Tanzania Honeymoon
    The cubs would normally have to wait their turn with a small kill, but with the ample plate of buffalo in front of them, they weren't forced to sit on the sidelines. They jumped on the carcass, tore at it, clawed it, imitating the big males, preparing to become them. Funny in their attempts to act tough, they often fell off the great mountain, then quickly resumed their attack. One cub I realized was half buried in the belly of the beast, upside down, his little rear paws swinging in the air.
     The females ate after the males, and the cubs were right in the thick of it again. After they were full, and got bored, they looked for someone to play with. They cuddled with the mothers, but the males didn't want to play. One growled at a poor little cub when he made the mistake of trying to bite daddy's tail. Left on their own, the cubs turned to each other for amusement, wrestling, tumbling, nipping at each other until that, too, became boring, and they laid down on the savanna to rest in the soft evening light, just like mom and dad.
    As the sun approached the horizon, the vultures were arriving to wait their turn at the scraps, and we had to head back to the lodge to make the 6:30 curfew. It was hard to leave, but it was an unforgettable treat. As if to cap off a perfect drive, we saw the best sunset of the week, full of crimson, orange, and lavender hues of incredible intensity. And as if that weren't enough, our last view before reaching the lodge was a line of 15 lions perched on a kopje, perhaps enjoying the sunset as well.

October 13
After breakfast we headed for the Seronera Lodge (still in the Serengeti), doing a game drive along the way. Right at the base of the kopje we saw four lions, near where we had seen the 15 lions last night. After that, we didn't see much other than the usual Thomsonís and Grant's gazelles, topi, hartebeest, impala, and zebra. Funny how you almost take these species for granted, as they are in such abundance.
     It was a nice change to get out of the burn area and back into the grasses. The yellow grasses looked even more like spun gold after staring at the scorched earth for the past day and a half. It's nice to leave behind the burnt earth smell, as well.
    We did get a couple of close hyenas on route. Mangy looking and often snubbed as the cheating scavenger of the savanna, the hyena is an accomplished hunter in its own right, and is actually the most efficient carnivore on the plains - they can eat and digest bone, horns, teeth, and hides within 24 hours, leaving nothing to waste.