Friday, August 10, 2012

From Chaos to Tranquility!


The last month has gone by so fast with all the exciting happenings in the area keeping us very busy!




Unfortunately the incredible wildebeest migration did not pass directly through camp this year but was only a few kilometers away in the Bolagunja area.  




One can hear about the migration your whole life, but when the day arrives when you are actually sitting in the middle of these animals, it is very hard to believe that it is real.  To say that it takes ones breath away is an understatement.

It truly is a spectacular sight which defines nature.

All five senses are opened wide..  The sound of a million wildebeest is like listening to a million bull-fogs, each with their own distinctive voice. Each individual with only one thought in its mind - food!  The males run around the herds giving off their low grunts and prancing their stuff like proud dressage horses.


We have spent many evenings all huddled around in the lounge area, looking at laptops or Ipads, watching slideshows of amazing photos and videos taken by our guests of wildebeest bravely jumping off high cliffs and swimming across the Mara
 River. What a spectacle!










It sometimes takes two hours of patient waiting before witnessing the spectacle of the wildebeest crossing the Mara River.  They are, understandably, very nervous to cross a river full of hungry crocodiles.  However, this is not their only fear - another major hurdle is the massive wildebeest stampede which occurs, when many animals break legs or are drowned during this short journey across the river. We can not help but ask the question -"Why?" 





It is incredible that these animals can move such a distance and through so much danger in search of food.  There is still a lot of luscious grass around the Lamai area but still, they follow their ancestral paths across the dangerous Mara river in search of  greener pastures.



August has been the perfect time to be at Lamai with the best of both worlds.  We have been able to enjoy the excitement of the migration on the plains with the incredible views of one million wildebeest spread out like ants and the overwhelming chaos occurring on the banks of the Mara River, before returning at the end of the day to the peace, tranquility and comfortable luxury of Lamai. 


They seem like two different worlds and we are grateful that we are able to witness both!

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