SAFARI IN SERENGETI AND NGORONGORO

I MET MY GROUP AT A HOTEL IN NAIROBI AND WE WERE GIVEN THE INTRO BY OUR GUIDE, PATRICK. AFTER, WE WENT TO A BRAZILIAN CHURRASCARIA TYPE PLACE BUT INSTEAD OF JUST BEEF AND STUFF THEY HAD OSTRICH AND CROCODILE. 2 NEW ANIMALS I HAVE NEVER TRIED BEFORE. THE CROC WAS ALRIGHT BUT THE OSTRICH WAS DELICIOUS. THE NEXT DAY WE SET OFF ON OUR SAFARI. IT WAS ME AND 6 OTHER PEOPLE FROM IRELAND, FRANCE, AND GERMANY, PLUS A GUIDE, A COOK, AND A DRIVER. WE TRAVELED 8 HOURS THROUGH THE GREAT RIFT VALLEY AND TO OUR FIRST DESTINATION OF KISII. ALONG THE WAY WE STOPPED IN SMALL MASAAI TOWNS AND INTERACTED WITH THE LOCALS. I BOUGHT SOME FRUIT OFCOURSE BECAUSE THE GREAT RIFT VALLEY IS WHERE THE BEST SOIL IS. WE GOT TO KISII AND PICKED UP SOME BEER, FOOD, AND A SOCCER BALL. WE SPENT THE NIGHT IN KISII AND GOT SOME REST. THE NEXT MORNING WE HEADED TO LAKE VICTORIA. I GOT REALLY SICK THE WHOLE DAY AND ENDED UP JUST NAPPING IN MY TENT WHILE EVERYONE GOT TO DO THE ACTIVITIES. LUCKILY I WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING FEELING GREAT. THE SERENGETI WAS OUR NEXT STOP FOR TWO NIGHTS OF CAMPING IN THE WILD WITH NO FENCE AND NO RANGER WITH A GUN TO STOP WILD ANIMALS. WE SET UP OUR TENTS AND LIT THE FIRE. ME AND JAMES, A DRUNK IRISH GUY, SAT UP AFTER THE REST OF THE GROUP WENT TO SLEEP. WE LISTENED TO THE LIONS AND THE HYENAS AND THE WILDEBEATS MAKE THEIR NOISES IN THE BUSHES ABOUT 10 METERS AWAY FROM US. WE SAW THE SHADOWS IN THE BUSHES BUT KEPT DRINKING BY THE FIRE ANWYAYS. EVENTUALLY WE WENT TO BED AND AT ABOUT 3AM, A GROUP OF LIONS WALKED RIGHT PAST OUR TENTS AND IN TO THE BUSHES ABOUT 5FT BEHIND US. IN THE MORNING THEY HAD JUST LEFT AND YOU CAN SEE THE IMPRINT THEY HAD MADE ON THE SMUSHED DEAD GRASS. WE WENT ON 2 GAME DRIVES THE NEXT DAY AND SAW HYENA, HIPPO, CROCODILE, WARTHOG, WILDBEAST, VULTURES, LIONS, LEOPARD, GIRAFFE, ZEBRA, ELEPHANT, BUFFALO, TOPI, GAZELLE, AND MANY OTHER ANIMALS. WE SAW ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING SUN SETS AND HEADED BACK TO OUR CAMPSITE. THAT NIGHT WHILE AT THE FIRE WITH THE WHOLE GROUP, 5 LIONS CAN PANTING AND ROARING TOWARDS OUR CAMPSITE. THEY CAME WITHIN ABOUT 20-25 FEET OF US AND WE ALL RAN INTO THE TRUCK. IT WAS INSANE. THEY HUNG AROUND LEFT AND THEN CAME BACK AGAIN. EVENTUALLY EVERYONE WENT INTO THEIR TENTS AND THE LIONS PASSED ON. OUR CAMP JUST HAPPENED TO BE PERFECTLY SITUATED BETWEEN THE LIONS AND A FIELD FULL OF WILDEBEASTS. WE LEFT SERENGETI IN THE MORNING AND ON THE WAY OUT WE LUCKILY CAUGHT A PRIDE OF LIONS FEASTING ON A ZEBRA. IT WAS INCREDIBLE. WE WERE WITHING 15 FEET OF IT. FROM THERE WE WENT TO NGORONGORO CRATER WHICH IS ONE OF THE LARGEST FULL CRATERS IN THE WORLD. OUR CAMPSITE WAS ON THE RIM OVER LOOKING THE CRATER AND WHEN WE GOT THERE, THERE WERE ZEBRA, BUFFALO, AND BUSHPIGS CHILLIN IN OUR CAMPSITE. WE PITCHED OUR TENTS AND ENJOYED THE WILD. EARLY IN THE MORNIGN WE TOLD A SMALLER JEEP INTO THE CRATER FOR A GAME DRIVE. WE CAUGHT WILDEBEASTS FIGHING FOR FEMALES, A LION CHASING A WART HOG, AND A HYENA WALKING ALONG SIDE OUR JEEP. WE LEFT NGORONGORO AT 2ISH AND VISITED THE MASAAI MARKET WHERE WE TRIED RED BANANAS WHICH I FOUND TOO BANANA-Y. VERY POTENT. WE ENDED THE TRIP AT THE SNAKE PARK IN MESERANI BY ARUSHA WHERE I STARTED 12 DAYS AGO. THIS IS JUST A SUMMARY OF MY EXPERIENCE, I WILL ELABORATE SOON BUT IM TIRED AND WORN OUT AND NEED SOME RELAXATION AFTER A TAXING SAFARI. OFF TO ZANZIBAR NOW, THEN VICTORIA FALLS. THEN THE WORLD CUP!!!