into Kenya.  The name Masai Mara comes from the tribe that has - and continues to - inhabit the area: the Masai or Maasai.  The word Mara means "mottled" and it a reference to the landscape:  savanna/grasslands that are dotted with bushes and Acacia trees.  So, the area is really a variety of grassland, bushland, and woodlands.  The Serengeti ecosystem covers about 40,000 square kilometers, and the Masai Mara comprises only 4% of that.  But is is HUGE!  The "big event" each year is the migration of 1-2 million animals from the south in Tanzania, to the north in Kenya  in search of food.  Most of these animals are wildebeest, but there are also many zebra (do you remember the Kiswahili name for these?), Thompson gazelles, and elands.  There are also a myriad of other animals!  The "Big Five," as they are referred to around here, are the Cape Buffalo, Lion, Rhinoceros, Leopard, and Elephant.  I have also heard the term (less frequently) the Big Nine, which adds the cheetah, the giraffe, the hippo, and the zebra.  I cannot figure out why those were chosen for the Big Five!  The Mara is actually a Nature or Game Reserve, and not a National Park.

So.....on to the pictures!!!   I took about 1100, but I will try to condense to the best few.  :)

Very common sight on the way - Maasai herding their cows and sheep.

Maasia village - the mud huts are mostly flat roofs, but some are cone shaped.  The tall enclosure is so their animals will be protected at night.

More herding - the Maasai are impressive in appearance, and they are easily distinguished by their bright (usually red) clothing.

Is this bathtime, a lesson in clothes washing, or both?

Our guide called the Impalas by the nickname McDonald, because of the black M on their rear ends.

We learned that giraffe sleep sitting down - for 10 minutes to 2 hours in a 24 hour period.

Ostrich - they are picky eaters!

Emily thought the warthogs were cute because there always seemed to be some baby warthogs. :)  Do you think they are cute?

Unbelievably close to lions!

Totally unconcerned...

Majestic in flight.

There were lots of baby elephants, too.

Baby elephant at the water hole.

Strutting his teenage stuff.

The fastest land animal!  We didn't get to see him in action.

The Cape Buffalo, aka, the ugliest animal in the Serengeti!  Also the mascot of Rift Valley Academy. :)

This is the coolest lizard I have ever seen - can anybody identify him?  If you can zoom in on his hand, you'll see that he has claws.  He never put his hands down flat on the rocks.

So peaceful on the savanna.

The view from our room on the first morning - 17 elephants!

Rhino - notice that this one has 2 horns and a large scar on her left hindquarter.  Can you also see the bird on her back - there were many of these birds on the 2 rhinos we saw.  The are named oxpeckers, or tick birds, and they eat the ticks from the rhinos skin. 

Henry was our driver and guide - a wonderfully personable man with a knack for finding animals!

Sunrise

Swimming! (It was cold.)

Blue heron....Thought you'd like this one, Dad. :)

 Ok, I have a lot more to share, but the internet connection has other plans.  Hope you have enjoyed!  I will try to post a video and photos of the wildebeests crossing the Mara River en masse and a lion finishing up a breakfast of wildebeest.  As Ted said, "Animal planet just doesn't do it justice!"  God has an amazing creation!

Love,
Sarah
Psalm 8