I neglected to tell you how we are getting around. We are riding around in this rugged Toyota Land Cruiser, which has a pop top to allow us to stand up and get a good view without worrying about nearby animals. Our driver and guide is Isaac, who sees animals with his naked eye long before either of us does with binoculars. He works for Duma (which means cheetah in Swahili) Explorer, a company which conducts tours and runs its own tent camps, like Kiota Camp where we stayed for 2 nights.
Much of our day was in search of cats. We found this male lion hanging out in a tree. He stretched a few times but showed little interest in coming down.
We saw a whole pride of lions, including males and females of various ages. The little ones were playing on a big rock, while the adults waited for a zebra to stray into their enclave. Nobody seemed to be starving as they enjoyed the beautifully sunlit plain.
We found a young male cheetah playing hide and seek with a plastic bag, an unfortunate remnant of society. When he tired of the game, he streaked across the road in front of our car, running at the speed of lightning. Isaac's favorite animal is the cheetah, so he was most excited to be able to produce one for us to see. We actually saw 2 more on our wad back to camp, a somewhat rarity here.
I have decided the zebra is my favorite animal, even though they are so common. We saw many of them in groups of 2 and 3 like those in the above photo. Isaac says they do this so as to be able to see in multiple directions while they sleep with their eyes open standing up. Their black and white strikes make me smile every time.
We spent the best part of the afternoon traveling west on the bumpiest road I have ever seen. But it was worth it when we arrived at Serena Camp, an upscale tent camp. It has good WiFi and all the comforts of home. The plan tomorrow is to see the wildebeest migration, as they travel south in huge numbers. But first we eat and sleep!