Duane and Sharon's Vacation Part 2

Yesterday, I introduced you to my friends Duane and Sharon Judd who are on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Africa. They are having play time in Masai Mara.

This is a very interesting blog because it tells about their vacation.

Flying into the Wilson airport in Nairobi on a turboprop airplane they landed on a dirt airstrip. Duane and Sharon found that the airport was nothing more than a dirt landing strip with a windsock. But many small airplanes take off and land there every day bringing safari clients in and out of the camps. And so the Judd’s weren’t afraid.

Hours later, having arrived at their camp, they asked to have Reuben as their Land Rover driver. He had been their guide and driver on their first visit and they requested him again.

He was very knowledgeable about the animals and by staying in constant radio contact with other Land Rover drivers in the area, everyone got to enjoy the sightings of the animals.

Here is a list of some of the pictures of the animals that the Judd’s saw. Lion, Cheetah, Hyena, Wart Hogs, Giraffe, Elephant, Cape Buffalo and several species of Antelope, including the small Dik Dik (that looks like a miniature deer).

One experience that Duane wrote about was a big rainstorm. As a result of the rain, most of the animals disappeared into the bush.

The next morning, out for their early morning game drive, Reuben drove the jeep into a wash. Unfortunately the heavy rains had turned everything into a quagmire.

Land Rovers can go just about anywhere; they ford streams, crawling over boulders, and climbing steep slopes. However, as Reuben climbed the bank out of the wash this day, the jeep got stuck. He jokin

gly (or maybe seriously) told everyone that they may have to get out and help push. But first, he shifted into his 4 wheel drive. Soon, all 4 wheels were spinning and mud was flying everywhere, including into the open sides of the Land Rover. The Judd’s have been traveling with a family from England and the wife took the brunt of the mud in her hair and face. Thank goodness, she was good-natured and soon had everyone laughing.

In the meantime, Reuben kept backing up and making a run for the slope. His efforts finally worked and they were able to get out of the wash.

As it turned out, they didn't see herds of animals crossing the Mara River. They were spared the carnage of broken legs, drownings and crocodile attacks that they had anticipated.

They also didn’t see any lion, cheetah or leopard killings of wildebeests, zebra, or antelope. According to Reuben, the lions had full stomachs and werejust lying around or sleeping.

They did see dead wildebeests in the river, some of which were being eaten by vultures. Also, waiting in the river, were huge 15 to 20 feet long crocodiles, a

nd in one big mud bog there was a huge dead cape buffalo that looked like he had drowned in the mud.

In summary, their play time on the Masai Mara Game Reserve was very successful and the Judd’s expressed how fortunate they felt at having the opportunity to serve their church while being in Africa.

The Judd’s also served as English teachers in China a couple years ago and Duane wrote a book about their two years there. It’s called "City of Springs - A China Experience" and you can check out at "Booksmart"