camping and ballooning in Amboseli

It's been over a month since my last post and I owe what few readers I have a huge apology. My only excuse is that I've been traveling for almost that entire time and finding the time to update my blog has at times been difficult.

My first stop on this trip was Kenya. I asked some friends in Nairobi to take me camping and we agreed on Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya...right at the base of the spectacular Mount Kilimanjaro...towering over 19,000 feet above the African plains. It was indeed a spectacular setting for our humble camp.

Coming to Africa to see the animals is the very first exotic travel dream I had as a child. I read the books, saw the pictures, and watched Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom on TV. I knew that someday I would go to Africa and see it all for myself. My first trip to Africa was in 2002 (Uganda and Sudan) and since then have been back many times. And I've even been on a couple of safaris and seen some animals. But never any lions. And that was what this weekend was about. Show me the lions!!

And I saw them. Nine of them, to be exact.

This lion was considerate enough to kill and eat his wildebeast breakfast right next to the road. We were the second vehicle on the scene and had front row seats from 25 feet away. As you can see, he's sucked the eye of the eyeball out. We saw and heard every juicy moment of that. Very cool.
Amboseli National Park is famous for its hundreds of elephants. They are everywhere. And at times it's almost impossible get shoot a picture without one of them in the background. A good problem to have! Here a family of elephants kindly marched across the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro for us. A classic safari moment.

The circle of life. These carcases were everywhere. And so it goes. Sorry Mr. Zebra.

We camped under this acacia tree. Although it was technically in a public campground with a fence around it, this meant nothing. An elephant walked right past our campsite and there were huge mounds of elephant droppings everywhere around us. So, if an elephant could manage to get through the flimsy fence, we figured a lion would have no trouble at all. Sadly, that little moment of African adventure did not happen. Maybe next time!

Some people pay thousands of dollars to stay in luxury camps with elaborate meals and hot showers. We did not. Unfortunately, we had taken down our tents by the time I took this photo on our last morning in Amboseli.

Certainly one of the highlights of the weekend was a hot air balloon ride we did early one morning as the sun was coming up. I've been to Africa countless times, but few experiences there have equaled the thrill of seeing the sun rise over the African plains from 11,000 feet floating overhead in a hot air balloon. It's been a dream of mine for many years to do this and I wasn't disappointed. It was a truly spectacular and utterly exhilerating experience.

This is Mount Kilimanjaro from 11,ooo feet. We broke through the clouds, the sun came up...and there it was...the highest point in Africa directly in front of us for our own private viewing. It was a breathtaking moment that I will never forget.

This is the company we ballooned with:
Airborne African Antics
www.kilimanjaroballooning.co.ke
I very highly recommend them. It's worth every darn penny.

This is Shelly, our pilot that morning. She's the best. Ask for her. Not only is she a highly skilled pilot, she's a lot of fun and really, truly seems to enjoy her job. She gets to make people's dreams come true every morning -- what's not to love about that?

This is what Shelly told us is a pilot's halo. It's hard to see, but there is actually a rainbow around the shadow of our basket. Very cool.

After we landed, we enjoyed an amazing champagne breakfast right there in the bush. A support vehicle followed along behind as we drifted over the plains and then set up breakfast for us after we landed. Every morning is a different spot of course. But I doubt there would be any finer place to set a table than the one we had. Chefs and waiters in white jackets served us. Our group sat around the table for a couple hours...laughing, telling stories, and reminiscing about the incredible experience we had all just shared. This picture does not do this setting justice at all. Yes, that is Mount Kilimanjaro in the background. And yes, we are eating breakfast and drinking champagne right there. Does a morning in Kenya really get any better than this?

Great friends. Great times. Great memories. Thanks, Chris and Paul, for making my dream come true!

Next year...whale sharks!