As the black clouds move on to introduce a sunrise filled with orange and pink, with the cry of babo

As the black clouds move on to introduce a sunrise filled with orange and pink, with the cry of baboons as they awaken and the smell of wet African soil, you know that it will be a great day. The fridge is in the car, the food box is packed and the party is ready to leave. Although slightly late, we arrived at the park at 7am. The guards were very friendly and I was able to get the tourist fees to half price because they were students! I was driving and Kat and Rob were on the roof game viewing. Every time I have been to the mara I have seen lions, so I started off the day with high hopes and expectations. Driving on the tracks close to the trees, our eyes were peeled. Nothing. Our beloved Pumba caused us great frustration throughout the day as it continued to disguise itself as a lion... The usual different buck were seen, and we did see a lot of buffalo. I was pleasantly surprised to see as many elephants as we did- normally when I'm in the mara I don't see that many. Two jackel were eventually spied with their little ears giving them away as they poked out the grass. The day was getting better. Near to lunch time I decided to check the map and find out where we were. I knew the general sole collector direction, but I didn't want to get too close to the sand river gate! After looking at it, I had no clue where I was. Fortunately a mini bus was driving past so I flagged him down, "where are we?" I asked. At this point I hadn't actually paid much attention to who the tourists were...when I heard them laugh I looked up and realised they were two good looking guys! Haha I felt a little like an idiot!! However, despite that we were given an idea as to where we were and we continued...and wound up a little lost again. We decided to go back in the general direction we came from but head more right. Eventually we came right and stopped in a lovely little spot for lunch and a sneaky drink. By this point it was getting close to 2 so we decided to start heading back the general direction of the camp. With the constant warthogs looking like lions saga, Kat and I were getting very frustrated. As time ticked on, the rain clouds could be seen gathering in the distance and it was becoming vital to find the main road. As we moved closer to the gate, our luck was beginning to change. Three hyena were spotted sunbathing on the side of the road- One posing for us and not having a care in the world, the other two weary and cautious. Not long after that, when we stopped at the sign post, in the distance we saw some familiar shapes. The binoculars were taken out, and our suspicions confirmed. Three female lions, lying peacefully on the side of the road. We pulled up next to them and observed these beautiful sole collector creatures for a long time; ever hopeful that we would be able to watch a kill in progress. Alas, the sun was almost gone and we had to move on. It was a long but amazing day, and it ended with us all collapsing in bed early that night totally exhausted.
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