Matt & Sarah

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Matt & Sarah

Welcome to Matt & Sarah's blog. This was set up in 2012 for our exciting 3 month adventure in South America so we could blog about our travels through Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador. But now we are using it for other trips as well including our honeymoon in Africa! Enjoy!



Africa » Kenya November 1st 2015

Dominant Male Lions in Maasai Mara Male lions playing. Male lions proudly walking to some shade to rest for the day. Cheetah kill from the second day in Maasai Mara (note these are graphic videos) Cheetah trying to recover from chasing down an impala. Cheetah dragging the impala to some shade. Cheetah eating the impala. Giraffe chewing his food - link More Lions Mom having killed a baby wildebeest for her 4 cubs url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o... read more

Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar October 29th 2015

We opted for relaxation to close out our trip. Our trip had been full of activities and all we really wanted to do was to chill. Typically not doing anything isn't something I can handle. But after our very busy 10 day safari, I welcomed the relaxation. The resort felt pretty empty. There were other people (mostly couples) but we had more conversations with the staff than anybody else, and those were still pretty brief. We did talk to a nice young Spanish couple who were also on their honeymoon. We compared notes on our trips. They had spent all of their time in Tanzania and were quite disappointed with the wildlife they saw on their safaris. Specifically they didn't see much on their trip to Serengeti. This was a relief for me. Ever since all ... read more
Low Tide - where did the water go
Looking Back at Dhow Inn
Picking Seaweed

Africa » Tanzania October 28th 2015

We had a quick breakfast at 7:30 and then were in a car to the airport. Our flight was supposed to be at 11 and it was a 2 hour drive. Normally this wouldn't be a problem but our driver had a case of Driving Miss Daisy syndrome. One of the seatbelts didn't work so we had to move around the car. The speedometer on the car was busted but clearly we were driving incredibly slow. The car had no gas. A simple ride to the airport couldn't be easy. We arrived at the airport at about 10:20 only to learn that we were on the 12:15 flight. We were pretty sure our tour company wouldn't get us on the 11:00 flight as we had requested a dozen times. Oh well. We were essentially rid of ... read more
Small Plane
Zanzibar Resort
Zanzibar Room

Africa » Tanzania October 27th 2015

We were up and ready to go by 6:00. Leonce had insisted the night before that we are ready to go at 6 so we could get in the park early and hopefully see some lions hunting. Our cook informed us that Leonce was a little late but was on his way. This was a hit we could take but we weren't happy about it. Around 6:30 Leonce had arrived. We put our breakfast and lunch in the car and were about ready to hit the road when Leonce gave us some bad news. The tour company hadn't put enough money on the park entry card. He had cash to put on the card but he needed a bank to do so and the bank didn't open until 8:30. And the parks won't take cash. This ... read more
Baboons
Juvenile male
Long game drive

Africa » Tanzania October 26th 2015

Leonce picked us up at 7 to head in to Lake Manyara National Park. We were really excited for this one as it is home to the tree climbing lions! Apparently the celebration last night was a little premature and the presidential race hadn't been decided. At this point we wanted the opposition (peace sign) to win just to keep the locals happy. We had learned yesterday that Leonce was in school to be a guide and a bunch of his classmates were at the entrance to Lake Manyara. While we were waiting for Leonce to get his entrance papers one of them taught us about the 4 tribes that used to live in this area. He also showed us a shrub that the Maasai people use to surround their homes. The shrub has a milky ... read more
Baby Elephant
2 day old baby monkey and its mother
Monkey

Africa » Tanzania October 25th 2015

At 7:00 we met our new guide, Leonce. He was a young guy, in his early 20s. We hadn't seen a guide that young but we were very pleased to be rid of Mike so we happily climbed in to the Land Cruiser. Today is voting day for the Tanznia presidential election and people standing in line waiting to vote everywhere. It was quite thr sight to see a voting booth on the side of the road, with no homes anywhere in sight, that had a line of 40 people. This election is a really big deal. From the lodge to Tarangire National Park is about an hours drive. We got to know Leonce on the way and he did a good job engaging us and teaching us on the drive. Tarangire was only established as ... read more
Baobab tree
Tarangire River overlook
Stalking Lioness

Africa » Kenya October 24th 2015

We got our early morning game drive in starting at 6:20. We almost got to see Mt Kilimanjaro but it was just too cloudy. We tried to enjoy the game drive but we had a lot on our minds with the trouble Kenya Walking Survivors had given us. You know that Day 1 post when I said OT seemed like an honest guy. Yikes was I wrong. Again though, for a different post. The morning drive was very pretty. We came across the usual herd animals and a big group of vultures. And then we saw a group of 3 lions. They were all laying out in the open and if another van wasn't already there I am pretty sure we would have driven right by them. They really were camouflaged. They were the main attraction ... read more
Daring Gazelle
Daring Gazelle
Camouflaged Lions

Africa » Kenya October 23rd 2015

We learned more throughout the day about the rift between our tour company and the camp we stayed in last night. Additional knowledge helped us get past the occurrence and focus on the up and coming. We hit lots of traffic on our drive to Amboseli so travel was slow. Trucks are the only way to move goods in the country and there are few main roads, leading to tons of traffic. When we got to Nairobi, we traveled that same beat up dirt road to get around Nairobi I mentioned on the first day. I asked Francis if the government would eventually just build in to the national park since all these new buildings were there. He said the people had voted and decided the buildings must go and the highway would not be allowed ... read more
Kingfisher
Falconidae
Amboseli Desert

Africa » Kenya October 22nd 2015

We climbed in to the van at 6:20 this morning for our final game drive. After a slower evening drive last night searching for the Leopard, we asked Francis to focus on Cheetah and Lions this morning. We got in to the park and I asked Francis to stop at this scenic view I had been meaning to take pictures of since we got here. Only a few photos in the radio was a buzz and Francis eagerly asked if we were good to move on. When we said yes he floored it. Clearly there was something cool going on, but we didn't know what and had come accustomed to waiting for the surprise. Francis turned down the same road we traveled last night. The same road that we got skunked on the night before. I ... read more
Lioness and her 4 cubs
Four Lion Cubs
Marabou Stork

Africa » Kenya October 21st 2015

We were up bright and early this morning and in the van by 6:00. The big cats are most active when it is cooler out so we were hoping to see them in action. Francis flipped on his radio to listen for any chatter. The guides help each other out by communicating where they see animals. Francis also has a cell phone that is constantly ringing. Not sure if that is wildlife related or personal. We got some nice sunrise photos. I asked Francis to stop for some scenic shots and while taking those a hyena walked up the hill towards us looking very not satisfied with his night. We saw a few more Hyenas and then came across two juvenile male Lions. They weren't active but they were out in the open and awake, which ... read more
The King
The Kings Son
King and Son Playing




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