January 8th

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It's late sunday afternoon and we are back in Nairobi for the night.
I was sad leaving Maasi Mara this morning because it is so beautiful there and the game drives were amazing. We were lucky enough to see every animal that we wanted to see. We must have seen a minimum of 30 or 40 lions so far, and many, many elephants. I was disappointed though that I had not seen the elusive black rhino. We had seen several of the white rhino at lake Nakuru and I knew it was a long shot, but I was hoping to see the black rhino too. On our way out of the park we saw it... a beautiful black rhino. it was absolutely huge. They attack without being provoked so we were sure to keep somewhat of a safe distance and kept the engine running.

Having been completely satisfied that not only had we seen the 'Big Five' but I could not think of a single animal that we had not seen. Just a half mile down the road from the rhino we saw a male and a female lion lying down in the grass having a nap. We stopped to watch them for a while and obviously our presence didn't bother them as they mated while we were there. I'm just so surprised at how the animals go on about their business and take no notice to us whatsoever.

The drive back was extremely rough and dusty... Whew the dust that comes into the vehicle is incredible. you would think that a smoke bomb was released on us. The visibility goes down to zero from time to time. Oh ya, we also saw mini tornados of sand. The tornados do not have much strength, just enough to pick up a bunch of dust and spin it around to look like a large funnel. It was very interesting.

The great rift valley was beautiful. In fact, most of the views here are beautiful.

Off to dinner soon... more game drives tomorrow afternoon.

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Comments

[Vicki]

hi
Amazing - keep the stories coming!

[Brad Lohner]

Hello from Edmonton
Hi Virginia: It sounds like you're having a great time. I would go back again in a minute. I'm jealous of your black rhino experience. That was the only animal we couldn't seem to find. You'll have to email us a picture or two! Have fun in Amboseli (sp?) it is gorgeous too. Tell your daughter to watch out for the monkeys there too. All the best, Brad Lohner

[Karl Julie]

Getting butterflies
We leave in 5 days and your entry gave me chills. I cannot wait! Thanks for the entry. It will get me through the day! Safe Journey!