Day 9 (by Becky Hall & Chloe Snyder)

Today began very early; about 5:15 AM for most of us. We packed all of our things, loaded into our three “matatus” (vans), and began the five-hour journey to Masai Mara game preserve in southwest Kenya. A little ways into our ride, we came around a bend in the road to discover that we were on the side of a mountain and the view was spectacular. We made a stop to take pictures and found out that we were looking at the Great Rift Valley; you could see for miles. We left from there and started towards what seemed like the middle of nowhere.

Driving into the valley, we entered into the land of the Masai, a famous Kenyan tribe. The roads there were insane! Luke informed us that the Kenyans call our bumpy riding experience the “African massage.” After about an hour ride on these incredibly uneven roads, we all may have whiplash. Once we entered the park gates, and got past some of the Masai people selling their wares, we began to see all kinds of wild animals. We saw zebra, water buffalo, impala, warthogs, and many other animals before we even arrived at Fig Tree Tented Camp, our home for the night. It was a good start to our safari. We arrived at the camp just in time for lunch. The food was delicious, as it has been throughout this entire trip, and the rooms are amazing. Some of the rooms have a view of the river and we were all pleased to find out that we would be able to take hot showers; especially Luke, who could spike his hair without mousse. After not having water at Karina’s for a few days, this was a blessing. We left after eating to continue our game drive.

We split up into three vans again and opened the top of the vans where we were able to stand and see out. It was a rush racing across the open land looking for animals. We saw lots of giraffes, hundreds of zebra, and dozens of elephants. Later into our drive, we turned the corner to see hundreds of wildebeests. That number turned into thousands upon thousands and before we knew it, we were surrounded. This is the time of year in which millions of wildebeests migrate from Tanzania into Kenya. Our team had heard that they had entered Masai Mara this week and we were praying that we would be able to see this amazing spectacle. God definitely answered our prayers as we were able to ride straight through the middle of a huge herd of them; coming within feet of the close ones and being able to see others for miles. P.S. applications to join WAS (the Wildebeast Appreciation Society) are available from Daryl or Luke... Beauty IS the Beast!

We were also able to visit the Border Beacon, which marks the exact border between Kenya and Tanzania and had fun jumping from one country to the other. Then, an armed park ranger kindly took us down to the shores of the Mara River to see some huge crocodiles and hippos. A couple of monkeys (not Kim and Gwen) tried to break into our vans and steal our snacks. They had no fear; one walked right up to us and Daryl almost touched him. On the way back in, we came extremely close to many different kinds of animals. One giraffe came within ten feet of our van. On another occasion, we were able to see a very large leopard feasting on an impala in a tree. It was so close you could hear him ripping the meat apart. We also saw ostriches, impala, Thompson gazelles, and so many other marvelous creatures on our drive. As it grew darker, we watched the sunset over the expanse of the Serengeti plain. It truly was breathtaking! How glorious our God is! To see the things we saw today, how could people still not believe that there is an Almighty God?! Creation cries out to Him! This day was one that none of us will ever forget.

Tomorrow begins with another game drive, early in the morning, our 5-hour return drive to Nairobi, and a late-night flight departing from Kenya. Please continue to pray for us as we travel and excitedly make our way home. Everyone is doing well (praise the Lord!) and we can’t wait to be back in Dodge County and see you all Monday night!