Day 8- last safari day.
We rose at the usual 5:45 and were outside the reception area for 6:15 still have asleep. Simon pointed out that the fog would making viewing difficult at first but it would lift shortly.
We had to wait for 2 hours before we could see properly into the distance. In the meantime it remained cold as we sat a various points looking at birds close up. Simon stopped occasionally to talk to other guides who drove around aimlessly unable to spot anything of interest.
Eventually the weather did clear and we say a couple of groups of elephants with their young, and a topi herd with a male chasing off potential rivals. We drove through a herd of zebra and Simon insisted on asking questions about the animals for which he knew the answers.
We found out that they are black with white stripes, each zebra’s markings are unique like a fingerprint. Finally the stripes of the zebra make it much harder for their attackers to single out one individual animal which in turn makes it easier for everyone to escape.
Back to the ranch for breakfast and a very light lunch.
Already and prepared since 4:15 Maggi and I waited with Mary and Roy for Simon to show up at 4:30. As cheerful as ever he arrived at quarter too five. I needed to fill up with diesel and I had to wait in a long queue. Annoyance crossed my mind but then I remembered the local phrase akuna matata.
Simon set as his mission for the afternoon to find a leopard. We set off and wandered around some of the less popular parts of the park. We looked into the trees for the tell tale sign of the tale hanging down from a branch. No luck and then we had a message on the radio.
Simon translated that a leopard had been found quite some distance from our position. He went on to say that we would need to drive quickly and it would be a bumpy ride. We all agreed to go.
Off we set and he spoke the truth. We bounced around all over the place and the thought that the truck might topple over crossed my mind several times. I hung on tightly throughout the journey.
A number of Land Cruisers had beaten us to the destination, but we didn’t wait long before we had a good clear view of this magnificent leopard lazily lying on a branch. High in her tree she seemed obviously to all the excited tourists below all taking multiple shots with their long lenses.
We stayed about 20 minutes and then headed back into the sunset and arrived at our sundowner destination. Here a fire burned and one of the guys from the bar stood behind a table and served, soft drinks for the kids and gin and tonics for the adults. A very pleasant way to finish our stay in the Maasai Mara.
We ate again with Mary and Roy and listen to their stories and their backgrounds. Funny how they showed no interest in ours. However their company added an improved dimension to our holiday. Good night to them and goodbye.