Day 2: Elephants are on the loose

We all slept like logs and awoke to the most amazing sight. I actually got up before everyone else and watched the sun rise and while I was sitting on our little back patio I thought that to myself that this would be a great area to see elephants. The acacia trees that the elephants and giraffes love so much were abundant around the huts and out into the Serengeti plain behind the wildlife lodge. I even listened for them because although they walk very quietly despite their size, they are easy to hear because they rip entire trees apart with one pull of their trunk and that is not hard to hear. After the sunrise I hopped in the shower and was there for less than a minute when Roman yelled "oh my God, there are elephants behind the kids house!" Roman's mom and the kids were sleeping in the next hut over. He tried calling their room so the kids could see the elephants but the line wouldn't work. I told him to go out the front door and run across to wake them up. When he opened our door he found 4 elephants in the front of their little hut!! Two mommas and two babies!!! The bull (male) was not far behind and was the elephant that Roman had seen behind the hut. Nevertheless, he bravely bolted to their door (one of the mom's raised an eyebrow or two) and knocked frantically. The kids were at the door in no time and were squealing with excitement. It isn't everyday that you end up with elephants outside your front door!
I managed (with a towel around me) to take a picture of the kids looking out the door staring at the mom and baby. It was a great way to start our day. Once all the commotion settled down and the elephants moved off we made our way to breakfast with an escort. The hotels are pretty wary of guests getting trampled or eaten. It just isn't good for business.
We spent that morning on a game drive in the Serengeti and did quite a bit of bird and animal watching. We had lunch at another lodge and then made our way out of the park back towards the Crater. We were planning to stay outside the Ngorogoro reserve that night and still had a fair bit of driving to do. On our way out of the Serengeti we saw tons of animals including two male lions snoozing under a tree like a pair of house cats. Yep, they were just lying on their backs with their paws in the air in the shade under a bush. I think it is a miracle that Fred spotted them at all. One of them opened one eye to take a look at us as we clicked away taking photos. They have no real enemies and certainly were not threatened by us not all that interested. They were having a cat-nap (sorry).

After we left the Serengeti we went to visit a Masai village. We went to a different one than we went to last year. One that was slightly smaller and closer to the crater. They tend to feel a bit commercial despite the fact that the people who greet you really do live there and deeply value their cultural ways. The women did a welcoming dance for us and then we walked around and explored the huts and the school. The school had all the kids waiting there to greet us (it is really like a kindergarten because the older kids do go to primary school now that the government is paying for it and heavily encouraging education among the Masai...for boys AND girls). Jack was his usual self and just walked right in and sat down with the kids. He shook hands with a few of the older kids as well. It was really special. I actually thought he was quite brave because your senses are really bombarded with a lot of sights and smells while in the villages. It kind of smells sickly sweet, like buttermilk mixed with cows blood (honestly, that is how my nose would describe it). They live on milk and meat and have no running water to speak of for bathing so I guess that is what you would expect it to smell like.
After the visit to the school, I could see that Fred was getting anxious about hitting the road so off we went for our next stop, and our bed for the night, Gibb's Farm in Karatu, just outside the Ngorgoro Reserve.