Jess woke at 6:15 and wrote in this journal until the wakeup call, then we got up, dressed and had a light breakfast of fruit, toast, juice and tea. Half the group stayed behind to rest, while the other 5 of us went on a game drive. We drove down into the Migration, and along the way we saw hartebeests, giraffes, topi (another type of antelope), Grant's and Thomson's gazelles, zebras, wildebeests, impalas and elands. We also saw a hyena and both silver-backed and golden jackals up close (near one of two kills we saw, though both were swarmed by Ruppell's griffons and white-backed vultures that had driven away other would-be diners). We saw several ostrich lying down (they look just like when they're standing, except without legs), as well as a steppe eagle, many kori bustards, a flock of Abdim's storks and a white-headed vulture resting in the grass. Jer was happy to have the chance to photograph an African hare, though the banded mongoose we saw were too far away. The highlight of the morning came at the kopje (rock outcropping) nearest camp on the way back, where we spotted a cheetah! She watched us suspiciously for a bit, before rolling around on her back. The engine startled her, so we saw her pace and sit in their characteristic 45-degree angle stance to survey the area. She was very lithe and beautiful.
We returned to camp in time for a buffet lunch with focaccia, chicken salad, vegetable crepes, rice with vegetables and raisins, cauliflower and pea salad, all followed by lemon mousse pie. It was very cool and refreshing. Afterward, we headed back to the tents to freshen up and write before the afternoon game drive. We saw pretty much the same animals in the afternoon (including the lovely cheetah again), though we hung around the kopjes and only saw the Migration from a distance. We did see rock hyrax up reasonably close (and they are really adorable), as well as a bright blue-and-red abama lizard (we cannot understand how it isn't eaten by eagles, it was so garishly colored).
We arrived back at camp for drinks around the campfire, but unfortunately we were rained out. After watching the fire from the porch of the mess tent, while the porters served vegetable tempura and soy sauce. Then we headed in to dinner. The veggie cream soup was phenomenal, especially with the fresh bread. The roast lamb, sesame sweet potatoes and cashew greenbeans were all delighful; Jer thought the cabbage was good too, but Jess didn't try it. The dessert, raspberry cheesecake, was just so-so. The crust and fresh raspberry topping were tasty, but farmer's cheese was not entirely successful as a substitute for cream cheese or ricotta. As Jess was practically falling asleep at the table, we then headed back to our tent.