"Fill At Home"...You fill me?

We woke up on the third morning and started the day with a game drive that would lead us all the way to Faru Faru,  just in time for their famous meze fare lunch, and for a few hours we would have the entire lodge all to ourselves. Now that's privacy. As we dismounted from the Rover we were welcomed with the traditional Singita lavender scented hot moist towels and delicious herbal iced tea. After we had a tour of the main lodge and pool area we were whisked away to our own private room, bungalow 8. 

Coming from Sasakwa you feel a swift contrast with Faru Faru's youthful and somewhat playful tone. I'm not going to lie, the moment I walked in, I knew it was going to be difficult to leave. Faru Faru is in the style of a modern 1940's botanist retreat (in which case, I may have missed my calling as a 1940's botanist) , and each room has all of the tools you would need to knit, paint, and draw. I didn't need much encouragement to feel artistic in this beautiful setting, within an hour of arriving both of us were inspired and ready to paint.

PTO

S. Angelo

S. Angelo

This was our first vision the morning we woke at Faru Faru, it was painfully beautiful, to the point that I rolled out of bed at 6am just to paint a picture of it, so that I would NEVER forget it. 

S. Angelo

 I wanted to capture that pink sky and the one tall and bare tree that was black from the back-light, with its intricate branches, and the gorgeous pink reflection in the calm swirling river...mmmmm. I've never seen 6am look more beautiful, and I an NOT a morning person, but in the Serengeti we woke up every morning just before 5am and felt more alive than ever, no coffee necessary. (But how can you say no to a hot cup of Tanzanian Gold?)  It's amazing how painting and drawing, more than anything else, helps you to burn an image into your mind. Simply taking a photo can never have the same effect. It's all about studying and analyzing the subject until your own mind begins to interpret it in a visually artistic way, then something changes, you begin to study the color more carefully and the angles and minute details with intent. Then and only then do you look at a landscape that is mostly green and brown and obsess over the minor variations in color and texture, you quickly realize that no tree, leaf, or blade of grass is exactly alike.

Bungalow 8

     This tented bungalow took my breath away, the design was impeccable and modern, equipped with an outdoor shower and patio, and a tub that sits right up against the glass so that you can gaze at the babbling brook (stole that one from Annie) or raging river, depending on whether it's rained.  There was something about it's simplicity and clean lines that was soothing to the eye and made you feel immediately relaxed. The front of the bungalow one huge window over looking the Grumeti river, which opens with the press of a button, allowing the room to become part of nature, immediately you're engulfed by the sound of the river, the birds, and of course the baboons. On the other side of the Grumeti you see zebra, gazelle, and impala grazing.

 Main Lodge & Pool -

The main lodge is built with all natural materials and is completely open.

Life along the Grumeti River

The elusive colobus monkey, we were very lucky to spot these cuties with their white puffy tails.

This tree was spellbinding.

Baby terrapin.

Nice choppers.

Bye, bye birdie...

What better way to spend our afternoon than taking a nice hot bubble bath with our good friends Mr. & Mrs. Baboon?

The first encounter I had with a baboon at the bungalow was while I was looking in the mirror, applying my mascara. I caught a glimpse of something in the corner of my eye and as I turned my head to the right I locked eyes with the baboon, who had been watching me apply my makeup. I was a little startled and let out a shrill gasp, which caused Mr. Baboon to get upset, in fact he was pissed, he jumped on the outer ledge of the window and stomped his way to the back door. Peter and I literally thought he was going to open the door, as he stopped and looked back at us through the glass.

They're actually quite adorable, as they have the face of a dog with their long snouts. I watched them for at least and hour sitting in the tree and picking berries, eating them, then sometimes taking one bite and tossing it if it wasn't ripe enough. After witnessing this I no longer feel guilty about my fastidious nature when it comes to selecting produce.

Singita Surprise

There's no surprise quite like a Singita surprise: we were told to be up and atum at 9am the morning after we arrived, for a surprise, so we jumped in the Land Rover and Joe drove until we reached a clearing next to the Grumeti River. Right there beside the river they had set up the most beautiful breakfast smorgasbord, complete with a full grill of sausages, eggs, potato pancakes, and crepes with chocolate and raspberry jam. It was absolutely lovely.

Later that night we came back to our bungalow to find rose pedals delicately placed on the floor spelling out, "FILL AT HOME", and a trail leading all the way to the bathtub that was drawn with bubbles, flowers, champagne, and candles scattered throughout the room. Thank you to our friend William at Faru Faru, for lovingly setting up that romantic scene. Authentic hospitality.

Our final and favorite surprise at Faru Faru was when we walked out of our bungalow at 8am to find a family of elephants directly outside our door. Peter walked out first, as was trying to get me to follow because we had to meet Joe, and all of a sudden he exclaimed, "There's a herd of elephant out here!!" to which I replied, "Yeah, yeah..I'm almost finished getting ready, cutie!" After a bit more convincing I walked out to find 15 elephant!! It was exhilarating, no one else was around, and we just stood there in awe of these ginormous, beautiful creatures. They didn't even seem to be bothered or stressed by our presence. We tried to get as close as possible without getting trampled on, my heart was racing.

These elephants were on a mission, they were getting a quick snack and moving right along. It seemed they had a destination in mind, because after we met up with our guide Joe, we  found them a mile away on the other side of the river.

Interesting Fact: Both male and female African elephants have beautiful ivory tusks, which grow for most of their lifetime and are an indicator of age. They are known to have very long lives, if everything goes well for them. Life expectancy is anywhere between 60 - 80 years old, they live longer than any other mammal in the animal kingdom. Elephants are "right- or left-tusked," one tusk is always shorter than the other. The shorter tusk is the one that they use the most. They use the favored tusk more as a tool which is why over time it gets worn down and shorter. 

In the elephant kingdom females are top, they're in charge, and they call the shots.Each family has a matriarch, who always leads them wherever they go. When she starts walking, every one of them stops what they're doing and follows her. For elephants there is a very defined social order and they're an extremely close knit society, these female elephants create a connection and community that spans a lifetime. They care for one another deeply.  Elephant families can only be separated by death or capture. This sort of system helps to ensure successful survival and continuance of the species. So ladies, let this be a lesson to us all. Let's not forget, elephants are one of the most highly intelligent species in the animal kingdom. If women could get along as well as female elephants do we would be running the world...I for one am not going to hold my breath. Elephant power! Forgive me, Sheryl Sandberg, maybe its more than just leaning in, we should probably start by being nice to one another and helping each other. I know you addressed this at the end of the book, but I feel as though it should have been one of the most important and significant topics.

Crazy Fact: Elephants eat about 1,100 and 1,200 pounds of grass and branches every day. That must be exhausting! Every few feet they would stop for 30 seconds to a minute and grab some vegetation.

Nom nom.

The perfect bum scratching device.

Sweet little dumbo, trying to keep up.

"Being in close harmony with animals is important because through them, we learn so much."