62,000 acres of beauty

my family: kenny (sisters boyfriend) sue (sister) john (brother) carolyn (sister) tommy (nephew) and me!

as soon as we got off our small aircrafts we hit the ground running with guides from the conservancy, as our guides had to drive 9 hours to get to us in lewa downs. the first thing we spotted  (no pun intended!!) was the famous cheetah brothers (3 in all). as cheetahs are lone hunters these brothers are very unusual.

reticulated giraffe

blue-balled  vervet monkey

white rhinos (isn't the baby soooooo cute!!)...not shy or dangerous at all like the black rhino, we could actually get pretty close.

our fabulous guides: stanley, very funny and quite the story teller. willis, very serious but by the end we had him smiling and laughing! peter, so sweet and nice! all highly intelligent and loads of fun!!

on the second day in lewa downs we visited a real working masai village. after a very bumpy 45 minute drive to the village we were almost turned away as the men (warriors) were called to an emergency meeting that morning, so just the women and children were present. it was an incredible experience meeting these gracious people as they sang us songs, showed us the insides of their homes (smaller than my bedroom) with dirt floors to sleep on and some of the work they do in their village. colleen and linda brought colorful toys and balls for the kids, along with pens where the kids proceeded to write numbers and silly math equations on tommy, ryann and johns hands and arms! sue, carolyn and i gave out coins and small crystals, and i let the kids try on my sunglasses and hat, then took photos of them and showed them what they looked like. the young women had lovely beaded jewelry for sale, so we bought a lot of it!

grevy zebra...thinner strips with white tummy's

some of the most remarkable things about Africa...the sunrises and sunsets with those magnificent golden hues! and the stars...you could see billions of them PLUS the milky way. never in my life have i seen the milky way before!and the clouds...wow...just every sight catches your breath and you know without a doubt there's a higher power at hand!

next stop...samburu national reserve and our stay at the elephant bedroom camp!!!! my favorite place, altho very dusty!