Feb 16, Saturday   Leaving Serengeti today for Masai Mara.   Last night the bush TV was bizarre. Group of five from Malaysia/Singapore wealth management and finace and international law. Two of them finished Kilimanjaro hike yesterday. Seven days. Last day 40 below 0. Young couple.  Ian and Ruby.  Then two Indian couples traveling together, one from New Jersey squash players, other couple from Dallas. The two guys had climbed Kilimanjaro also.  Then a young couple from Canada about 30 years old on a three week trip, also squash players.  They are heading to Zanzibar next.  The conversation from the fireplace continued over dinner for three hours.  The head waiter had to herd us away with apologies at 10:30.  Interestingly, the Singapore group confirmed my expectation that the Las Vegas Sands casino in Singapore is indeed the centerpiece of entertainment and architecture there.  Kudos to Brad Stone here for creating it. It was fun to tell them that he laid out the blueprints for that complex on the hood of my car some ten years ago.  Great conversation from all directions, thirteen of us. Something in common with all of them.  Maybe see them again.   Elephants passed through back of camp 0600 this morning. Missed seeing them. Hyena loped by in front of camp over coffee.  Giraffe in the distance all alone in a big field over breakfast. Spanish omelette and cereal.   On way to airport now, lots of elephants, a leopard in the field with tail twitching, walking toward a gazelle in the distance. No time to stop and watch.  Moved our flight up.   Arrive for flight. Peter checks us in.  No one asks our name again.  No security or id.  We put backpacks in container on left wing, and I ask pilot if he is supposed to put gas in there.  He says, “You want gas? You fly copilot.” Back in the front seat with him again.  He’s a real jokester, with thick Indian accent.  “No smoking except for pilot. Women may have to push to get us started.”  Pretends to push the dashboard to get us moving.  It’s a twin engine twelve seater.  Lift off at 80 knots, cruising at 230 knots, 11,850 feet.  Zip by a plane on our right that took off five minutes before, a single engine going about 160. Gorgeous day. Fly through gap in two mountain peaks above us.  No sign of human life now as we cruise east to Arusha.  We took off ten minutes early.  Pilot reaches over and cleans off my Ipad screen as I’m writing this. Smiles and says “dusty!” To Bev’s delight.  I showed him this description. And he laughed and says, “That’s good.” 30 minute flight.   Three more bush flights, and we had crossed Tanzania west to east, gone north to Nairobi, and crossed Kenya west to east, and landed six hours later in the Maasai Mara on time. The airport here was lined with antelope. They have a guy clear them from the strip prior to landing.  Slow game drive on way to camp and saw a half-eaten antelope with its legs dangling from a tree.  Very macabre.  The leopard  will be coming back for seconds. Then found a big male lion resting by the road.  Rolled over several times and sauntered away into the bushes.   Next we came upon a black rhino feeding a couple of hundred yards away, our best view yet of one.   Arrive at Olenana tent camp, greeted again in driveway with welcoming party, including manager named King,  first name.  Cold towels again.  This is a real first class place start to finish.  Owned by Abercrombie and Kent, part of chain called sanctuary retreats.  Every wall hanging, light fixture, mural, chair, coffee table a work of art. Deck over the river and hippo pool.  All inclusive deal including laundry and room service by walkie talkie.  Escort to room after dark even though compound has electric fence and lighted walkway.  Jungle canopy covers walkways even though no jungle for a thousand miles.  Can’t wait to see the rest.   Jambo mambo, even if it means hello=