Cindy's Africa adventure: Oct. 2

Up and at 'em at 6 a.m. with a wake-up call and hot, fresh brewed coffee brought to our tent.
Brekkie at 6:30 a.m., then we had to wait for our two Aussie friends to start the safari. We were supposed to have a guide and vehicle all to ourselves today but somehow, the Aussies were included.
They were alright company but we wanted to talk more with Severin, our guide, and the Aussies only spoke to him when they needed something, like tea. We want to stop, take photos and ask questions.
But today, we were on a mission. Severin wanted the Aussie women to see the wildebeest crossing the Mara River - you know, the crossing you always see in relationship to the Great Migration.
The women had waited five hours the previous day, and the wildebeest didn't cross, and it was their last day in camp.
So we staked out a spot above the river across from a really large herd of wildebeest; it was about 8:45 a.m. We watched them go back and forth, back and forth. Apparently, it just takes one bull male to set off the frenzy when it figures it's safe to cross. But no such luck.
They turned and headed up river, so we snaked our way down to the spot where they were congregating. Again, it can happen in a flash. But it didn't.
We waited about four and a half hours, going back and forth until about 1:30 p.m. and there was a HUGE herd of wildebeest.
One took off, the others followed. It was amazing and fascinating. Beth counted 50 wildebeest every 10 seconds during the largest surge. It went on for at least 15 minutes so we figure there were well over 2,500 wildebeest crossing the river.
It slowed and, of course, a crocodile got a small wildebeest that looked a little crippled and was behind. I didn't see it take it under; Beth saw it. There was no struggle.
But immediately after it was taken down, the herd abruptly stopped and turned away from the river.
Wow! My photos don't do the event justice but perhaps you can get a sense of it.
While waiting for the wildebeest, we did see a family of elephants crawl down the river bank to the river for a drink.
Other than that, our time was spent waiting. I did spot a couple of monkeys on our way back to camp but not much else. The Aussies were ready to go back to camp and insisted we get there before 5 p.m. so they could shower.
I dunno. Supper isn't served until 7:30 p.m. The sun sets around 6:30 p.m. and it's almost dark at 7 p.m. when we head to the bar for a beer before supper. Wienies.
Although, I do have to say that it was probably good we arrived early. After we showered, it began raining. Just a quick shower but it really cooled things down quickly.
Speaking of showers, we do have a shower in the tent. It's a bucket shower. The water is heated by a solar heater, and the camp staff will fill the bucket with 20 litres of hot water when you're ready to shower. As I mentioned previously, you turn it on, get wet, turn it off, soap up, turn it on, rinse. We actually get 40 litres (20 litres per person) but we haven't even used a full 20 litres yet. Perhaps the last night we're here, we'll take a long shower.
There were several people that arrived yesterday: a guy from Scotland who is traveling alone (his wife died a year and a half ago), two black women from D.C. (haven't really talked with them yet), a young heterosexual couple who eats alone, and a couple from Germany who don't speak much English.
They were all at the campfire last night before supper.
When I say the young couple eats alone; it's a little odd because the guide assigned to each group eats supper with the group. So Severin joins us and the Aussies, and the young couple had no guide joining them.
We are doing a morning safari tomorrow because Severin has to return to camp to get the Aussies and get them on their plane. Then we'll do a late afternoon drive. No pics of the crossing because I'm tired or waiting. Sorry. Perhaps later!