Sunday, July 25.

Tarangire National Park.

Elephant capital of the world.

I am obsessed with elephants. Their status as my favorite animal has now been cemented. Elephants are my favorite. Period. Fact.

There were SO MANY. We hadn't driven more than a few kilometers into the park when we were surrounded. Mothers and young, even some babies, and one huge bull who was--as Hussein put it--"looking for a ready and willing female." The ladies weren't having it. No elephant sex today.

They were incredibly tolerant of our presence, considering how close we were (and the fact that they had us surrounded). And they are so intelligent... they make eye contact with you and it really feels like they are watching you back. They know you are there, and are gauging your every move. They make decisions, and have an intricate system of communication with each other. I was awed by them.

Other animals we saw at Tarangire:

-Impalas (lots of 'em)
-Lions
-Zebras (lots of 'em)
-Giraffes (Maasai giraffes, to be specific)
-Dik-diks (fun to say, and now a running joke)
-Waterbucks
-Maribou storks
-Vultures
-Warthogs
-Baboons
-Mongooses (mongeese?)
-Wildebeest
-Cape buffalo (lots of angry ones)
-Vervet monkeys (the blue-balled ones)
-Jackals

This has truly been an eye-opening experience. Our group bonded this weekend, and we saw some amazing things that few people we know have ever seen. Wait for the pictures!