EXPLORING THE CRATER

We had a 5:00 am wake up call, got some quick coffee and headed out in the jeeps to do sunrise in the Crater. The rain had made everything so fresh and crisp. It was beautiful sight as we headed down the long steep side of the crater, we got to the bottom just as the sun was peeking over the rim. The animals were out in full force. We have seen many African animals, but in a different environment, they take on a new look.  Our two traveling companions are both doctors, and one majored in Zoology, andthe other  in Biology,so along with our driver and guide (both locals) we had everything covered. We counted,and ended up seeing about 35 species of animals and birds that we could definetly identify, including jackels and hyenas that we had never seen before.

We stopped at a Hippo pond to eat a "bush breakfast". The Pond was full of Hippoes and so many different birds around the water.mWe even had hot coffee, which tasted so good.  There are 5 lion prides in the crater and we ended up spotting 4 of them. We had a great time, and laughed as we tried to teach our guide some English colloquials, like "raining cats and dog" "sucking hind tit" and a few others. He and the driver would speak in Swahili, and I wonder what they were saying with big grins on their faces.

After 6 hours we headed back, and thank goodness there was a one way road back up the crater wall. It was plenty steep with hairpin curves.

Our lodge is actually nestled into,the side of,the crater and made out of river rocks( well, they look like it, anyway). Inside and out. All the rooms have spectacular views of the whole crater, with indivdual private decks. There is a nice bar and we are headed there for a Masai dancing show...oh oh...I am going to hang back! Haha! This is still Masai country and they are allowed to bring their herds into the crater for water. There is a big Masai village outside the lodge property and we are going to visit it tomorrow on our way to Oldavai Gorge. 

Flamingoes in the ponds..thousands of them!

Some people took a 2 hr walking tour today with a guide. Since the animals can and do climb the crater walls, we could not go "walk about" by ourselves. We actually stayed in and enjoyed a few hours of quiet and rest.