We did a hot air balloon ride up to 2000 feet in the air. We used Hot Air Safaries to do our ariel experience. The start was super scary getting into the air. We started by watching the balloon get pumped up with regular air. Then, when it was time, we got in the basket. The basket was on its side, so we were lying down; if you’re wondering, the basket is separated into five compartments. Each one holds three people, and one is in the middle for the pilot. I think there were compartments to keep people from rocking the balloon.
The worst part was the flame-throwing fire into the balloon to heat the air. I would jump down and crouch in the bottom of the basket when the captain turned on the heat. Besides that, the view was amazing! We saw something like a cheetah or leopard, but it was neither. We went lower and higher and lower. I loved it! I would do another ride anytime, even though it was scary.
After the balloon ride, they served a champagne breakfast to you on top of a hill. It was a big breakfast. It is worth it! If you can make it a life goal to go in a balloon, you should do it.
i was so scared but the experience was still super coolThe hot air ballon was having a hard time filling upFire!Such good veiwsSo Pretty.
We spent a wonderful 4 days in the Masai Mara. My parents decided to rent a car to drive us on our own (called “self-drive” or “car hire” in Kenya). This made the trip much more interesting. It is a beautiful park full of animals and ditches where you can get your car stuck! The car we rented was nice: with a whole package deal of wobbly roof and butt bruising seats. Along with a broken speedometer and gas tank measurer. It also comes with a stick shift and broken seat belts. Enjoy!
Even though there were a lot of problems with this car, I am still super glad we got it. I liked it because it felt homey somehow. It was comforting to sit in it and fun to drive in.
I learned to drive a stick shift car. First, take off the emergency brake with your foot on the clutch and brake. Turn the car on. Next, take your foot off the brake and prepare to put it on the gas. Next, step on it! Slowly press down on the gas while slowly coming off the clutch. Also, make sure you are on gear one.
The park was very alive with many animals and only a few dead ones. We saw one dead giraffe, one dead elephant, and one zebra that we witnessed dying and being eaten.
Story of a Zebra Dying (Warning: if you don’t like death, skip this part!)
a zebra killed by hyenas and picked over by cultures
When we returned; the zebra was only the head, skin, and bones. It was astonishing! Watching the zebra die was not something I enjoyed. I wanted to help it or call a wild animal vet or something. I soon realized that the hyenas needed food, and the vets wouldn’t do anything to help. The zebra had a massive gash on its side that looked superinfected and a gash in its butt. I don’t know why the hyenas attacked there because I don’t think that would be tasty. The zebra kept sniffing its wound and tried to stand up when the hyenas were getting impatient.
They were probably wondering, “why can’t this zebra hurry up and die? I’m hungry. Hey Bill, you want to bite its butt again? Maybe that will make it die.” Bill says, “Naw, that part wasn’t tasty; I’d rather go for its head.”
My suspicions were confirmed. The zebra bottom is not tasty. The zebra got up and tried to walk around. Then it looked like it was trying to give birth, but mom said it was a boy and it was not rapidly going through pregnancy but convulsing. Which means your insides are blowing up. I asked mom if the whole zebra would explode and if all its insides would go flying because I didn’t want to be darou2nd if that happened, but she said “no.” After it was done convulsing, it had two seizures. The seizures were not as scary as watching it convulse. It was like watching a rodeo with a dying zebra. In the end, it fell, stuck its legs straight up, and died five minutes later. I won’t describe the rest because it was super gross and smelly.
Hippos Snorting in Masai Mara
The rest of the park was beautiful! In the river, there were hippos, and they communicated by snorting and what sounded like burping and farting. The hippos were also huge, like humongous water pigs. I don’t know why they are called water horses. They look nothing like horses. They look like pigs with oddly cute faces and cute little tails that wag like dogs. In other words, I loved them! Two astonishing facts about hippos. One: they are not animal-eating carnivores but are herbivores that are very territorial and will attack any animal that is in its space. Two: if a male hippo loses in a fight, it will become a lonely hippo that lives its life moping around and sulking on land. We did see a male hippo sulking, so it is true.
Zebra and Wildebeest Migration Across the Mara River
We also saw some zebras migrating across the river with a couple of wildebeest. I love how there will be a couple of wildebeest hanging out in a zebra herd like they are visiting old cousins.
I would go back to the Masai Mara and recommend it. The lodging at Talek Bush Camp is not great, but the scenery makes up for it.
The rooms were not fancy, but they were relatively kind. The food was super good. It was right next to a river, and we saw a hippo fight! The staff were excellent and helpful and even made gluten-free pasta for us! I would rate it three stars and say they could do better by patching up the rooms. I would probably want to stay at a different place next time we go.
My Favorite Part: Baby Lions!
Cute baby lion cubs!
On one of the days we came across a mommy lion and two very young baby lion cubs. They were just sitting under a bush next to a ditch crossing as we drove by. We were so surprised to see them! My dad was driving and stopped and turned off the car and we just sat there and got to observe them. We could hear the little sounds the cubs made, and at one point the mommy lion got up and walked over right next to our car! Then the cubs walked over near to us and started playing in the grass. After that, they all went back to the shade of the bush and laid back down. Eventually, my dad started up the car and drove away quietly. It was so special!
Some of my Masai Mara Photos
Some of the many photos I took while my family self-drove in Masai Mara
We had to wake up early that day because we were going to a giraffe center and a baby elephant orphanage. The giraffe center was super short. The giraffes were not. We had to feed the giraffes little pellets. Their tongues were super long and funny looking. I especially liked feeding one of the baby giraffes that would duck under the bar to get the food. It was super cute! Mom got bit by one of the giraffes, which looked super painful. There was also a hotel in the area called the giraffe hotel, and the giraffes would stick their head through the windows to wake you up, and you get to have breakfast with them. I wish we could have stayed there, but mom said it was super expensive because of the giraffes. I probably would not go back there, but it was a fantastic experience.
The next place we went was an elephant orphanage for baby elephants. Some of them were super duper tiny! Twelve would come out and go for the milk bottles. They were very excited about it and were also a little pushy. We got to learn their names, and I got to touch one, but I am not fond of touching elephants, small or big. After seeing them play, we got the chance to foster one of them! I chose to do so, and I picked Kinyei. She was one of the cuter ones and was pretty small. I am super happy about being able to help her, and I get to hear stories about her and her friends. One day she will get to go into the wild again, but only when she is older. I would highly recommend this experience as a heartwarming, funny endeavor. Seeing the small elephants play and eat was super cool and fun. I would most definitely go back there.
Yesterday, we left for Kenya! I was sad to go Thulani. It was my favorite place in South Africa. Â
The airport in Hoedspruit was super small, and you could take liquids through security! The plane was not too small, but it was not huge either. The aircraft from Hoedspruit to Johannesburg was not long. When we got to Johannesburg, the sun was setting. We had to go out and come back to security because we were switching airlines. We went through, and dad found us a place to eat dinner.
As we were walking to the dinner place, we passed a bookstore! An actual bookstore, full of books! Mom said we could go back there when we had ordered our food. The restaurant was huge and empty, except for the birds and the sushi. I got salmon and tuna nigiri. I later found out they were out of tuna, so I got rolls instead. I asked my siblings if they wanted to go back to the bookstore, and they said yes.
The bookstore was sadly not as good as we thought. There were all the nature books about cheetahs and things. There were kids’ books in the back, but only ones like, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and we were not going to spend money on those.
I didn’t get any books, and when I returned to the restaurant, the food had arrived. I ate my sushi very happily, the salmon was good but not as good as Seattle salmon and tuna.
After dinner, we worked on blogs and other things. When we got on the plane, it was a pretty good-sized plane. Me and Emmy (my sister) were in one row together with me on the aisle and Emmy on the window. A guy was in between us, and while we were in the air, I discovered a whole open row in the front of the economy cabin. Emmy and I moved up there, and we were much more comfortable.
The flight went late into the night, and I only slept in the last bit. The airport in Nairobi was crowded. We had to get our bags and then go through customs. The line to customs was short, but it took over an hour! Going into Mexico is way easier! When we finally got to the front of the line, we had to go through it individually. The airport was super hot! After we got through security, we had to have our bags scanned. After that, we finally got outside.
The outside was not boiling. Thankfully, it was the perfect temperature. We did not have a ride to our hotel, so we got one. But before we could leave, we had to get sim cards. This took about an hour. It was late at night, and we were all tired. We had to wait for the guy to install every sim card on each phone. It took so long. By the time we got in the car, it was 2 am. When we got to the hotel, nobody was there. Except for the security guard. We had to wait in the lobby for someone to check us in. It took us a while to get to bed.
Thulani was amazing!!!! It was my favorite place out of the first three places we stayed. First was Melvilla Guest House (in Johanessburg), then Cradle Boutique Hotel (in Cradle of Humankind), and then Thulani (near Hoedspruit, in Northeast South Africa)! I shared a room with Emmy right next to the pool.
The staff people were terrific! Kelvin was the game driver, and he helped with other things too. Charlene was the chef, and Nmbuso was the chef’s assistant. Charlene was amazing! She cooked the best foods and was super friendly and kind.
The pool was freezing! Like super cold. It felt nice on my face, arms and legs when we returned from Kruger, but otherwise, it was super hard. The rooms were excellent, and the bathrooms were awesome!
On the first game drive, we saw things like giraffes, zebras, and lots of antelope and wildebeest. Kelvin had prepared a sunset snack of mango nuts cocktails for adults and soda for kids. Yes, we did get to share a sprite and a Fanta. Mom will say yes to soda for the first time and probably the last.
On Tuesday we went to visit a school. On Wednesday, we went to a wild animal Rehabilitation center. There we saw lions, leopards, cheetahs, honey badgers, birds, and many more animals. It was sad to see how animals are badly caught in traps and wounded. Some of them die from their wounds. The rehabilitation center was fun and painful, and I would recommend it. It is called Moholoholo wildlife rehabilitation center.
