Masai Evening

      After spending the afternoon relaxing at the resort, we started on our evening safari which was unfortunately the last safari for us at Masai Mara. And again it started raining as we set off. Just as we begun entering the dense forest area, we saw another safari vehicle which had got stuck in the puddle and was unable to come out. So we helped them by toeing their vehicle out and continued to begin our journey. During the lookout for the rare animals, we spotted a whole lot of buffaloes who were migrating from here to some other place. Very soon after, we spotted a lone lioness resting beside a rock. And the climate was too good with a splash of various shades of blue across the sky. We also saw a huge rainbow which was like a gem to the crown, adding even more color to the scene.

     Then all of a sudden, we got information from another guide that they had spotted a pride of lions somewhere close. So we went searching for them and luckily we got the chance to see a few number of lions and lionesses together. Wet in the rains, they were lying in the grass piled up on each other trying to make themselves warm. It was a wonderful sight indeed. The herd had mostly the female clang accompanied by two young male ones. After having a close look at these, we gave space for other vehicles to move closer and started back to the resort. We then spent our last night at the Keekorok Lodge with a peaceful sleep.

     The next morning, soon after sunset, we had our breakfast and began the travel to our next destination, Lake Naivasha.

Clouds over Chennai

     It is during the monsoon season that the city of Chennai looks the most beautiful. The entire city gets flooded. Though they ruin many a plans of outing, they are one of the most beautiful moments to see Chennai. Especially just after the rain has stopped, the cloudy sky and the flowing water on the roads give a broad contrasting range of colors. These photographs were taken during November 2011 when the rains had almost set in.

Mid-day Safari at Masai

After having a sumptuous breakfast, we had a walk around the resort where I saw a few colorful birds playing along the trees, hiding from the scorching sun. At the main entrance of the resort, there was an empty road with a lonely tree standing in the middle of the scene. It looked so beautiful, so i took an HDR photograph of that scene.

     And then, we set off for our mid-day safari. On the way into the forest, we saw a few baboons and nothing much. Due to the hot sun, all the animals had probably found a shade for them to rest. We almost thought we wouldn't be able to spot any, when to our surprise, we got information through the radio communication system that another group had spotted a leopard. Well thanks to the Kenyan Mobile Communications organization for the strong signals of communication anywhere amidst the dense forest. On hearing that, we rushed to the place and saw for ourselves a beautiful leopard sitting on a tree. Then our well-experienced guide, took us way nearer to the tree than any of the others. Never closer than this, had I seen any wild animal before. Since many jeeps were parked surrounding the tree, the leopard was a bit frightened to get down, but still after a few minutes managed to climb down the tree and walked to a nearby water source to quench its thirst. What a wonderful sight it was !

 

      Then it was time for lunch, so we started back to the resort. I just clicked a few common animals on the way back. A giraffe and an elephant that were in fact quite close to our resort.