Uganda, we love you

We had a wonderful time in Uganda with the mountain gorillas.  Unfortunately Doug was ill and did not make the trek with our group.  Fortunately, a gorilla showed up at our resort later that day so he was able to see a gorilla up close and personal.

Our group rode in a land cruiser for about 45 minutes, then we began a 2 hour trek into the rain forest.  I walked with a porter who carried my backpack and held my hand to prevent my falls.  We went into a clearing where they knew the gorillas would be feeding.  All of a sudden the big silverback started roaring and shaking the branches, then jumped out towards us.  His actions were intense and frightening, and were his way of protecting his family.  They all came out then, and I think there were about 12-15 gorillas who fed on the vegetation in the area.  We were allowed to take non-flash pictures and got pretty close.  I was fascinated with their behavior, which we observed for about 45 minutes.  Then we walked back with our porters’ help.  I am so thankful for the experience.

Uganda was very green and humid.  My skin was happy to have some moisture again!

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Game drive and school tour

Today we saw a couple lion feedings today which was kind of horrid, but also the way of the wild.  This has been a strange time for us, to watch nature in its glorious reality.
We visited a local school today which was wonderful, but also a shock to see children who are happy and thriving in less than adequate situations.

Champagne breakfast after the balloon ride

Another balloon photo–sunrise

More balloon photos

Balloons over Africa

We woke up early this morning to ride in a hot air balloon with our friends.  I was very nervous about the takeoff, but it was a great experience!  
We are in the Maasai Mara, which is a large game reserve in Kenya.  We have seen many wild animals in the past two weeks, but the Maasai Mara seems to have more babies, more green grass and less dust.  We are staying at a Sanctuary resort, Olonana.  The resort is on the Mara River and we can hear the river sounds all night long.

Here are a few pictures from the last two days.

Leaving Tanzania

We spent 7 hours in the car today looking for rhinos.  Unfortunately it was very windy and our drivers thought the rhinos were all lying down to avoid the dust and wind.  But we saw other animals and I will post a few photos here.  

The Four Seasons has a little museum called the Discovery Centre.  We stopped in today and met a young man who was a foreign exchange student in Deer Lodge MT in 2012.  This country is huge, but it is still kind of a small world!q

Four Seasons in Tanzania

We are happy to be at the beautiful Four Seasons Lodge.  We had a 9 hour ride to get here.  Most roads in Africa are gravel and very bumpy.  We have seen some amazing things, including a lioness chasing a wildebeest, an alligator killing a small animal and thousands of various animals.  The Masai people and their songs are beautiful.

Swala Lodge in Tanzania

We have spent two days in Tanzania now.  Internet service is spotty so I am going to keep this short with just one picture.  This is the view from our room!  Today we saw a cheetah, 2 lions, many many zebras, water buffalo, elephants, giraffes, impalas, monkeys and wildebeests.  Tomorrow we move on to the Ngorongoro Crater.  Imagine riding in a small bus for three hours on washboard type gravel roads and you will understand what our day will be like!  A great adventure!

Now Kenya

We made our way to Nairobi yesterday and we are staying at the Fairmont Norfolk Hotel.  We had a very short night and will board a bus very soon to begin the safari.  A highlight of being at Livingston was seeing Victoria Falls.  
Happy Birthday to me!  What a treat to be on the trip of a lifetime!