Oh man, I've been waiting for these pics since you posted your plans to go there. I'm glad you had a great time.
I agree with what you said about a beautiful country with a bad reputation. I think that's true of most of Africa. The majority of the people are so nice and generous, even though many of them have so little. It's the governments that are screwed up in most cases. That's why it's so sad that so many people have to suffer because of the greed and corruption of a few people.
Anyways, I can't wait to see some more pics. Those ones you posted are awesome. How close were you to that lion? Did you have mega zoom, or were you really that close? I would have a hard time not petting it. That's my favorite of the bunch.