Game drives, camping and hot air balloons

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I wake up in the middle of the night and reach to adjust my earplugs…bad idea…just as I remove my earplug from my right ear I hear stomp…stomp…stomp. Quickly I push the earplug back in and snuggle down into my sleeping bag. A combination of feeling the drop in temperature and the loud stomping from outside makes me shiver. All there is between me and a herd of African elephants is a sheet of canvas…We have been told not to leave our tents at night but I am bursting for the toilet and I really, really need to cough but I am too scared incase I startle the elephants…too late I erupt in a load coughing fit and then quickly swallow a sleeping tablet hoping to get through the rest of the night…



Here we are in the Serengeti National Park. After a full on boarder crossing which made me feel a bit like I was cattle we spent the first two nights camping in a small dome tent. During the night I was awoken by hyenas cackling and a friendly warthog that was snuffling around my tent. Unfortunately the (very basic campsite) ran out of water and after two days of being covered in dust and sweat I found a tap about 2 foot from the ground with a little bit of trickling water coming from it. Squatting under the tap I managed to wash my hair. Last night we moved to a new location where we were told that elephants and buffalo would be visiting during the night. Luckily they had water there and although my shower was ice cold it was nice to be clean. After 4 nights of sleeping in a tent with little sleep, getting up at 5am each day as well as having a few traveller tummy problems I am exhausted. After our game drive today we finally arrived at our new camping ground where we have paid the extra to be upgraded into a plush lodge…I think Tim is probably getting a little weary of my grumpy tiredness so hopefully after a swim in the pool I will get a decent nights sleep.



Yesterday we went in a hot air balloon - it was just spectacular. We arrived at the site at 5.30am and we wereup in the air for sunrise… as the pink spread across the sky there was a sense of calm. We could see all the African animals from up there and we spotted a heard of 14 lions, elephants, hippos and leopards. I was amazed at just how quickly the balloon can go down so we could see the African animals just above their heads and then quickly float up again so all the trees looked like a little model. We floated smoothly and calmly across the African plains and then landed smoothly. We were then taken to a breakfast under a big tree where giraffes grazed nearby and we ate a full English, champagne breakfast whilst chefs waited on us. It was a true highlight and we could not believe that here we were in the middle of Africa eating breakfast surrounded by giraffes.



We have done about 5 game drives, which have been awesome, and almost intimidating just how close the animals get and just amazing to see these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat. Our truck we were in had a habit of breaking down as it needed a new battery - it broke down once about a meter away from a heard of elephants. In true African style we waited for another 4x4 to arrive and then got them to drive full power into the back of us, which started us up. Driving along the bumpy tacks holding on tight (there are no seatbelts) the bonnet came loose and smashed full pelt into the windscreen. Luckily no one was hurt and after tying the bonnet down off we went…Today we watched in awe as a lioness just a few meters from us stalked a wilder beast for an hour. Yesterday we visited a masaii village, which was very interesting. I have been amazed just how many tribes’ people you see about. It is very surreal when you are driving along a track in a 4x4 and a masaii tribesman comes past holding a spear in one hand whilst guiding their cows and goats across the road. We have taken thousands of photos already and I will do my best to upload some from my phone onto here. This is the first time we have had access to the Internet and it is incredibly slow so I am uploading two entries – apologies if the photos don’t upload. Hope everyone is well and keep in touch xxxx

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Photos

Masai men
Masai men are circumcised after they turn 15. If they cry they do not become a warrior. The less fuss they make the stronger men they are perceived to be and the more respect they gain from their tribe. Women have recently stopped being circumcised although some tribes still practise it. Men have up to 15 wives each....