Hi everyone! I got back from the safari yesterday afternoon and it was the most amazing experience of my life. It was honestly indescribable. You would have to experience it for yourself - the pictures and video don't capture it well enough. I can't wait to show you all of it though!

We left for the safari at 7:30am on Saturday. Our driver picked us up at the orphanage and we found out that the entire safari we would have our own private van and driver - SO AWESOME! It was just me and Carly to ourselves in a van with eight seats! The van ride took about six hours but it was entertaining because along the way we saw a random giraffe on the side of the road and some zebra and gazelle. When we got to the hotel it was like entering a whole different world - we were greeted with fresh juice and warm towels to wash our hands. It was really weird to be at a five star resort and to be served after serving at the orphanage.

The hotel was spectacular - amazing view and our room was a little hut with a balcony view. The food was delicious buffet style and we ate tons of plates of food each meal. The van was really nice and comfortable - the roof popped up so we could stand and have an amazing view. It was my favorite part.. I loved my hair blowing in the wind as I looked out over the plains. Our driver was very friendly and knowledgeable!

I honestly don't even know how to describe the safari - it was breathtaking. I felt like the luckiest person in the world. We saw so many animals up close and you can't even compare it to anything else. The scenery was beautiful - I loved the clouds, the trees, etc. We went on four van rides total, each about 2 1/2 - 3 hours long. We would go on a morning drive around 6:30am and then an afternoon drive around 4:30pm.

Some highlights:

-Saw a herd of elephant up close... 21 of them including babies! They were all eating.
-Saw a pack of lions of up close in three different instances. The first one was seven females all surrounded our van, the second one was a female with a bunch of cubs (they were so cute when they played and would mimic the mom) and the last one was a male with some females and the female was calling in the other lions so many were coming from a distance.
-Saw a mom and baby rhino up close. They walked right up to the van.
-Saw some giraffe up close.. one was even sitting down!

Some other animals we saw: baboon, gazelle, topi, water buffalo, crocodile, hippos, cheetah, birds (vulture, etc), hyenas, jackal, wildebeest, warthogs, lizards, marmosats and more!

I loved waking up really early for the sunrise and they would have tea and coffee out to drink while you watched. It was beautiful. We also laid out by the pool one afternoon and it was so hot out we got pretty burnt. The view from the pool was amazing, you could see giraffe in the distance and some buffalo came up pretty close.

The safari was one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life and I have never experienced God's creation in a way like that. It was breathtaking. I had so much fun and it by far exceeded my expectations. Thank you so much for helping support me so that I could go! Looking forward to sharing pictures and video with all of you.

It was great to get back to the orphanage yesterday though - I really missed the kids! Helped out with their homework last night and am going to the nursery today to help out. Hopefully am going to go visit another orphanage this week with Carly and Sara for a day - Joy Divine Childrens Organization. Miss all of you!



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