We woke up to an absolutely incredible view of Ngorongoro Crater outside our lodge this morning. After breakfast, we drove down into the crater for our last day of safari. Tomorrow we will drive around Arusha and Moshi (Clif is hoping for a glimpse of Kilimanjaro through the clouds), then to the airport to fly to Germany.
While in the crater, we saw the last animal of the Big Five - a rhino! Apparently, they are very difficult to see. There are only 25-30 of them in the crater, and less than 5,000 of them on the planet. We didn't get very close to him, but we definitely saw him.
The most exciting thing we saw today, other than the gorgeous scenery, was a group of lions who decided to wander in and out of all the parked safari vehicles who were there to watch them. One lion came right up next to our jeep and decided to lay down under the left front tire. Everyone else was taking photos of her, but we were a little concerned since we couldn't move until she decided to leave. Fortunately, she didn't stay too long.
We are back at Ngorongoro Farmhouse tonight. We're doing all the mundane, night-before-you-go-home kinds of things like re-packing our suitcases so they're ready for the airport. In many ways, I am sad to see this journey end, but I have seen and experienced so much that I don't think I could take many more new and wonderful experiences. I had my own time of prayer this morning - worshipping the Creator at the crater - and I couldn't even find the words to thank God for all the beauty I've seen, all the things I've done these past few weeks. My heart is so full that I'll need some time to sort through all of this. I think the processing will come in future weeks and months as these experiences begin to connect with my "real" life. For now, I am just living in the moment, so incredibly grateful.
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