A Safari With Style

Nothing cures the work week blues like a little trip to the Fairmont Safari Club!  Located at the edge of the Masai Mara Game reserve, the Safari Club is a plush hotel that combines great food with the awesome big game animals of Kenya. 

All the “rooms” were actually tents that were decked out in a “Out of Africa”/Pier 1 type motif.  Every evening a room attendant would come and turn down the beds, close the shades and put hot water bottles in the beds.  Each morning, hot coffee or tea would be delivered to the rooms.  The meals were all buffet style –  delicious and usually served on a deck that overlooked the Mara River with its many hippos basking in the Kenyan sun.

YES, that IS a lot of hippos!

Twice a day, everyone loaded into Jeeps to head into the tundra to see what animals were out.  We saw elephants, giraffe, lion, cheetah, hyenas, ostrich and many deer-like animals.  I also did a late night game drive – this was something new and pretty cool.  It was surreal to be out driving around in complete darkness, spotlighting for animals – mostly hippo, hyena and other small beasts.  I was hoping to see a lion attack and kill something, but no such luck.  Those hyenas were pretty scary though….

The "classic" African picture...

Giraffe

Is it just me - or does this feline resemble Teddy alittle?!

Cheetah hiding in a shady glen

Baby giraffes look weird.  Sorry - but they do.

The only zebra that did not turn his rear end towards my camera!

The remainder of my time was spent eating and napping.  And it was time WELL SPENT I must say!  Already I am wishing I were back in my cushy tent……