This is the long long twisty bumpy road to the crater rim.,

where the camp is located.

This was our third time to the crater .... & believe me ...

this road is an absolute  "joy" to travel when it's raining  

( especially since there are no guard rails )

No.... not at the top , even yet.

The crater has two lakes.     This is the larger one.

Just when we thought the road couldn't get any worse ....... it did

The photo shows the path to the camp.

One set of parents operate a survival camp in the states,  so they taught all the children the proper way to make a fire.

( without matches, too )

Thought you might like to see our  "shower".             When we wandered back to our tents after dinner .... we found that the guys had put hot water bottles in our beds.   How delightful  !!

Then in the mornings ... we were up and getting dressed before dawn.   The mornings were cold at that altitude , so we had breakfast, wrapped in coats or Maasai  blankets.

This  was our only sighting of the rare Black  Rhino   ( no ... they're not white .... they're dark grey, just like the White Rhino ).   That's dried mud.

The kids got a big kick out of the  Kori Bustards

 Of course,   when I informed them that  Bustard is spelled with a U instead of an  A  ...

 the enchantment level dropped a bit.

The baby  Wildebeests were a big hit.

And the sight of over 1000 Flamingos taking to the air above the lake elicited  lots of OOOOHS  and  AAAHHHS .

The sight of a herd of Zebras galloping thru the water was like watching a herd of wild horses ....and all the kids were doing their  Yeee Haawws

 ( to the accompaniment of the parents going  "Ssshhhhhh" )

I know  Hyenas are supposed to be good parents .......

 but I've never seen one that I haven't wanted to put thru a car wash.

Scruffy looking creatures... even on a good day.

Ahhhh ... what can I say.    In spite of Warthogs being so

down-right homely ... the kids took a real shine to them.

Don't know if you can read what Roy's pointing at ... but it says :

"We go thru every measure ... to give you wild pleasure"  .... www.roysafaris.com

And by overwhelming consent ..... the absolute favorites ... THE  LIONS

The younger members of the group have decided that  "The Lion King" ... is a  biography.        

Deirdre & the village  Chief

Maasai  Jewelry

The huts are made of  cow  dung ... mud ... &  sticks.

The women build the huts ... the men construct the fences.

The children found their visit inside the hut  highly  "enlightening".....

not enjoyable .... but the experience gave birth to some very interesting discussions.

Maasai  Warriors are renowned  for their high leaps from a standing position.

It  IS  an amazing thing to watch.

The women were very sweet and very friendly ...

and were very very proud of their children

This fellow grew up in the hut we visited.

His mother built it.

The person in the middle ... is the village  Shaman

The  Corral ....  At night they bring the animals in here ...

 to keep them safe from predators.

The children were fascinated with Deirdre.

Actually ... we were VERY proud of her on this trip. 

She took things as they came ... no complaining about any discomfort .... and was one TERRIFIC  GOOD-WILL  AMBASSADOR.

Opposite:   When we stopped at the registration gate ... Deirdre made friends with this

 Rock Hyrax.   ( the closest relative is the elephant ... believe it or not )

What A Stroke Of Luck !!!        A  leopard sighting during the day.

Everyone was absolutely THRILLED.

Of all the members of  "The Big Five " ...

 a  leopard  is the most difficult to see

Probably the largest herds of Zebras we saw on this trip... were here in the Serengeti

P.S.   The "Big Five" ... are :  Lion - Elephant - Cape Buffalo - Black Rhino - Leopard

After a long really dusty day ... our showers gave us a new lease on life  ( notice the shower stall hooked onto the back of the tent )

Sunset  times  never failed to produce an outstanding show of some sort.

Traditional   After-dinner  Marshmallow Roast

Deirdre gets a gift of a  "Kanga"

 ( normal mode of dress for Maasai  females )

Peter and all the kids .... VERY HAPPY CAMPERS ... got to see ALL of  "The Big  Five "

   and....  WE'RE  OFF  to  ZANZIBAR  !!!