Trees on the Serengeti Plains of Africa
During our three month journey through Africa I had several ‘this is it’ moments. Not the ‘this is it’ I’m gonna die moments in case you first thought that. The type of ‘this is it’ moment that resonates through your whole body and you know what it feels like to be alive. To have a moment in time where everything seems in balance on the planet. A belief the world is full of wonder and beauty, not greed and hate. That every difficult obstacle you may have overcome in your life was worth it because it brought you to this moment. That type of ‘this is it’ moment.
These moments happen at random and are unplanned. I was in the Serengeti helping to pull down a pop up safari roof of a 4X4 vehicle we had been riding in for hours viewing wildlife across the vast plains. As I sat back down in my seat I thought to myself how my entire life I have wanted to go to Africa, ride around in those safari jeeps like I saw in National Geographic and be those people. On that day, in that moment, I was one of those people. My hair was wind blown and crazy. I had dust all over me. My eyes were constantly scanning the landscape just trying to comprehend the magnitude of what I was looking at and I was so excited I hoped the day would never end.
I don’t know if there is any greater accomplishment in life than to have situations in which you could not be more satisfied with a moment in time. Some of those stop time moments had to do with viewing the trees of the Serengeti. I was just in awe of one lone tree pioneering above the horizon line with nothing else around it for as far as the eye could see. Or the scraggly-ness of some of them. Or just the beauty of the tree just being there. I don’t think trees have ever captured my attention as sharply as they did in the Serengeti.
I chose not to add text to the photos this week. I selected a few of my favorite tree photos to give a snap shot of time on the Serengeti Plains. I hope you enjoy these photos and can also journey back to a moment in time where you felt ‘this is it.’ Because there really are no greater moments in life than when we can say this is it, this is what life is about and I am so thankful and happy to be alive.
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If you go:
Our trip through the Serengeti was part of our Intrepid Tour.
The local guides we had were through a company called Machohalisi. Our driver and guide was Samson and he was amazing!!! We were very satisfied with the service and knowledge of this company.
We stayed at Twiga Campsite which was clean, nice and secure. You can buy good wifi access here. The town is small, but if you are looking to buy any art, particularly paintings, the market is very good for that.
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Beautiful tree pics! Just being able to travel through the Serengeti would be a ‘this is it’ moment for me! This trek must have been almost overwhelming.
Oh my gosh, it was out of this world. If you want a way to bring yourself to the present, go to the Serengeti. I tried to remain present and take in every minute of being there. The experience was just stand alone. So thankful we had such good weather while we were there as well.
Wow stunning shots as usual guys! These particular group of shots could basically all be post cards on their own… So much story in each one of those trees, skies, grasses, and the dynamic angles of everything.
It’s not hard to see how the Disney movie Lion King was inspired… take a “this is it” drive through the Serengeti and after a few days sketching you got yourselves a film!
Ok speaking of that I just did a search and it seems Disney did go to Kenya to work on Lion King. The Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya:
http://hype.my/movies/disney-see-the-real-life-locations-that-inspired-the-cartoons/
Also on the promo side of things, you should start posting photos to instagram. It’s super popular and will draw people back to your site with your incredible shots. How you work it is put a bunch of # on stuff like #serengeti #treephotos etc and it’s weird but people find you and follow you. You would do awesome. Just a thought. xo
Hey Barn! Thanks! We drove through the Maasai Mara land and saw a good bit of their culture. Because the Lion King was so inspired by Kenya, there in particular, everyone says Hakuna Matata. And you are right and this might be just the nudge nudge I need to get on the ball and get on instagram! Thank you!!! I just started getting active on google+ and twitter, this will be next on the list! Thanks for the push. 🙂
Wow! Those pictures are for postcards! Exceptional photography and images.
Thanks. I am thinking we might have to get back into making cards like we used to. 🙂 Thanks for the encouragement.