Safari

They say that the image of elephants wandering across grass plains with Mt Kilimanjaro in the background is familiar to even armchair travelers. Here it is–the classic shot from Amboseli National Park in Kenya.

I had been to Amboseli once before, about four years ago. But I had forgotten how many animals are there, many grazing together. Zebra. Elephants. Wildebeest. Gazelles. Ostriches. Warthogs. Lions. Giraffes. Hyenas. Jackals. Hippo. Last time I was there an elephant passed within feet of the jeep, and I was surprised at how much they smell. This time, the highlight was four female lions. Two crossed in front of the van. Two in back. It’s hard to see lions at all, so to see them up close was great.

I woke up at the lodge to clattering and banging on the roof. Baboons. Baboons on the roof. Really, who wakes up to baboons on the roof? I didn’t go out. I think baboons are nasty, and I had visions of a cranky one landing on my head.

Last week, I had physical jet lag. This week, I think I have emotional jet lag. Think about having a really big adventure, and then being back in the office. Yup, emotional jet lag.