we are all connected in the great circle of life...

We just arrived home from an incredibly busy weekend. We awoke early Saturday morning, packed PB and Js for lunch, and headed southeast across the equator to Hell's Gate National Park. The drive along the Rift Valley was long and bumpy, especially in a van packed full of 10 people, a tent, 9 pillows, blankets, and sleeping bags. Along with gigantic monkeys jumping high above our heads in the trees, it took all 10 people to set up the tent at our campsite. Eventually, we headed off to Hell's Gate - the setting of Pride Rock and Mufasa's death in the Lion King. For the first time, we truly felt deep in sub-saharan Africa. We saw zebras as abundant as squirrels, giraffes, gazelles, buffalo, baboons, eagles, and even warthogs (Pumba!). The view was spectacular, decorated with steep rocky cliffs, towering trees, and animals scattered everywhere amidst the dust. In the middle of the park lies The Gorge - a naturally-made canyon full of hot springs and cascading waters. We hiked for about 3 hours - some of the most intense hiking we've ever done. No foot paths existed, so we scaled down rocks, waded through streams, and sloshed through feet of muddy swamp. We were led by a local guide, who initiated us with red Masai warrior clay, straight from the wet rocks. When our hike ended, we found ourselves climbing up the cliff from which Mufasa fell to his death. In the end, it was one of the most magnificent sites we'd ever seen. When we finally made it back to the safari van, we found baboons scavenging through garbage cans and open vehicles...we even saw a mother and baby. The night at the campsite was quite an adventure. We had a lovely dinner under beautiful, golden trees. The camp itself sits on a lagoon off pristine Lake Naivasha. This particular lagoon happens to be the grazing spot for hippos in the middle of the night - there was even an electric fence dividing the few short feet between the lake and our tent. Sleeping was a challenge, as the night was full of interesting sounds. Monkeys played in the treetops above and dropped their food onto our tent, almost as if it were hailing. In the dead of morning, we awoke to the low, echoing call of hungry hungry hippos in the lagoon. Erik was lucky enough to catch a photo as the sun came up. After a cup of fresh Kenyan coffee, we began to pack up the massive tent, only to discover that a swarm of fire safari ants had taken over our tent. Erik was one of the unlucky who was attacked and bitten all over his ankles, butt, and back. We ended up bungee-cording the tent to the roof of the van on the way home. Our last stop before heading home was another view point on Lake Naivasha, where hundreds of beautiful pink flamingos reside. Can't wait to sleep in our bed tonight...away from the fire ants, hungry hippos, and screaming monkeys.