5:45 came quit quickly and Matthew was waiting on us.  Tiana and Tatyna were moving a little slower.  We were to meet our driver at 5:45 a.m. and got everyone together by 6:05.  Father Matthew came down to say farewell and we began our journey.  1 hour into the drive from Mwanza to the Serengeti, the driver pulled over for us to catch this sun rise.

We then continued on our drive and arrived at the gate at about 8:20.

The driver had to go and take care of our admission and do some paperwork so our three pilgrims and myself went to the shop and grabbed some snacks and waited.  There was an issue with Tatyna’s registration and the driver came out and asked Tiana for her passport.  He then came out and asked which of the girl’s was 14, and then asked for Tatyna’s passport.

After about twenty minutes the driver emerged and stated that they were having network issues and could not process his credit card so they gave him a paper so he could pay inside the park.  We entered the park and began the process so common on Tanzanian roads, shake rattle and roll.  We immediately came upon some ostriches where a male was trying to woo a number of females

We then continued on and found two male lions, both whom seemed to be injured.  I caught a photo of the first greeting the other as he looked for a more peaceful place to rest.

We then continued the process of bouncing around in the back and seeing water buffalo, wildebeasts, baboons, zebras, crocodiles.

At noon we stopped for lunch and a highlight of our day was watching a very smooth baboon watching us eat.  When a group put their boxes in the trash, he went around to the side and peaked around the corner, then ran over and tipped over the trash can, grabbed one of the empty lunch boxes and ran away.  I suggested that we put out a banana on a nearby picnic table and see what happens.  We caught him in the act and images:

We then continued our safari, stopping at a suspension walking bridge

Right after this time it had become extremely hot and the animals were not even moving.  Most of the animals were sitting on the ground verses standing.  We drove for about an hour looking for a cheetah and leopard.  The elephants had moved far west out of the park to get closer to the water.  I then suggested we just go and see the giraffe we passed on the way in and return to Mwanze.  What trip to the Serengeti would not be complete without a flat tire.  Matthew and I helped the driver, who was not in a hurry to change it get it changed and get on our way.

Matthew got his chance to work on a vehicle, and found out that power tools aren’t readily available in the middle of the Serengeti.  We then stopped and saw the two lions

We then caught this mother giraffe with her twins.

We then exited and were happy to be back to our hotel at 7:00