I really couldn't title this post any other way. On this day, I may or may not have spent close to an hour taking hundreds of pictures of a single lion. A very hot and fly infested lion. Read More...
Lions have always been my favorite animal. Not only am I a Leo astrology sign, Leo has always been a family nickname and inspired my large lion stuffed animal collection (still viewable in my childhood bedroom).
Said bedroom may or may not be soon my current bedroom in a few months.
Needless to say seeing a lion has always been on my biggest to do list. I was lucky enough to spot some last year and was hoping for more this year. Right away we were lucky and I was pretty content with my lion viewings.
We started the morning out with a quick leopard sighting...
then some elephants...
before we happened upon a bunch of male lions running around.
We watched them run around and roll in the grass before we realized they were probably being attacked my flies. It was pretty hot out and they kept swatting at their faces.
It was fun until one of them kept coming closer...
and closer...
In his search for shade, he crossed right in front of us.
There isn't a whole lot of shade out in the middle of the plains so he found this small bush and tried to cool himself down.
It didn't last long. He didn't seem to realize he was a HUGE LION.
I would have liked to say I kept my cool, but I definitely did not. I knew he wasn't going to be aggressive as you could tell from his huge belly that he had recently eaten, but it didn't matter. I was still terrified.
Although seeing this lion butt is pretty funny.
After realizing that the underside of our car was not so cool, he made himself comfortable while looking quite photogenic.
He was of course still being attacked by the flies.
After posing for my pictures for a while, he made his way over to a neighboring car and chilled in their shade for a while.
On his way out of their shade, he came strolling right by my window, and I swear we made eye contact from about a foot away.
I was obviously too petrified to take a picture.
After most likely over an hour of watching this huge lion in his search for shade, we finally headed out so my heart could calm down.
Just to run into another lion chilling in the grass.
But really- is there such a thing as too many lions?
We also spotted a hyena hanging out by the road.
I quickly realized that this hyena is also just like my dog.
Our drive finally took us to our last night of the safari.
We shared a nice romantic meal at our lodge before heading to bed.
Not a bad place to brush your teeth, right?
In the morning we had our breakfast before heading out for a walk in the bush.
We even had the chance to try out the Maasai spear! Needless to say, I almost took my own head off. Guess it wasn't meant to be!
Although I would say I looked pretty sweet in my vest while trying.
After our walk and a bit of drama, we ended up cutting our safari about a half day short. After some problems with permits, we took one mud filled ride to our last hotel.
It was a disappointing end to an otherwise awesome trip. We had booked a hotel before our flight out the next day which turned out to be an awesome decision. The hotel set up a walking tour of a Meru (also known as Wameru) Village. This ethnic group lives close to Arusha and they were lovely to let us walk around and view where they lived (and try their fermented banana alcohol).
The weather was gorgeous, the people were incredibly friendly, and it was so nice to stretch our legs.
We had the chance to meet an old Maasai chief who had moved into Arusha in his older age. He let us ask him questions about his life and the transition into living a permanent lifestyle with his family. His eldest son had taken over his tribe in his absence, although he does go visit at times.
After our walk, we headed back to the hotel before we set out on the trip to the airport.
It was a sad end to our trip in Tanzania.
But, alas! Paradise awaits!
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