02 Aug' 2009--This certainly was the show stopper. We had already seen so much of wildlife, the type and diversity that would make many a tourist tip their driver handsomely. From buffaloes, gazelles, black and white rhinos, Rothschild's giraffe to waterbucks.  In the yonder, the sun bursting into a fusion of orange and blue; simply breathtaking!

The air fresher. It is as if some natural magic permeates the land, making it pleasant to breath, to see, to feel, to live life to the fullest. We drive over some kopje. From here, you can have a good bird's eye view of the lake and its pinkish residents, so calm probably welcoming the nightfall.

Then suddenly we heard a brush from the outcrops besides our vehicle. We all turn and looked across the bald imposing granite rocks. Then she appeared with her three weeks old cute cub tagging along. The cub playfully gnawing at the mothers toes. She takes a sweeping glance at us and changes direction. There was a hush in the vehicle everyone not knowing what will follow. She kept coming; you couldn't help notice the innocence, the youthful vigor and the baby curiosity. 

This was the sweetest thing ever. It pawed the vehicle tires then rolled backside. We were too excited to take many pictures. All this while, the mother patiently watching over the cub in his mini-adventure. Then probably growing impatient with the lad, she 'eoawed' cutting short the cub's discovery.

Nightfall was already setting in. We had to rush back to the lodge lest we invite the wrath of Kenya Wildlife Service rangers. On our way back, scrawny silver backed jackal sniffs and barks and paces across the plains- hunting just began. Mother Nature and all her secrets!

03 Aug' 09---Today we drive from Nakuru to Maasai Mara. The drive is a tedious six hour experience. Thankfully most parts of Nakuru-Mau Narok- Maasai Mara road are in good shape. We pass by the 40,000 acres Mau forest. The forest is a water tower and most rivers including Njoro, Mara and Makalia derive their water from it. Of late, the forest has been hitting headlines in Kenya's media for the wrong reasons; about 20% of the forest is nearly gone due to illegal logging and settlement. That is beef for another day.

We arrive in JK Mara camp late in the afternoon. The group decided against going for a game drive and instead took it easy at the luxurious camp.

04 and 05 Aug '09-- We explore the natural wonder that is Maasai Mara and we are here in good time for the annual ritual that is the wildebeest migration. The theatre is when the wildebeest plunge into the swollen Mara river falling prey to crocodiles or the opportunistic lions. This dramatic life and death struggle is nature at her most theatrical- once in a lifetime experience. Mara's plains are crowded with wildebeest snorting and mowing away the grass. They have this behavior of walking in a long single file and my Jewish friends liken then to the Biblical Israelites exodus from Egypt to Canaan

Mara is full of surprises. At one moment, we were treated to an incredible hunting show by a cheetah family. The cats had been stalking a wildebeest herd for close to an hour.  When the opportunity struck, one of the cheetahs made a long loping sprint towards the herd probably to confuse the whole group. Then the rest narrowed down to a sub-adult gnu and with a stride almost 20 feet, they went flat out for the victim. But this was not the lucky hour with the gnu escaping death by a whisker. As nature has it, am sure they must have got an easy prey elsewhere. Each day, some sort of equilibrium must be maintained between the needs of the predators and the abundant wildlife.

I cannot forget the jumbos. I remember one evening we got so close; perhaps too close for comfort to a 30 plus herd. Our driver Douglas switched off the engine and we listened to them chomp and trample amidst throaty rumbles and growls. So big yet so gentle. Mara is always an addictive getaway and something special for those visiting

We scan the rocky crevices expectantly. And the gods were on our side! Just 10 feet from our vehicle sits three adult lionesses, full belly, beautiful grey colour and playfully grooming each other. It's simply spellbinding.

The only sound is a gentle purr of the cats and the clicking cameras. We spent 30 minutes soaking in the scenery.