Willie loading up a Land Rover.  We were limited to a 36" x 14" duffel bag, and they were stowed over the cabs of the Land Rovers.

Thursday, July 21.  This morning we realize how daffy we are.  Last night Abu said that there had been reports of lions in the park, so he wanted us to leave this morning an hour or so earlier than scheduled.  So, at 5:30 am the alarm goes off, and we are up and getting ready for the day.  I take a hot shower, or what passes for a shower in a permanent tented camp.  Then we have some breakfast and load up the Rovers.  We are checking out of Kikoti this morning, and will overnight at Gibbs Farm.
 
We have a surprise waiting for us as we approach the Land Rovers in the parking lot.  One of the local inhabitants, a very large ostrich, has decided to see what is going on. He wanders around, wanting to get to know us, but we are warned to keep a safe distance.  Finally Jenny, the Kikoti General Manager, escorts our new friend from the parking area so that we can load up and get going.  To get an idea of the size of that bird, Jenny is about 5'-9" tall...  We all wave Jenny and her wonderful staff a cheery goodbye, hoping that one day  we can visit this lovely facility again.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We are riding with Abu, driving out of the park towards Gibbs Farm, looking diligently for the elusive lions.  Then Abu gets a radio call- someone has seen and heard them!  Abu stops, and we look and listen.  We hear a lions roar, and that gives us a direction to look.   Abu says that they are within a mile or so, and we all strain to be the first to see a lion.  Dave is the first in our group to see one, a female, in the grass far away, barely visible with the naked eye.  We are all very excited (including Abu) and watch as she lolls in the grass, enjoying the start of the warmth of the day.  Then she starts to move, and we lose site of her.  Abu thinks he knows where to get a better view, and turns the truck around and backtracks to find another road on the other side of the savanna. 
 
In a few minutes all three of our Rovers are parked, and we watch two big female lions make their way to wherever they were going.  Unfortunately, they are never closer than about a mile, and we can't get any photos.  But we do see them through our binoculars, and they are magnificent.  Our first lions, can it get any better than this?
 
Before we leave, we hear more roars.  Abu says that those are the roars of two male lions, arguing over a recent kill.  We search and search, but we can only hear them, not see them. Finally, we have to leave the area and head out of the park for our next destination.
 
And that destination would be Gibbs Farm, a lovely, upscale lodge about halfway between Tarangire National Park, where we were, and Ngorongoro National Park, where we are heading.  Gibbs Farm is located on what seems like hundreds of acres of lush, green property, covered by vegetable and flower gardens, as well as a coffee plantation. 
 
We arrive at Gibbs early in the afternoon, and check into very nice rooms.  We notice two things right away.  One, there is a fireplace in our room, so we will have something to take off the night chill (remember, we are in the southern hemisphere, so the middle of July is the middle of winter).  Second, there is a real shower, with real hot water, with real water pressure.  We are in 7th heaven, as we have not had a good shower since Tuesday morning.
 
After checking in we are treated to a very nice buffet lunch at the lodge.  Abu informs us that there is a nature walk in a bit, and I decide to go.  Michelle elects to stay at the lodge and relax. 
 
Soon we are on our way for a relatively strenuous, 2.5 hour walk, guided by a young man employed by Gibbs Farm.  Our destination is a huge cave, literally cut into the side of a very tall hill.  The cave is created by elephants climbing up the slope and licking at the rock formations to get at the minerals.  Over time they have removed so much material that there is a huge cavern, as shown to the right.  When asked how the elephants get down the slope, our guide says that the slide down on their back sides.  Now, THAT would be something to see!!
 
We head back toward the lodge, along a different route.  This path takes us to the top of a very tall, very steep, very narrow waterfall.  It must be 100 feet from top to bottom.  All we can see, without hanging over the edge, is the top of the falls where the water disappears over the horizon.  As I am afraid of heights, I take a quick look and move aside.
 
Russ, on the other hand, is determined to get photos looking down.  Having no fear of anything, I guess, we find him with a toe wrapped around a small branch, hanging from a finger, with his camera stuck out in thin air, taking photos.  It just about made me sick, and I was wondering how we were going to identify the remains.
 
But he survived, and claims to have some great photos.  He's just lucky we didn't beat him to a bloody pulp for worrying us so...
 
Finally, we wander back to the lodge, gather outside on a grassy area overlooking the valley, and have a few Tusker's and some wine.  We all start to get goofy, and decide to officially assign nicknames to each other.  The nicknames are great, and Julie has written a page telling how each of us earned our dubious nickname.  It can be found at the "Our Group" page.
 
Eventually we have to break up the party and prepare for dinner.  They seat us inside, making the mistake of putting us all at one table, in a room with hard walls, hard floors, and a hard ceiling.  Needless to say, we were loud and boisterous (as usual) and cleared the other guests out pretty quickly.  But, it was obvious that we were having a WHOLE LOT MORE FUN than anyone else in the room.  Go Thomson Safaris!!.
 
After dinner Tom and Erika, Paul and Pam, Nick and Julie, Michelle and I, Russ, and Dave retire to the outside veranda for a glass of wine and a cigar.  Once again, we talk about the day, the trip, our expectations, and how those expectations have been so very much exceeded.  We just don't see how it could get any better, but how wrong we turn out to be...
 
Finally, we head off to our room, where we've asked the porter to start a fire in the fireplace.  We crawl into bed and fall asleep amid the warm glow of the crackling fire, wondering again how we could be so very, very lucky.