then headed to camp. On our way, saw a few wildebeast walking by. 
My first night was meant to be spent with the African Impact lion conservation project out here. We got to arrived at camp and it seems alright. The accommodations are basic, but comfortable, and the staff is very friendly.
There's an outdoor area used for eating and socializing, and across from that is a structure for the bedrooms. I'm in a room with a volunteer from Holland.
Mike’s in a tent in the back, which he seemed a bit nervous about! The bathroom facilities seem to be fine. Overall, it's a very liveable setup!
We had a bit of free time, so I was able to take a nap, which made me happy because that ride was a beast. Sitting in the front middle seat with no back support for 4 hrs is not conducive to napping!
I woke up feeling better and was surprised to see that David from African encounter was there. We had seen him on our introduction video at Antelope Park, and I find that for some reason it's always a bit surreal to meet people you've only seen on video or television. He’s nice, and we had a good time chatting with him about Antelope Park. This project is based on monitoring the animals here, so we watched a presentation about lions and how to identify them, then I napped again. Hey, I was tired!
When I got up, we went on our game drive and I felt great to be in wide open spaces,
which made me think of the song. I know, I know, but give me a break, I just felt really happy to be able to come, I can't believe I almost passed it up because I was tired!
Our Masai guide's name is Joseph, 
and I told him he wasn’t as tall as I had expected. I explained that many people have visions about Masai men being these uber tall lanky guys! He smiled and told me compared to him I was still short, so maybe he thought Americans were taller too ;)
We didn’t see too much on our game drive. We saw the usual animals, giraffe and elephants, 
but no lions (ha! a month ago I'd have been thrilled to have seen any animal!). We stopped and had dinner outside, and the scenery was gorgeous, but when we first stopped I looked around and said "uh...couldn't lions just walk up to us?" The guides assured us that wouldn't happen, so then I just enjoyed my delicious meal of chicken and veggies and took photos. Best picnic I've had all year! 
We rode more and still didn’t see anything, but the tons of stars in the sky made it worth it, just like at Uluru! As icing on the cake, Mike and I both saw a shooting star! Definitely a good sign.
We got back to camp and hung out. I used the internet for a bit, then got a raging headache. My third this year. Once in Peru after our beach trip, then in Romania after a day of school, and now here. I'm not sure what it is, as it always comes on suddenly. Maybe my spine was out of whack because of the car ride, maybe I've had tons of sun and have been squinting too much. Either way, it was full on.
It was pitch black outside, and I left my room to wash my face at our outdoor bathroom. At the sink, I suddenly remembered a story a staffer told earlier about a female lion that had casually walked through camp…and I realized we didn’t have any fencing whatsoever, and that it was so dark I could be getting stalked right now and not know it. Suddenly I was washing furiously, trying to decide between my life and clogged pores. It didn’t take long before I realized I could stand a few zits. I ran back to the lodging, soap in my mouth and all (don’t ask how that happened) and slammed my room door. Deciding the taste of soap wasn’t the best, I went to the water tank right across from my room (still not out of the danger zone because nothing is closed up) and got some water, finished rinsing my face and rinsed out my mouth and locked my door. My terror made me forget my headache for a second…a second. I eventually fell asleep but man, with the fear and the headache, who knew the Mara could be so eventful!
