Geo: 0.01945, 37.0744DAY TWELVE (Tuesday, September 15, 2009)I bless the rains down in AfricaIt rained here today …the first time in more than two years. There was much celebration. It reminded me of the Toto song "Africa" … check out this acapella version:http://www.videosift.com/video/Africa-Acapella-coverWe had a late breakfast today and then headed to the Wildlife Conservancy Animal Orphanage mid-morning with Anne, Barcy, Stephanie and Carol, along with Ralph & Nancy Patterson, Sandy Mascorro and Karen Berry (all of Los Angeles county). The orphanage is on the grounds of the hotel and is funded through private donations. Stephanie Powers is an active supporter; William Holden was a founder.“The Elephant Man” was our tour guide … he is known as that because he survived being attacked by an elephant in ... read more

Geo: 0.598744, 37.4991DAY TEN (Sunday, September 13, 2009)The drums of Africa beat in my heart.Our alarm went off in the dark so we could take a dawn safari drive. It was a glorious morning – breezy and in the low 70s and there were lots of animals out. Unfortunately, no predators. We were with Stephanie and Carol; Benjamin was our driver.First off was a gerenuk, standing on its hind-legs eating breakfast. Closely behind was a herd of zebra and enough giraffes to satisfy even me. We saw a crocodile, an elephant and a lot of birds that excited Barcy. We passed two tent camps … where some people stay to get the authentic African safari experience. Bah humbug. Some are elegant camps and some look just like the 4-pole kind we have used on the Current ... read more

Geo: -2.57817, 37.2244DAY EIGHT (Friday, September 11, 2009)The Road to Mandalay ... no, AmboseliA word about the roads in Africa. Atrocious. Worse than Ireland. And that's saying something.- The best road we have encountered here is the "superhighway" that runs from Dar es Salaam through Arusha to Nairobi. It's asphalted (this is noteworthy) and is a single lane each direction, with very little shoulder. May I repeat? The best road. And a far cry from a superhighway.· Next best are the mud roads we have traversed for three days in the national parks. At least someone has graded them in my lifetime.· The roads to and from all hotels are dusty, one-lane and horribly pot-holed. They jar your teeth and your stomach. Rachel tells us the tour companies pay $200 per vehicle, for instan... read more

Geo: -2.4492, 34.5932DAY SIX (Wednesday, September 9, 2009)Ain't no way to hide your LION eyes.Today was our sleep-in day. No need to depart until 9 am. However, today we departed our luggage as well. We were limited to our Tauck duffel bags for the next two nights. We will have a reunion with our luggage in Arusha when we transfer to Kenya on Friday.Our traveling companions today were Stephanie Foote and Carol Sobol of Denver; our guide was Assand. First up as we left Ngorongoro was a Big Sky Montana view of the Serengeti Plain. And appropriately enough, our first encounter was with giraffes, which is the animal I normally associate with the area. It turns out the giraffe is the national symbol of Tanzania, because it can't back up, it can only go forward. Tanzania ... read more

Geo: -3.2077, 35.4628DAY FOUR (Monday, September 7, 2009)The rhythm is gonna getcha.We awoke at 4 am. Guess our body clocks are having trouble adapting to East African time.At dawn we sauntered to the main lodge only to find we were STILL too early for breakfast. But we found coffee and a few new friends so we were happy. I also found some more things to photograph, including a black-and-white casqued hornbill that was humongous, with a very large, very loud mouth. Highly entertaining, however.Breakfast was a buffet. We chatted with Ed Mershon and Joy Difilippo of Ocala. Following checkout, we had another group briefing on the lawn. We had a group photo taken on the front steps and then loaded into our safari vehicles, which are custom Toyota Land Cruisers that seat 7 behind the driver ... read more