Pissing down rain. Use the ruts to steer the 4x4 Land Rover equipped with grandstand style seating on the back - cocooned in plastic and canvas. Arrive at the lodge. Park in the mud and progress through a tunnel of bushes to emerge at the reception. We're allocated tent 12, which looks out onto a clearing, populated with monkeys, around which the other tents are discreetly hidden. The tent is twice the size of that in Bwindi and like that has a double superstructure, supported on wood. Inside it has twin beds, bedside cabinets giving way to the bathroom/dressing room with shower with a giant head like those in the Savoy Hotel, sink cum vanity unit and indoor loo hidden behind wooden batwing saloon doors.
Late afternoon game drive into the Masai Mara. It's criss-crossed with tracks and a seemingly endless supply of white minivans with their sunroofs up.
We see a couple of elephants then head up a side-track for a closer look at some giraffe. On our way back, Gerrard takes the wrong rut and we get stuck. All out. Who's on lion-watch? With a little help from Adam and Morgan we get out.
See two lionesses and their cubs. Side-tracked again for more close ups of giraffes but on the way back we get a flat. Gerrard makes it back to the main track and we stop to take stock. The spare is flat too. Dusk falling. Who's on lionwatch?(!) That pair are only half a mile down the road. But the minivans are still gathered there so it's ok, isn't it? Gerrard radios for assistance. The other Siana Springs Land Rover turns up and we borrow its spare, frtunately fully inflated.
Glimpse a buffalo in the gloom near the park exit. make a ptstop at the Masai village by the entrance and leave the tyre to be fixed. Not a bad afternoon - 3 of the big 5 bagged.
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