February 7, 2008
Jambo Habari from Kenya,
Being back from our wildlife safari, we feel like we have now been to Africa. We left yesterday morning at 6:30 AM and drove to Amboseli National Park on the Tanzania border. We got to the park around 11:30 AM after the roughest drive I believe I have ever experienced. Once inside the park we were soon greeted by the African wildlife one would expect to see in Africa.
We drove to the lodge, checked in, had a quick bite of lunch, and then headed out for our afternoon game drive. One vehicle had a driver, Sam, who goes to Amboseli Park every other week. He knows the park very well. The other vehicle was driven by Tom, by the team’s request. He does not drive to the park so we hired a Massi guide dressed in the beads and clothing of the Maasai. His name was Joseph, a 27 year old married man with one 3 year old son. He was very helpful in identifying all we saw and sharing about the Maasai people.
I will give a list of all the animals and birds we saw on the game drives:
Animals
Elephants – There are over 2000 elephants in the park.
Lions - We saw 16 lions.
Maasai Spotted Giraffe
Zebras
Heynas
Hippos
Wildabeast
Cape Buffalo
Baboons – They were all over the lodge area.
Velvet Monkeys – They were at the lodge as well.
Jackel
Impala
Thompson Gazelle
Grants Gazelle
Orobi – Similar to our deer.
Dick-Dicks
Wart Hogs
Birds
Black Smith Plover
Egyptian Goose
Secretary Bird
Great Egrets
Cattle Egrets
African Jacana
Sacred Ibis
Wooly-Necked Stork
Great Crested Crane
Common Fiscal Shrike
Grey Herron
Ostrich
Winding Cisticola
Ginny Fowl
We left the part this morning at 11:15 AM and traveled back through Maassai land to Nairobi. We had dinner at the Ethiopian Restaurant where we ate with our hands. We ordered ten different dishes and shared them. The food is eaten by pinching off a piece of rice wrap called habesha and picking up the food of choice. It was delicious and we had a fun time together eating very different food.
Back at the mission house we unpacked and headed to bed after a great two days of refreshment. Thanks for praying.
Keep Praying,
Tim Frank
Romans 1:16
