Friday, February 21
Well apparently my screaming like a girl over a snake (which is exactly what I did, I will admit) was the talk of the Masai tent overnight. The Masai who walked me back to the tent was a bit of a gossip and told them all, as Benjamin and Nicholas both knew the entire story this morning. Excellent. I owned up to it completely, reminding them that I'd told them I'm no fan of snakes, so there's no way they couldn't have known. Nicholas did try to make me feel better telling me he hates snakes and dogs. Somehow I doubt that he runs screaming like a girl in the other direction at the mere mention of either.
I got to sleep in this morning, as my flight out of Nanyuki was supposed to be at 10:00. Supposed to be. When I got to breakfast at the prescribed 7:30, the other Benjamin told me my flight was at 9:20, and we are about 90 minutes from the airport. Ummm....I didn't realize there was any urgency so casually ate my cereal, scrambled egg on toast and pancakes. I even finished all of my hot chocolate and the two chocolate peanut butter bars left with my wake up call.
Across the salt lick this morning we saw a mother giraffe with her littlest baby chasing her. It was really quite cute and just amazing that they are right there.
Nicholas drove like the Land Rover was the General Lee through the muddy roads of Ol Pejeta, and somehow we arrived with 15 minutes to spare. It was the fastest navigation of Ol P I think anyone will ever see. I managed to see some animals along the way, but nothing I felt worth stopping for, which was a good thing.
I had one flight from Nanyuki to Mara North, which took about an hour. Then I stood on the airstrip and waited for a second flight which took about 8 minutes to Naboisho. It was the easiest transfer between flights I've ever done, about 10 minutes total, including the waiting time for the second flight to come in and land. The flights were fine and I really tried to take in the landscape from the air, how green and vast and open it seemed from up there. And I couldn't help but smile when I spotted herds of zebra or impala from way up.
Jasper and Amos met me and I joined another couple from Kenya in the vehicle. We did a short ride of about 45 minutes on the way to camp. The landscape here is quite different than Ol Pejeta. While there is still a lot more scrub than in Serengeti, it's less than in Ol Pejeta. And there are more of the umbrella acacias that I expect now in Africa. Also due to the early rains (not expected until March) things are a lot greener than I expected, both here and in Ol Pejeta.
We crossed through Naboisho to get to Ol Kinyei conservancy. Porini Mara is the only camp in the conservancy so in essence, this is all ours.
Right out of the airstrip, we saw a flock of vultures waiting patiently on the ground. We drove over and found a lone hyena, munching the skull of a wildebeest who had been taken down, most likely by lions, during the night. Hyenas' jaws are so strong that they can eat bone like we eat hard candy. Their excrement is actually powdery white, due to the high amount of bone they consume. This guy wasn't giving up the skull to anyone, including the vultures or us, and as we drove past him to leave, he grabbed it and scurried away.
The plains animals are really varied, more so than the Serengeti. Zebras, giraffes, eland, topi, impala, Thompson's gazelle and my old friends the wildebeest were all abundantly apparent on the drive, living in perfect harmony. We saw about a dozen giraffe just in the short drive here. There were no wildebeest at all in Ol Pejeta because of the altitude; there they had hartebeest instead.
We came across a herd of male elephants crossing the road and Jasper managed to position us so we were right there as they crossed up the hill. It was amazing to watch them, especially when the used the shorter acacias to rub up against and give themselves a massage or scratch, or just push them over like cheap toys. It turns out that all the downed trees here are due to elephant damage. They don't know any better and just seem to be having a good time.
There are six tents here and it's more compact than Porini Rhino. The tents are closer to the common areas and this seems more landscaped than Rhino. The tents are smaller though and seem a bit older. But the setup here and how everything works in terms of showers and wake up calls and all that, is the same, as it must be across the Porini camps. Astonishingly, as I unpacked my things and even as I sit here now, I heard a snort. Looking out my wide window, I see zebra not 30 feet from my tent, on the other side of the short trees from me. Wow.
We arrived just in time for lunch and met the staff. Jimmy is the camp manager and just as big of a personality as Harry was. Very friendly and so accommodating right away. For lunch, we had tomato pizza, antipasto, a cucumber and mint salad and salad with sundried tomato and cheese. Fruit salad for dessert. And Jimmy already became my hero when he produced a Tangawizi, the ginger soda I fell in love with in Tanzania.
It's much warmer here with the sun out, so much so that I'm contemplating shorts and sandals for the game ride, but I know it can turn cold fast, so maybe my zip off pants. I'm hoping for more sun here and less rain. And lots and lots of lions, leopards and cheetah....
The chronic cynic in me had me with not very high hopes for the afternoon ride, and I'm not sure why. I think these guides have to prove themselves to me before I really buy in. I know that is totally irrational, but that's just the way I am. I remember that I thought Benjamin couldn't possibly be as good as Said was, and he was. Now I have Jasper to learn to trust. He is after all the expert at this while I'm just a twice going safari freak. So off we (the couple from Nairobi and me) with Jasper joking that another mass elephant sighting would surely top a lion sighting. I wasn't laughing. I came to Mara for cats, and I made that clear from minute one.
So we had more plains game, which is really great, but unless you are a zebra-phile can get really old. Then another elephant sighting, some baboons, some vervet monkeys...all very interesting and not what I was here for. Then all of a sudden we spotted the guy from lunch who is a Norwegian wildlife photographer. They had spotted a male cheetah on an impala kill, and we arrived just in time for the cheetah to start the second course of his meal. The impala was barely recognizable unless you intimately know the innards of an impala. The cheetah tore into it with aplomb and certainly will be sleeping off a food coma tonight judging by how distended his belly was when he was finally done. It was a learning experience though, watching this cheetah keep an eye on his surroundings. Because not paying attention and only eating leaves him open to becoming lunch for lions or having his kill stolen by hyenas or jackals. So I was fairly happy with this sighting. Within a half hour of leaving camp, they'd found us a cheetah. I was even more surprised when Jasper said we were off to find lions. Lions! TOO? In addition to the cheetah??? Heart be still. But I was still doubtful.
We wound our way through a tight maze of short trees. Lots of starts and stops and restarts and redirections, when Amos whispered loudly "SIMBA" and pointed straight ahead. There lying barely under one bush was a male lion sleeping pretty much out in the open. He was out cold though and barely raised his head. Snapped some photos and moved on. Further along we found another male, a lioness and two four month old cubs. Ok, NOW we're talking lion. They were all somewhat obscured by bush or brush so I didn't get a ton of great photos, but I was within about 25 feet of the most majestic beasts on earth. So psyched. After a bit one cub got up, moved a little ahead. Then the other cub did the same and roused his mom. Then a third (somewhat older) cub came from another direction and greeted the foursome and they all headed off in that direction, so we did too. And we found three more cubs and two other lionesses. I was sold. This was more than I could ask for on my first short game ride here in the Mara. This was a pride at its best, with three females tending to cubs and two males making sure they all grow up healthy (Jasper says there's a third male somewhere).
They all appeared ready to sack out for the night in this clearing, when the wildlife photographer showed up again and took out his remote control car with camera mounted on it. And yes, he did put it on the ground and yes, he did play with the cats. Well, to him it was work, to me it was great fun. There was one lioness who was most protective and most inquisitive and also had the most hissing and attitude for the remote car. The cubs were mostly inquisitive but eventually settled back down to rest or nurse. As the guy drove his car around the lions, it was fun for me to just see how they reacted (mostly hissing or growling if they got too close, unless it was an adult male, and then they couldn't be bothered). I could have watched it all day but eventually it got much too dark and the lions even started to lose interest. I hope he got some great shots out of that experience. He's taking it to Porini Lion, where I'm headed in two days, so we'll see how he does.
Jasper did keep asking us if we wanted to leave for our sundowner drinks, and of course none of us wanted to go. I was relieved that my travel companions didn't want to leave but also that Jasper was that flexible that he didn't mind.
Driving back tonight there was lightning in the distance and I had forgotten how in the Serengeti the lightning would dance along the tops of the cloud banks in this silvery blue light. I saw that tonight and smiled.
Our vehicle lost brakes about 200 yards from the camp, so we had to be rescued, but other than that the day was without incident. I enjoyed a gin and tonic with the others at the campfire and we headed up for dinner around 8:00.
Dinner tonight was vegetable soup, beef fillet with green beans, carrots, mashed potato and a soft warm brownie with sauce. I could get used to this.
Heading to bed now since we have a full day drive in reserve tomorrow.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Kenya Day Four - Meeting Poco
Thursday, February 20
Let me be clear, I'm all for folks not wanting to live the safari style I prefer (which is do as damn much game driving as possible) however I do take offense to it when it affects me when you don't want to. To wit, self-righteous twenty-something who demands to sleep in this morning but be picked up by the vehicle I'm in at 8:30, meaning the rest of us get practically no early morning game ride because we are tethered to this location. Just a note for those reading this, go along with the group. No, seriously, just shut up and do it.
Rant over. In all honesty today didn't turn out so bad, but I am still riding high from yesterday, which was just about perfect, what with me having all day game rides and a walk to myself. I will continue to savor that.
I slept so well and without assistance from Ambien. It was much warmer last night and the hot water bottle became oppressive, as did the light fleece I slept in before. I woke a few times to noises outside, mostly hyena, but at 5:30 I heard the familiar roar of my lion friends, and smiled.
Off I went with one other guest at 6:30, after my hot chocolate and oatmeal raisin cookies delivered by a faceless voice at 6:00 am singing out "good morning Amy". Ah, I could get used to this.
As I said, we had fairly limited room to roam on this game drive and Benjamin said most of the predators would be on the east (opposite of west, where we are) in the morning. Still, we managed to sneak in a spectacular but fleeting sighting of a black rhino, standing stoically in a clearing for a split second before he darted off into the bush. That was quite memorable. They are so skittish that they are hard to spot and have a sustained sighting, so to have one at all was pretty cool (our other sightings to this point were of white rhinos only). There are 102 black rhinos roaming Ol Pejeta and only 7 white that are not in the sanctuary (I've seen 5 of those).
Other than that, we had some pretty standard sightings of hyena, jackals and birds. Today would be a pretty notable day for birds. This morning we saw a step eagle, weavers, tawny eagle and a whole bunch of vultures who we think were looking over a kill, but damned if we could find it.
We returned for breakfast at 8:30 and I had cereal, some of those awesome pancakes and a scrambled egg on toast. Good glory that was fine! As always, I'm eating extremely well here. Oh and did I mention the giraffe that was out on the salt lick near the mess hall as we ate? Yeah, that's pretty cool too.
All of us headed out for the second half of the morning game drive. Our first sighting was of a giraffe who turned out to have a broken front leg, which was quite sad. She was hardly putting any weight on it and Benjamin said she'd most likely become someone's meal as she can't get away and will be easy prey. That was really the first heartbreaking thing I'd seen here.
We passed some waterbuck with Grant's gazelle and saw in a flash two more of the elusive black rhino running across the road. By the time we got to them though, they were already well under cover in the bush.
Our next stop was the the Chimpanzee Sanctuary, which was founded by Jane Goodall. Chimps from other parts of Africa have been rescued and brought here to live out their lives. Although chimps are not native to Kenya, the sanctuary has been designed and planted to resemble their natural habitat. There are two quite large enclosures, one holding 24 and another holding 15 chimps. The place is so big, we only saw two chimps total! Poco and Socrates are two of the oldest chimps there. Poco has terrible cataracts and shields his eyes from the sun, but he loves attention from the ladies. My first instinct when he approached the fence was to get on my knees and talk to him. He seemed to respond to the attention somewhat but ultimately moved on to recline in a shady spot. Later on, we came upon him again, and I again got down on my knees and spoke to him for several minutes. When I stood to continue along the fence, he walked along with me, the entire length of the fence, as if entertaining me right back. I was really touched by this. Poco had had a hard life, living nine years in a cage hanging over a gas station, only being able to crouch or stand upright (indeed now he can actually walk upright as a result!). So to have given him some positive attention made me feel pretty good.
Leaving the sanctuary, it was now quite warm again and the sun was out. We continued our drive looking for any form of cat, but passing drivers were telling our driver Nicholas that they weren't having much luck either. We found the two rhinos with the baby from yesterday again, as well as the five oryx.
One thing that was a new sighting for me was three bull elephants (males live apart from the females and young). What made this sighting interesting was that two of the males were fighting each other, banging heads and tusks, swinging trunks and pushing each other. Benjamin said it wasn't serious fighting but probably just play.
The only other notable sighting today was the African Fish Eagle, which looks a whole lot like our American Eagle at home.
By this time it had well clouded over, gotten significantly cooler (after being uncomfortably warm walking around the chimp sanctuary) and was about to pour down rain as we pulled in for lunch. Two new arrivals from New Zealand had arrived, Jennifer and Rosemarie. They are making a 6 week journey around Africa and I'll be catching up with them again in Porini Lion at the end of my stay.
Lunch today was beef kabobs, carrot slaw, rice and a tomato and cucumber salad with a mango ice cream, which was delicious. As it was pouring down hard now, we took a quick break back in our respective tents and gathered up again at 4:30 for a game ride, which only the new arrivals and I were interested in. We waited until about 5, sitting on the covered veranda eating cookies and watching the rain, when the rain lightened up enough to not need to close the vehicle up.
We had Daniel as a driver and Little John as the guide, so I wondered if perhaps they had terrain I hadn't covered here yet. This would most likely be my last game ride in Ol Pejeta, so I was hoping for something great. Just after the rain it seemed like the only ones interested in being out were the zebras and a handful of impala. We found another sullen hyena, looking like he hated every minute of being wet. Daniel kept stopping to use binoculars to scan the horizon, and not too long after we went out, he pointed straight ahead of us, where I could see on the crest of the hill a magnificent male lion standing there waiting. Better still, his brother was with him.
These two young males (still had the cub spots on their legs and very thinly grown manes) were sitting with each other just surveying a very open plane. They took turns sitting, standing, surveying and finally cleaning each other, rubbing chins on foreheads and licking each other dry. I was in cat lover heaven...and I was only about 25 feet away from all of this. What was just incredible was that they kept looking right at us, completely seeing that we were right there watching them, and they didn't do a thing about it. I felt blessed to be there at that minute, as the light of the day faded away, watching these two brothers look after each other. After a few yawns and a couple of attempted cat naps, they stood up and strode proudly away, two boys getting ready for a night out on the savannah, I guess. I was in heaven. Just a perfect ending to my stay here. And, for Ms. Self Righteous who didn't join us on this ride, karma.
While waiting for dinner, I discovered gin and tonic. This was the first drink I'd had since I've been here and figured I'd cap my three nights at Ol Pejeta with a traditional safari drink. Good glory, I'll need to look that up more often.
Dinner tonight was roasted chicken with sweet potatoes, steamed rice and zucchini. Dessert was a really nice cheese/orange souffle. We sat and talked for a while, which was really nice, then bid each other goodbye and retreated to our showers and hot water bottle warmed bed, which will feel nice after the cool dampness of the game ride.
The staff here have been wonderful. Benjamin as a guide was great. Daniel and Nicholas as drivers were wonderful in some very tough conditions. All of the house staff were friendly and knew me by name from minute one. Harry the Roving Manager and Benjamin in particular were just great, always remembering what we'd forgotten and looking after little details for each of us. I will be sad to leave here, but the Masai Mara calls.
One rub, the Masai guiding us back to our tents and pointed to the ground. All I heard was "snake"...so to whomever told me they don't come out at night, you lied. Technically I did not see it, but I know it's out there. So I shrieked like a sissy girl and pushed the Masai ahead of me down the path to my tent. He laughed and zipped me in tight and wished me good night. And so ends my stay at Porini Rhino.
Let me be clear, I'm all for folks not wanting to live the safari style I prefer (which is do as damn much game driving as possible) however I do take offense to it when it affects me when you don't want to. To wit, self-righteous twenty-something who demands to sleep in this morning but be picked up by the vehicle I'm in at 8:30, meaning the rest of us get practically no early morning game ride because we are tethered to this location. Just a note for those reading this, go along with the group. No, seriously, just shut up and do it.
Rant over. In all honesty today didn't turn out so bad, but I am still riding high from yesterday, which was just about perfect, what with me having all day game rides and a walk to myself. I will continue to savor that.
I slept so well and without assistance from Ambien. It was much warmer last night and the hot water bottle became oppressive, as did the light fleece I slept in before. I woke a few times to noises outside, mostly hyena, but at 5:30 I heard the familiar roar of my lion friends, and smiled.
Off I went with one other guest at 6:30, after my hot chocolate and oatmeal raisin cookies delivered by a faceless voice at 6:00 am singing out "good morning Amy". Ah, I could get used to this.
As I said, we had fairly limited room to roam on this game drive and Benjamin said most of the predators would be on the east (opposite of west, where we are) in the morning. Still, we managed to sneak in a spectacular but fleeting sighting of a black rhino, standing stoically in a clearing for a split second before he darted off into the bush. That was quite memorable. They are so skittish that they are hard to spot and have a sustained sighting, so to have one at all was pretty cool (our other sightings to this point were of white rhinos only). There are 102 black rhinos roaming Ol Pejeta and only 7 white that are not in the sanctuary (I've seen 5 of those).
Other than that, we had some pretty standard sightings of hyena, jackals and birds. Today would be a pretty notable day for birds. This morning we saw a step eagle, weavers, tawny eagle and a whole bunch of vultures who we think were looking over a kill, but damned if we could find it.
We returned for breakfast at 8:30 and I had cereal, some of those awesome pancakes and a scrambled egg on toast. Good glory that was fine! As always, I'm eating extremely well here. Oh and did I mention the giraffe that was out on the salt lick near the mess hall as we ate? Yeah, that's pretty cool too.
All of us headed out for the second half of the morning game drive. Our first sighting was of a giraffe who turned out to have a broken front leg, which was quite sad. She was hardly putting any weight on it and Benjamin said she'd most likely become someone's meal as she can't get away and will be easy prey. That was really the first heartbreaking thing I'd seen here.
We passed some waterbuck with Grant's gazelle and saw in a flash two more of the elusive black rhino running across the road. By the time we got to them though, they were already well under cover in the bush.
Our next stop was the the Chimpanzee Sanctuary, which was founded by Jane Goodall. Chimps from other parts of Africa have been rescued and brought here to live out their lives. Although chimps are not native to Kenya, the sanctuary has been designed and planted to resemble their natural habitat. There are two quite large enclosures, one holding 24 and another holding 15 chimps. The place is so big, we only saw two chimps total! Poco and Socrates are two of the oldest chimps there. Poco has terrible cataracts and shields his eyes from the sun, but he loves attention from the ladies. My first instinct when he approached the fence was to get on my knees and talk to him. He seemed to respond to the attention somewhat but ultimately moved on to recline in a shady spot. Later on, we came upon him again, and I again got down on my knees and spoke to him for several minutes. When I stood to continue along the fence, he walked along with me, the entire length of the fence, as if entertaining me right back. I was really touched by this. Poco had had a hard life, living nine years in a cage hanging over a gas station, only being able to crouch or stand upright (indeed now he can actually walk upright as a result!). So to have given him some positive attention made me feel pretty good.
Leaving the sanctuary, it was now quite warm again and the sun was out. We continued our drive looking for any form of cat, but passing drivers were telling our driver Nicholas that they weren't having much luck either. We found the two rhinos with the baby from yesterday again, as well as the five oryx.
One thing that was a new sighting for me was three bull elephants (males live apart from the females and young). What made this sighting interesting was that two of the males were fighting each other, banging heads and tusks, swinging trunks and pushing each other. Benjamin said it wasn't serious fighting but probably just play.
The only other notable sighting today was the African Fish Eagle, which looks a whole lot like our American Eagle at home.
By this time it had well clouded over, gotten significantly cooler (after being uncomfortably warm walking around the chimp sanctuary) and was about to pour down rain as we pulled in for lunch. Two new arrivals from New Zealand had arrived, Jennifer and Rosemarie. They are making a 6 week journey around Africa and I'll be catching up with them again in Porini Lion at the end of my stay.
Lunch today was beef kabobs, carrot slaw, rice and a tomato and cucumber salad with a mango ice cream, which was delicious. As it was pouring down hard now, we took a quick break back in our respective tents and gathered up again at 4:30 for a game ride, which only the new arrivals and I were interested in. We waited until about 5, sitting on the covered veranda eating cookies and watching the rain, when the rain lightened up enough to not need to close the vehicle up.
We had Daniel as a driver and Little John as the guide, so I wondered if perhaps they had terrain I hadn't covered here yet. This would most likely be my last game ride in Ol Pejeta, so I was hoping for something great. Just after the rain it seemed like the only ones interested in being out were the zebras and a handful of impala. We found another sullen hyena, looking like he hated every minute of being wet. Daniel kept stopping to use binoculars to scan the horizon, and not too long after we went out, he pointed straight ahead of us, where I could see on the crest of the hill a magnificent male lion standing there waiting. Better still, his brother was with him.
These two young males (still had the cub spots on their legs and very thinly grown manes) were sitting with each other just surveying a very open plane. They took turns sitting, standing, surveying and finally cleaning each other, rubbing chins on foreheads and licking each other dry. I was in cat lover heaven...and I was only about 25 feet away from all of this. What was just incredible was that they kept looking right at us, completely seeing that we were right there watching them, and they didn't do a thing about it. I felt blessed to be there at that minute, as the light of the day faded away, watching these two brothers look after each other. After a few yawns and a couple of attempted cat naps, they stood up and strode proudly away, two boys getting ready for a night out on the savannah, I guess. I was in heaven. Just a perfect ending to my stay here. And, for Ms. Self Righteous who didn't join us on this ride, karma.
While waiting for dinner, I discovered gin and tonic. This was the first drink I'd had since I've been here and figured I'd cap my three nights at Ol Pejeta with a traditional safari drink. Good glory, I'll need to look that up more often.
Dinner tonight was roasted chicken with sweet potatoes, steamed rice and zucchini. Dessert was a really nice cheese/orange souffle. We sat and talked for a while, which was really nice, then bid each other goodbye and retreated to our showers and hot water bottle warmed bed, which will feel nice after the cool dampness of the game ride.
The staff here have been wonderful. Benjamin as a guide was great. Daniel and Nicholas as drivers were wonderful in some very tough conditions. All of the house staff were friendly and knew me by name from minute one. Harry the Roving Manager and Benjamin in particular were just great, always remembering what we'd forgotten and looking after little details for each of us. I will be sad to leave here, but the Masai Mara calls.
One rub, the Masai guiding us back to our tents and pointed to the ground. All I heard was "snake"...so to whomever told me they don't come out at night, you lied. Technically I did not see it, but I know it's out there. So I shrieked like a sissy girl and pushed the Masai ahead of me down the path to my tent. He laughed and zipped me in tight and wished me good night. And so ends my stay at Porini Rhino.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Kenya Day Three - Meeting Baraka
Wednesday, February 19
After an absolutely solid night's sleep here -- practically 8 hours which never happens at home -- I woke to the gentle voice of one of the Masai staff saying "good morning" and silently slipping a tray with hot chocolate and peanut butter and chocolate bars into my tent. He slipped away as quietly as he came, leaving me at 6:00 to hurriedly get dressed and ready to face the first half day game ride at 6:30 a.m. At this ungodly hour, it was tough to get out of bed, especially since under the covers was still so warm from the hot water bottle left there last night and it was pretty darn cool outside. For all my complaining about bringing a fleece jacket, I was damn glad I had it this morning.
If I learned anything on my first safari, it was to never, ever, ever miss an early morning game ride. And today would be no different. I dare say (and apologies to my travel mates on my first safari) that this will most likely go down as the best game ride I've ever been on, which was a relief because I have to admit, yesterday left me skeptical. I just didn't know if Kenya or this area, even, could deliver. But deliver it did, in spades.
The chef packed us a picnic breakfast for later, so no messing around and out we went. I immediately zipped my fleece up to my chin and laid the flannel and rubber poncho around my legs. With all the sides wide open, it was drafty out there and moving created a bit of a chill, but again, all things being relative, it was still a hell of a lot warmer than Boston this time of year.
We started out with a gorgeous view of the sun coming up behind Mt. Kenya, which is a dramatic steep peak nearby. We passed a couple of elderly Cape buffalo who'd abandoned their herd because they couldn't keep up and now were living the rest of their lives peacefully sleeping in brush together. Then Nicholas saw an elephant heading toward a watering hole, so we stopped to watch him approach and then disappear again into the bushes, they are so silent in their movements, if you weren't looking you'd surely never know they are there. We spotted a giraffe and managed to get fairly close. These giraffes seem so much bigger than the Masai giraffes we saw in Tanzania. There was a pretty good sized herd of Cape buffalo we drove through and stopped to take photos at they looked on inquisitively. There is something about them that makes me think "stoic and proud". So already, right out of the gate I've seen two of the Big Five, a few times over.
I'd told my guide Benjamin and driver Nicholas that I came here for rhino. Hint hint. And Ol Pejeta has a mission to protect and conserve them, including a rhino sanctuary with black and white rhinos. We drove on for a bit and came across two rhinos out in the conservancy, a mother and a four year old baby. They are just gorgeous to watch even as all they did was graze. I cannot fathom how anyone could harm them. The mother rhino had quite an impressive and sharp horn on her. I was fortunate to have seen these two and at good range too, when Benjamin's eagle eye saw two more on the horizon, so off we went. These two turned out to be three: a mother, her older child and a young, three month old baby. I about keeled over, the baby was so darn sweet. We sat and watched for a good while, taking in all that is good about nature and conservation. I'd no expectations whatsoever about how many rhinos I'd see but was beyond thrilled with these five, especially the little one. These older rhinos had had their horns filed down because at one point they lived in the sanctuary and since it is a contained space, the rangers didn't want to tempt poachers with the horns. So, no horns, no poachers.
I asked Benjamin if poachers had managed to get in here, despite the security both around the conservancy and the sanctuary and he said yes, as recently as last year, when one poacher was killed trying. Fair play, I say. But my day wasn't done just yet.
We stopped for breakfast at an approved picnic spot (can't eat just anywhere) and it really quite extravagant for a picnic: fried egg with cheese, thick pancakes, sausage and bacon, coffee and water, fresh fruit and toast. By this time (and in all honesty I have no idea how late or early it was) I was hungry and the food gave me a boost. Between all the excitement and the fresh air, I think my appetite has gone into overdrive.
The good news is by breakfast it had warmed up enough for me to shed my fleece and just wear a t-shirt. And I seem to be getting some color too, despite wearing SPF 30. That's more like it!
As we moved on, I noticed two vehicles up a hill so we went to see what they were stopped for. There was an elephant moving through bushes, just eating away very nonchalantly. And off to the side was a lioness crouched down keeping watch, with about 10 young cubs and two other lionesses behind her! I was over the moon, I could not believe my luck! The lions eventually moved about 20 yards farther away, and we did as well. As we pulled up about 30 feet from them, the protective lioness growled at us, I suspect as a warning more than anything, but ultimately she plopped down and relaxed in the sun, hopefully realizing we were no threat at all. When it became too warm, she joined the rest of the pride under a thick bush. I couldn't get an exact count on the cubs, because they were lolling about all under and deep inside the bush, but Benjamin and Nicholas know them to be members of a pride of about 15. The cubs seemed to be about the same age and had those darker stripes and spots that the younger lions eventually outgrow. When finally all the heads dropped down to sleep, we moved on. How incredible was this day already?
As we hit the road again, Benjamin pointed out three adult and 2 young oryx, which is just a type of antelope but not one I've seen before. They are sort of like topi, only with black knee pads instead of socks.
Eventually we came upon the rhino sanctuary, which is lined entirely by electric fence, patrolled on foot by rangers and marked with observation towers along the way. These folks mean business. Not only do they have rhino but also the rarer Grevy's zebra, which has much thinner stripes and a white belly and legs as compared to the common zebra. We pulled into the sanctuary lot and were met by Jamie, a ranger here. He took me on a short walk to meet Baraka, the resident blind black rhino. Baraka was injured in a fight 6 years ago and lost an eye to an abscess and then contracted cataracts in his other eye, so now is completely blind.. But as rhinos have poor eyesight anyway, he is doing pretty well with just his hearing and smell. The rangers take really good care of him and use as an ambassador for his kind to meet people like me. Yes, I met Baraka, and fed him, and petted him! Seriously, how much better can this day get already??? Baraka was sleeping in the sun as we approached and his ranger went out to rouse him with the promise of hay. He came right over to the wire and I met him with a snack. He really seemed to be a gentle guy, and Jamie explained that they coddle him and treat him well so he'll continue to serve as ambassador for the rhino cause.
What, you may ask, is the difference between the white (more common) and black (less common) rhino? It actually has nothing to do with color. The white rhino was called "wide rhino" by some Dutch, who were misquoted as saying "white". The "wide" refers to their mouths, which are very wide and straight across. The black rhino, on the other hand, has a hooked lip that is pointed. White rhinos graze on the ground (which is easier with a straight flat mouth) and black rhinos tend to eat at eye level, bushes and shrubs. Whites have heavy, low hanging heads and straight backs; blacks have lighter, smaller heads and concave backs. White are known to be more passive and larger than blacks, which are smaller but more aggressive.
I left the sanctuary a mile high. This was just a too good to be true first full day on safari. We meandered on, heading back toward camp where we came upon 6 giraffes, with one male actively trying to mate with a female, who really would have none of it. It was sort of funny watching him trying to keep her separate from the rest and the others looking away out of modesty.
We got closer to camp and lunch and both Benjamin and Nicholas noticed a large herd of impala standing and staring in the opposite directions. All of them, fixated on one point. So off we went in that direction and came upon a female cheetah lying under a tree. So she was what all the panicked stares were about! We sat and watched her lie peacefully for a while, her familiar teardrop face looking right at me. Oh how I have missed this! She was gorgeous. Known to Benjamin, he last saw her with two of her three surviving cubs. It seems she's now pushed them off to adulthood and was living the solitary life of a female cheetah again. Honestly, I don't know what else I could ask for today. Leopard maybe?
I returned to camp and sat out on the veranda with another Benjamin, who works on staff and was dressed in his Masai garb. They are all so friendly here and attentive to every detail. Benjamin was interested in politics and religion in the US and is especially fond of our President Obama, being a fellow Kenyan and all. It was great talking to him and I'm sure we both learned a lot from each other; I know I did.
Lunch was served late as the new arrivals had not yet arrived, so I ate on the veranda overlooking the salt lick. It was a cold pea soup, cold tuna salad with sundried tomatoes over a slaw, couscous and a salad. Dessert was key lime pie. It really hit the spot and was delicious, as all the food here is.
I only had an hour's rest today. At 4:30 I headed out on a walk with the Masai members of the staff who were all dressed in traditional garb. We walked about 20 minutes. Benjamin (the guide) came with us and joined in the dancing and singing, as he is Masai also. He pointed out the thorny acacia bush that is ubiquitous here, and how the ants infiltrate the bulbs on it, burrowing holes top and bottom that become whistles when the wind blows. He also noted that the sandals the Masai wear are made from tires, because they are durable for a lot of walking. Since there is no transportation here for the most part, when the Masai need to get somewhere, they walk. We got to a clearing (within eyeshot of where we left our cheetah!) and they showed me how to throw spears and dance and sang for a few songs. Benjamin explained to me that the songs are the method Masai use for both celebrating circumcisions and marriages, as well as pass the oral history of the tribe down to youngsters, stressing the importance of owning cattle over time.
From the walk, we were picked up by Daniel, another driver (Nicholas was serving as mechanic on another vehicle). We headed back out again in search of cats. I think even for the guides that is where the excitement is. Even while I kept my expectations in check, I secretly held the wish to see more, as perfect as today had already been.
I got to see yet another animal I'd not seen before in the patas monkey. They are similar to the vervet monkeys of Tanzania, only they are orangey in color but just as playful and quick.
Driving on, we saw a few heads poke up out of a dip in the ground and drove closer to find a mother hyena nursing an almost newborn puppy with four older puppies nearby. We're not sure who the older puppies' mother was, but it was fun to watch them play with each other and some scrap they had. Hyenas are adorable as puppies! Just as we were thinking of leaving, another female arrived and caused a stir. She spooked the other mother and the pups. Looking closely, she was covered in blood, which was why they were all a bit freaked. It looked as though she'd been in a fight and her nose was torn up. Poor thing!
Back on the road it was starting to get dark. We drove for a bit in silence and suddenly I looked straight ahead and saw a cheetah sitting proudly in front of us. Of course Daniel and Benjamin had seen it long before I realized it was there, so my surprise was funny to them. This girl was younger and smaller than the cheetah we saw earlier today; she still had the soft fuzz of a youngster on the nape of her neck. But she was old enough to be on her own. Benjamin thinks she might be the newly liberated (he says "dropped" when the mom pushes the babies away finally) daughter of the cheetah we saw earlier. Well, we sat and planned to wait her out, but after about an hour, and with next to no daylight left, she had the last laugh and laid down next to a dirt mound to keep warm. Her day was over, as was ours.
Arriving back at camp I met three British folks, parents and an older daughter, who'd arrived during the day. There was a bit of a difference in opinion about the plan for the day tomorrow, but I'll be up and out at 6:30 so that's all well.
Sitting around the fire tonight, the staff flashed their lights out into the salt lick right behind us and there were two elephants, literally right in camp. How crazy is that?
Dinner tonight was mixed vegetable soup, lamb with a gravy, roasted potatoes, thinly sliced peapods and carrots and brownies with chocolate sauce. It all tasted so good, but I was glad for the meal to be over so I could take a nice warm shower and climb into my bed with the water bottle. All told, I think I spent 11 hours on game drives today, and believe it or not, it's exhausting!
After an absolutely solid night's sleep here -- practically 8 hours which never happens at home -- I woke to the gentle voice of one of the Masai staff saying "good morning" and silently slipping a tray with hot chocolate and peanut butter and chocolate bars into my tent. He slipped away as quietly as he came, leaving me at 6:00 to hurriedly get dressed and ready to face the first half day game ride at 6:30 a.m. At this ungodly hour, it was tough to get out of bed, especially since under the covers was still so warm from the hot water bottle left there last night and it was pretty darn cool outside. For all my complaining about bringing a fleece jacket, I was damn glad I had it this morning.
If I learned anything on my first safari, it was to never, ever, ever miss an early morning game ride. And today would be no different. I dare say (and apologies to my travel mates on my first safari) that this will most likely go down as the best game ride I've ever been on, which was a relief because I have to admit, yesterday left me skeptical. I just didn't know if Kenya or this area, even, could deliver. But deliver it did, in spades.
The chef packed us a picnic breakfast for later, so no messing around and out we went. I immediately zipped my fleece up to my chin and laid the flannel and rubber poncho around my legs. With all the sides wide open, it was drafty out there and moving created a bit of a chill, but again, all things being relative, it was still a hell of a lot warmer than Boston this time of year.
We started out with a gorgeous view of the sun coming up behind Mt. Kenya, which is a dramatic steep peak nearby. We passed a couple of elderly Cape buffalo who'd abandoned their herd because they couldn't keep up and now were living the rest of their lives peacefully sleeping in brush together. Then Nicholas saw an elephant heading toward a watering hole, so we stopped to watch him approach and then disappear again into the bushes, they are so silent in their movements, if you weren't looking you'd surely never know they are there. We spotted a giraffe and managed to get fairly close. These giraffes seem so much bigger than the Masai giraffes we saw in Tanzania. There was a pretty good sized herd of Cape buffalo we drove through and stopped to take photos at they looked on inquisitively. There is something about them that makes me think "stoic and proud". So already, right out of the gate I've seen two of the Big Five, a few times over.
I'd told my guide Benjamin and driver Nicholas that I came here for rhino. Hint hint. And Ol Pejeta has a mission to protect and conserve them, including a rhino sanctuary with black and white rhinos. We drove on for a bit and came across two rhinos out in the conservancy, a mother and a four year old baby. They are just gorgeous to watch even as all they did was graze. I cannot fathom how anyone could harm them. The mother rhino had quite an impressive and sharp horn on her. I was fortunate to have seen these two and at good range too, when Benjamin's eagle eye saw two more on the horizon, so off we went. These two turned out to be three: a mother, her older child and a young, three month old baby. I about keeled over, the baby was so darn sweet. We sat and watched for a good while, taking in all that is good about nature and conservation. I'd no expectations whatsoever about how many rhinos I'd see but was beyond thrilled with these five, especially the little one. These older rhinos had had their horns filed down because at one point they lived in the sanctuary and since it is a contained space, the rangers didn't want to tempt poachers with the horns. So, no horns, no poachers.
I asked Benjamin if poachers had managed to get in here, despite the security both around the conservancy and the sanctuary and he said yes, as recently as last year, when one poacher was killed trying. Fair play, I say. But my day wasn't done just yet.
We stopped for breakfast at an approved picnic spot (can't eat just anywhere) and it really quite extravagant for a picnic: fried egg with cheese, thick pancakes, sausage and bacon, coffee and water, fresh fruit and toast. By this time (and in all honesty I have no idea how late or early it was) I was hungry and the food gave me a boost. Between all the excitement and the fresh air, I think my appetite has gone into overdrive.
The good news is by breakfast it had warmed up enough for me to shed my fleece and just wear a t-shirt. And I seem to be getting some color too, despite wearing SPF 30. That's more like it!
As we moved on, I noticed two vehicles up a hill so we went to see what they were stopped for. There was an elephant moving through bushes, just eating away very nonchalantly. And off to the side was a lioness crouched down keeping watch, with about 10 young cubs and two other lionesses behind her! I was over the moon, I could not believe my luck! The lions eventually moved about 20 yards farther away, and we did as well. As we pulled up about 30 feet from them, the protective lioness growled at us, I suspect as a warning more than anything, but ultimately she plopped down and relaxed in the sun, hopefully realizing we were no threat at all. When it became too warm, she joined the rest of the pride under a thick bush. I couldn't get an exact count on the cubs, because they were lolling about all under and deep inside the bush, but Benjamin and Nicholas know them to be members of a pride of about 15. The cubs seemed to be about the same age and had those darker stripes and spots that the younger lions eventually outgrow. When finally all the heads dropped down to sleep, we moved on. How incredible was this day already?
As we hit the road again, Benjamin pointed out three adult and 2 young oryx, which is just a type of antelope but not one I've seen before. They are sort of like topi, only with black knee pads instead of socks.
Eventually we came upon the rhino sanctuary, which is lined entirely by electric fence, patrolled on foot by rangers and marked with observation towers along the way. These folks mean business. Not only do they have rhino but also the rarer Grevy's zebra, which has much thinner stripes and a white belly and legs as compared to the common zebra. We pulled into the sanctuary lot and were met by Jamie, a ranger here. He took me on a short walk to meet Baraka, the resident blind black rhino. Baraka was injured in a fight 6 years ago and lost an eye to an abscess and then contracted cataracts in his other eye, so now is completely blind.. But as rhinos have poor eyesight anyway, he is doing pretty well with just his hearing and smell. The rangers take really good care of him and use as an ambassador for his kind to meet people like me. Yes, I met Baraka, and fed him, and petted him! Seriously, how much better can this day get already??? Baraka was sleeping in the sun as we approached and his ranger went out to rouse him with the promise of hay. He came right over to the wire and I met him with a snack. He really seemed to be a gentle guy, and Jamie explained that they coddle him and treat him well so he'll continue to serve as ambassador for the rhino cause.
What, you may ask, is the difference between the white (more common) and black (less common) rhino? It actually has nothing to do with color. The white rhino was called "wide rhino" by some Dutch, who were misquoted as saying "white". The "wide" refers to their mouths, which are very wide and straight across. The black rhino, on the other hand, has a hooked lip that is pointed. White rhinos graze on the ground (which is easier with a straight flat mouth) and black rhinos tend to eat at eye level, bushes and shrubs. Whites have heavy, low hanging heads and straight backs; blacks have lighter, smaller heads and concave backs. White are known to be more passive and larger than blacks, which are smaller but more aggressive.
I left the sanctuary a mile high. This was just a too good to be true first full day on safari. We meandered on, heading back toward camp where we came upon 6 giraffes, with one male actively trying to mate with a female, who really would have none of it. It was sort of funny watching him trying to keep her separate from the rest and the others looking away out of modesty.
We got closer to camp and lunch and both Benjamin and Nicholas noticed a large herd of impala standing and staring in the opposite directions. All of them, fixated on one point. So off we went in that direction and came upon a female cheetah lying under a tree. So she was what all the panicked stares were about! We sat and watched her lie peacefully for a while, her familiar teardrop face looking right at me. Oh how I have missed this! She was gorgeous. Known to Benjamin, he last saw her with two of her three surviving cubs. It seems she's now pushed them off to adulthood and was living the solitary life of a female cheetah again. Honestly, I don't know what else I could ask for today. Leopard maybe?
I returned to camp and sat out on the veranda with another Benjamin, who works on staff and was dressed in his Masai garb. They are all so friendly here and attentive to every detail. Benjamin was interested in politics and religion in the US and is especially fond of our President Obama, being a fellow Kenyan and all. It was great talking to him and I'm sure we both learned a lot from each other; I know I did.
Lunch was served late as the new arrivals had not yet arrived, so I ate on the veranda overlooking the salt lick. It was a cold pea soup, cold tuna salad with sundried tomatoes over a slaw, couscous and a salad. Dessert was key lime pie. It really hit the spot and was delicious, as all the food here is.
I only had an hour's rest today. At 4:30 I headed out on a walk with the Masai members of the staff who were all dressed in traditional garb. We walked about 20 minutes. Benjamin (the guide) came with us and joined in the dancing and singing, as he is Masai also. He pointed out the thorny acacia bush that is ubiquitous here, and how the ants infiltrate the bulbs on it, burrowing holes top and bottom that become whistles when the wind blows. He also noted that the sandals the Masai wear are made from tires, because they are durable for a lot of walking. Since there is no transportation here for the most part, when the Masai need to get somewhere, they walk. We got to a clearing (within eyeshot of where we left our cheetah!) and they showed me how to throw spears and dance and sang for a few songs. Benjamin explained to me that the songs are the method Masai use for both celebrating circumcisions and marriages, as well as pass the oral history of the tribe down to youngsters, stressing the importance of owning cattle over time.
From the walk, we were picked up by Daniel, another driver (Nicholas was serving as mechanic on another vehicle). We headed back out again in search of cats. I think even for the guides that is where the excitement is. Even while I kept my expectations in check, I secretly held the wish to see more, as perfect as today had already been.
I got to see yet another animal I'd not seen before in the patas monkey. They are similar to the vervet monkeys of Tanzania, only they are orangey in color but just as playful and quick.
Driving on, we saw a few heads poke up out of a dip in the ground and drove closer to find a mother hyena nursing an almost newborn puppy with four older puppies nearby. We're not sure who the older puppies' mother was, but it was fun to watch them play with each other and some scrap they had. Hyenas are adorable as puppies! Just as we were thinking of leaving, another female arrived and caused a stir. She spooked the other mother and the pups. Looking closely, she was covered in blood, which was why they were all a bit freaked. It looked as though she'd been in a fight and her nose was torn up. Poor thing!
Back on the road it was starting to get dark. We drove for a bit in silence and suddenly I looked straight ahead and saw a cheetah sitting proudly in front of us. Of course Daniel and Benjamin had seen it long before I realized it was there, so my surprise was funny to them. This girl was younger and smaller than the cheetah we saw earlier today; she still had the soft fuzz of a youngster on the nape of her neck. But she was old enough to be on her own. Benjamin thinks she might be the newly liberated (he says "dropped" when the mom pushes the babies away finally) daughter of the cheetah we saw earlier. Well, we sat and planned to wait her out, but after about an hour, and with next to no daylight left, she had the last laugh and laid down next to a dirt mound to keep warm. Her day was over, as was ours.
Arriving back at camp I met three British folks, parents and an older daughter, who'd arrived during the day. There was a bit of a difference in opinion about the plan for the day tomorrow, but I'll be up and out at 6:30 so that's all well.
Sitting around the fire tonight, the staff flashed their lights out into the salt lick right behind us and there were two elephants, literally right in camp. How crazy is that?
Dinner tonight was mixed vegetable soup, lamb with a gravy, roasted potatoes, thinly sliced peapods and carrots and brownies with chocolate sauce. It all tasted so good, but I was glad for the meal to be over so I could take a nice warm shower and climb into my bed with the water bottle. All told, I think I spent 11 hours on game drives today, and believe it or not, it's exhausting!
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Kenya Day Two Part Two -- Finally there
The trip on SafariLink airline was thankfully short. The plane seated 13 and only had a nose propeller. It was sufficiently cloudy today so as to create the precise type of bumpy air I seek to avoid. Thankfully I was the first stop of three at Nanyuki airstrip, which was the proverbial patchy of rocky ground in a cleared area. The others on the flight were somewhat uptight that they weren't getting off here either. Apparently they enjoyed the flight less than I did. I was both mildly amused and alarmed by sitting behind the pilot and co-pilot and watch them grapple with plugging the airstrip coordinates into the GPS. Each thought they knew better and neither knew they shouldn't be texting while driving. Meanwhile, a plane full of back seat drivers looked on...
I was greeted by a guide and driver...I wish I had a knack for names, but right now I just don't remember. They drove me the 20 minutes to the gate to Ol Pejeta Conservancy. On the way, we crossed the equator twice, once to go north and then to go south again, I mean really, how many people can say they crossed the equator twice in one day? As I'm impressed by those sorts of things, I already considered today a banner day. At the gate to Ol Pejeta, they checked me in for the next three nights.
The whole concept of the conservancy is the preservation of the wildlife, and in this case, more specifically, the rhino. There are 105 rhinos in Ol Pejeta itself, which is a good chunk of the total rhinos left in Africa. Ol Pejeta has electric fence around it, which is solely for the benefit of the rhinos. There are passageways for animals other than rhinos to come and go as they please, but the rhinos are closely looked after. There are armed guards here to protect them from poachers and a head count is taken every morning and night to ensure that they are all accounted for. The particular species here are mostly white rhino (white is not the color, but rather the mispronunciation of "wide" for their wide mouths, as opposed to the hooked lip of the black rhino). Seven (I think) black rhinos are here, some of which came from a Czech zoo in order to encourage them to procreate here, either with each other or a similar strain of white rhino, in order to prevent them from going extinct entirely. So it's down to these seven. But no pressure there, kids.
The Porini Rhino camp, where I'm staying was clear across the conservancy in the western side. We entered on the eastern most side, so it took about 90 minutes to traverse. Right out of the gate, an impala and Grant's gazelle stood impressively on the horizon, sort of daring me to start taking photos, which of course I did. Right after that we happened upon five Cape buffalo giving us that inquisitive "what are you looking at?" face that I've come to love. But they were right next to my third equator sign of the day, so yes, I did cross over it three times today.
One peculiarity we saw along the way was a stillbuck, which seems a bit bigger than a dik dik (very small antelope). I took a few shots of him and he looked odd, then when I played my photos back, I noticed he was missing an ear! I've seen other antelopes missing horns, but an ear is a first. Poor guy.
There are six tents here and I'm in #3, which from my bed and the front porch, has an expansive view across the area. I'm about a minute's walk from the mess tent and other people, which is sort of nice (remind me of that at 3:00 a.m. when I'm wigging the hell out here by myself!) The room has a queen and a single bed. It is quite obviously a tent but furnished more like a hotel room. The shower is on wooden platform, not the plastic grass like in Tanzania. The toilet is as well. There is running water for the sink (no more pitchers of water there) but still the bucket shower. Oh how I already miss the waterfall shower from the Eka!
I was met by Harry and Fernandes, the guys who manage the camp. After a nice drink of juice and a chat, they walked me to my tent and I set up shop here. Lunch was served right after that. There are Canadian two families staying here, each with some young teen kids. I think by the sounds of it they've all been in one vehicle for their stay here and my arrival will require a second for this afternoon's game ride, which is fine by me. They are leaving tomorrow. I'm wondering if I'll be here on my own after that?!?
Lunch was really good, as I expected. There was a cold celery soup, and then a cold buffet of vegetarian pizza, a carrot and cucmber sliced salad, chicken with sundried tomatoes and rice. A slice of lemon meringue pie ended the meal. So off to a very good start in the food department.
So now I'm passing time until the afternoon game ride. Catching up on the blog and just listening to the sounds around me. I honestly cannot believe I'm here!
The afternoon game ride didn't really get off the ground until about 4:45 everyone getting their acts together. I shared a vehicle with all the adults of the Canadian party, and we sent the five teens off with two other Porini employees in a separate jeep. God love them. However, I did say out loud that that would almost assure that the one of the two would see lions, how right I was.
The game ride was pretty standard, but for the three rounds of torrential rain that passed over us, causing us to zip up one side of the vehicle as well as don flannel lined rubber rain ponchos. Yes, I kid you not, I'm on the equator and bundling up. Granted, it's not the 10 below of snowy Boston but it is like an early May damp day at home.
Of note was a pair of eland, which I think we only saw from a distance in Tanzania. These are massive elk-like antelopes, very impressive. We then saw a warthog poking its head up out of a hole, and as we got closer, she jumped out, followed by four of her piglets...a clown car of a warthog hole, it seems.
I learned a Grant's gazelle is similar to the other gazelle types but notable for the white on its behind that goes up over the top of the tail. Now if only I could tell a Thomson's from an impala...again.
As the rain began to beat down, we found five ostriches playing in it and a hyena lying with its head on its paws. about as happy looking as I am after a soggy morning commute.
At one dry point, we stopped to admire about 10 hartebeests, known for the heart-shape its horns seems to take. They seemed to take a keen interest in us, or did they. They stood and stared, and we chalked it up to their being inquisitive beasts and moved on. Since the Canadian folks were only here two days, they really had their heart set on lions and it seemed as it got darker we wouldn't pull that off. And then Benjamin's, the guide, cell phone rang. The vehicle with all the kids had two lions in their sights and were having a great time, right about the spot where we'd just left the hartebeests about 20 minutes before. So backtrack we did, and at this point it was well past sunset and overcast to boot, so we had trouble finding their vehicle and were tearing through thorny acacia plant (I have laceration on my skull to prove it) as if we were on the most important mission in the world. But ultimately, we came across two brothers who were just out of the juvenile stage judging by how short their manes were. One appeared to be limping but it was so dark at that point we could barely seem them, let alone that level of detail. One of the kids said that it had a slice on its back leg. Oddly, that was the fatter of the two brothers, so either he was still a fairly good hunter or his brother took care of him to his own detriment.
The brothers posed for us for only a short time before they moved off into the thick brush. Not to be outdone, we followed, and managed to find them tearing into a kill (not before passing a jackal running off with the victim's head and neck, a small impala it seemed). The lame brother (and I mean that in terms of ability to move not tendency to eat everything before his brother) was tearing into the kill to such an extent that we could hear bone crunching. Very impressive. It was much too dark now, but I pushed my ISO up to 1600 and prayed for at least one good photo. Still, it was an experience I'd not had before. As a jackal and his own brother stood nearby, this lion had his fill and moved on. The pair moved a short bit off and we followed yet again, pulling up about 30 feet away and using a red-filtered spotlight to see longer in the non-existent daylight. Finally we moved on, but not before spooking them a bit first.
The return to camp was tedious given how muddy the roads were. We ended up riding off road parallel to the main road for quite a bit which slowed things down but not nearly as much as pushing through the muck or getting stuck. Benjamin used the red light a lot of the way and pointed out an eagle in a tree, some herds of impala and zebra, and bush babies, which are like small primates, but I still can't see what they saw.
I'm wishy washy on the game ride after dark. It's not done in Tanzania and I didn't get a lot out of the one we did tonight. Had we not found those lions before sunset, I doubt we would have at all. I'll have to see if it's any better when it's less rainy and damp, admittedly factors in how good the experience is.
Dinner tonight was excellent as usual. We had a cup of hot chocolate around the fire first, then pea soup (yes, Mom, you read that right) that was pretty tasty. The main course was a very tender teriyaki steak and green beans, sweet potato and mashed potato which I think was mashed with coconut milk, it was delicious. Dessert was a small cone like a canoli filled with a sweet cream. All in all just perfect to end the day.
Here, unlike in Tanzania, they will fill the showers after dinner, so I took a nice hot shower and climbed right into bed, which the prepared with a hot water bottle with the turn down service. I could get used to this!
Laying here now listening to all the night sounds, which so far are mostly frogs and birds by the sounds of it. I wonder if our no-longer-hungry lions will talk tonight.
I was greeted by a guide and driver...I wish I had a knack for names, but right now I just don't remember. They drove me the 20 minutes to the gate to Ol Pejeta Conservancy. On the way, we crossed the equator twice, once to go north and then to go south again, I mean really, how many people can say they crossed the equator twice in one day? As I'm impressed by those sorts of things, I already considered today a banner day. At the gate to Ol Pejeta, they checked me in for the next three nights.
The whole concept of the conservancy is the preservation of the wildlife, and in this case, more specifically, the rhino. There are 105 rhinos in Ol Pejeta itself, which is a good chunk of the total rhinos left in Africa. Ol Pejeta has electric fence around it, which is solely for the benefit of the rhinos. There are passageways for animals other than rhinos to come and go as they please, but the rhinos are closely looked after. There are armed guards here to protect them from poachers and a head count is taken every morning and night to ensure that they are all accounted for. The particular species here are mostly white rhino (white is not the color, but rather the mispronunciation of "wide" for their wide mouths, as opposed to the hooked lip of the black rhino). Seven (I think) black rhinos are here, some of which came from a Czech zoo in order to encourage them to procreate here, either with each other or a similar strain of white rhino, in order to prevent them from going extinct entirely. So it's down to these seven. But no pressure there, kids.
The Porini Rhino camp, where I'm staying was clear across the conservancy in the western side. We entered on the eastern most side, so it took about 90 minutes to traverse. Right out of the gate, an impala and Grant's gazelle stood impressively on the horizon, sort of daring me to start taking photos, which of course I did. Right after that we happened upon five Cape buffalo giving us that inquisitive "what are you looking at?" face that I've come to love. But they were right next to my third equator sign of the day, so yes, I did cross over it three times today.
One peculiarity we saw along the way was a stillbuck, which seems a bit bigger than a dik dik (very small antelope). I took a few shots of him and he looked odd, then when I played my photos back, I noticed he was missing an ear! I've seen other antelopes missing horns, but an ear is a first. Poor guy.
There are six tents here and I'm in #3, which from my bed and the front porch, has an expansive view across the area. I'm about a minute's walk from the mess tent and other people, which is sort of nice (remind me of that at 3:00 a.m. when I'm wigging the hell out here by myself!) The room has a queen and a single bed. It is quite obviously a tent but furnished more like a hotel room. The shower is on wooden platform, not the plastic grass like in Tanzania. The toilet is as well. There is running water for the sink (no more pitchers of water there) but still the bucket shower. Oh how I already miss the waterfall shower from the Eka!
I was met by Harry and Fernandes, the guys who manage the camp. After a nice drink of juice and a chat, they walked me to my tent and I set up shop here. Lunch was served right after that. There are Canadian two families staying here, each with some young teen kids. I think by the sounds of it they've all been in one vehicle for their stay here and my arrival will require a second for this afternoon's game ride, which is fine by me. They are leaving tomorrow. I'm wondering if I'll be here on my own after that?!?
Lunch was really good, as I expected. There was a cold celery soup, and then a cold buffet of vegetarian pizza, a carrot and cucmber sliced salad, chicken with sundried tomatoes and rice. A slice of lemon meringue pie ended the meal. So off to a very good start in the food department.
So now I'm passing time until the afternoon game ride. Catching up on the blog and just listening to the sounds around me. I honestly cannot believe I'm here!
The afternoon game ride didn't really get off the ground until about 4:45 everyone getting their acts together. I shared a vehicle with all the adults of the Canadian party, and we sent the five teens off with two other Porini employees in a separate jeep. God love them. However, I did say out loud that that would almost assure that the one of the two would see lions, how right I was.
The game ride was pretty standard, but for the three rounds of torrential rain that passed over us, causing us to zip up one side of the vehicle as well as don flannel lined rubber rain ponchos. Yes, I kid you not, I'm on the equator and bundling up. Granted, it's not the 10 below of snowy Boston but it is like an early May damp day at home.
Of note was a pair of eland, which I think we only saw from a distance in Tanzania. These are massive elk-like antelopes, very impressive. We then saw a warthog poking its head up out of a hole, and as we got closer, she jumped out, followed by four of her piglets...a clown car of a warthog hole, it seems.
I learned a Grant's gazelle is similar to the other gazelle types but notable for the white on its behind that goes up over the top of the tail. Now if only I could tell a Thomson's from an impala...again.
As the rain began to beat down, we found five ostriches playing in it and a hyena lying with its head on its paws. about as happy looking as I am after a soggy morning commute.
At one dry point, we stopped to admire about 10 hartebeests, known for the heart-shape its horns seems to take. They seemed to take a keen interest in us, or did they. They stood and stared, and we chalked it up to their being inquisitive beasts and moved on. Since the Canadian folks were only here two days, they really had their heart set on lions and it seemed as it got darker we wouldn't pull that off. And then Benjamin's, the guide, cell phone rang. The vehicle with all the kids had two lions in their sights and were having a great time, right about the spot where we'd just left the hartebeests about 20 minutes before. So backtrack we did, and at this point it was well past sunset and overcast to boot, so we had trouble finding their vehicle and were tearing through thorny acacia plant (I have laceration on my skull to prove it) as if we were on the most important mission in the world. But ultimately, we came across two brothers who were just out of the juvenile stage judging by how short their manes were. One appeared to be limping but it was so dark at that point we could barely seem them, let alone that level of detail. One of the kids said that it had a slice on its back leg. Oddly, that was the fatter of the two brothers, so either he was still a fairly good hunter or his brother took care of him to his own detriment.
The brothers posed for us for only a short time before they moved off into the thick brush. Not to be outdone, we followed, and managed to find them tearing into a kill (not before passing a jackal running off with the victim's head and neck, a small impala it seemed). The lame brother (and I mean that in terms of ability to move not tendency to eat everything before his brother) was tearing into the kill to such an extent that we could hear bone crunching. Very impressive. It was much too dark now, but I pushed my ISO up to 1600 and prayed for at least one good photo. Still, it was an experience I'd not had before. As a jackal and his own brother stood nearby, this lion had his fill and moved on. The pair moved a short bit off and we followed yet again, pulling up about 30 feet away and using a red-filtered spotlight to see longer in the non-existent daylight. Finally we moved on, but not before spooking them a bit first.
The return to camp was tedious given how muddy the roads were. We ended up riding off road parallel to the main road for quite a bit which slowed things down but not nearly as much as pushing through the muck or getting stuck. Benjamin used the red light a lot of the way and pointed out an eagle in a tree, some herds of impala and zebra, and bush babies, which are like small primates, but I still can't see what they saw.
I'm wishy washy on the game ride after dark. It's not done in Tanzania and I didn't get a lot out of the one we did tonight. Had we not found those lions before sunset, I doubt we would have at all. I'll have to see if it's any better when it's less rainy and damp, admittedly factors in how good the experience is.
Dinner tonight was excellent as usual. We had a cup of hot chocolate around the fire first, then pea soup (yes, Mom, you read that right) that was pretty tasty. The main course was a very tender teriyaki steak and green beans, sweet potato and mashed potato which I think was mashed with coconut milk, it was delicious. Dessert was a small cone like a canoli filled with a sweet cream. All in all just perfect to end the day.
Here, unlike in Tanzania, they will fill the showers after dinner, so I took a nice hot shower and climbed right into bed, which the prepared with a hot water bottle with the turn down service. I could get used to this!
Laying here now listening to all the night sounds, which so far are mostly frogs and birds by the sounds of it. I wonder if our no-longer-hungry lions will talk tonight.
Kenya Day Two -- Getting Out of Nairobi
Tuesday, February 18
Slept like a log and was up and at 'em when the alarm went off. This hotel has waterfall showers, which, as some may know, is one of my most favoritest things ever. To go from this to a bush shower in mere hours will be a shock to the system, among other things.
After my last non-bush shower and a quick pack up, I hit the breakfast room. It was a tremendous buffet of mostly Western (agreeable to US and UK folks) foods. I had the chef whip me up an omelet, put that with fresh pineapple and a couple of pastries and indulged in the delicious Kenyan coffee. Oh how I miss that!
My hotel, the Eka, backed up on to the perimeter of the Nairobi National Park, which also abuts Nairobi city center. So if you were to go inside it for a game ride, chances are you'd see any one of the Big Five (except elephant) with the skyscrapers of the city in the background. Just odd to me that wildlife manages to coexist with the city environment.
Oliver from Gamewatchers picked me up at 7:30 for my 10:20 flight to Nanyuki, despite the airstrip being not more than 2k from the hotel. But traffic here is notoriously bad and this morning was no different. There are no Nairobi natives, so to speak, so everyone who works here is driving in and out together, which creates chaos on the roads. Oliver asked if I minded "rough roads" and took me on an all mud ring road that was being built to ease congestion on the main Mombassa Road. So it took about 40 minutes to make it to the airstrip where now I sit and wait.
I'm allowed 31 pounds of luggage on these mini planes and somehow managed to be 6 over. I did some shopping in the gift shop at the hotel this morning, figuring I wouldn't see another shop for a while. That couldn't have put me over, but after chastising me, they let me through.
I've just managed my first mosquito bite of the trip. I lightly applied repellant this morning figuring I wouldn't be out in the wild until lunchtime. Apparently that's not the case.
A comment on security here, as I know folks are wondering and/or concerned. Security is ever-present. My hotel was behind a locked gate and guards swept the vehicle and me on my way in. Same thing here at the airstrip. I'm told that they do the same going back into Nairobi airport. I guess it is for good measure, but it is disconcerting to see armed police just about everywhere. I'll be happy to be where my biggest threat is a lion. Ha!
So, going off the grid until next Wed/Thurs. I'll be writing all the way though and will post updates as soon as I am connected again.
Slept like a log and was up and at 'em when the alarm went off. This hotel has waterfall showers, which, as some may know, is one of my most favoritest things ever. To go from this to a bush shower in mere hours will be a shock to the system, among other things.
After my last non-bush shower and a quick pack up, I hit the breakfast room. It was a tremendous buffet of mostly Western (agreeable to US and UK folks) foods. I had the chef whip me up an omelet, put that with fresh pineapple and a couple of pastries and indulged in the delicious Kenyan coffee. Oh how I miss that!
My hotel, the Eka, backed up on to the perimeter of the Nairobi National Park, which also abuts Nairobi city center. So if you were to go inside it for a game ride, chances are you'd see any one of the Big Five (except elephant) with the skyscrapers of the city in the background. Just odd to me that wildlife manages to coexist with the city environment.
Oliver from Gamewatchers picked me up at 7:30 for my 10:20 flight to Nanyuki, despite the airstrip being not more than 2k from the hotel. But traffic here is notoriously bad and this morning was no different. There are no Nairobi natives, so to speak, so everyone who works here is driving in and out together, which creates chaos on the roads. Oliver asked if I minded "rough roads" and took me on an all mud ring road that was being built to ease congestion on the main Mombassa Road. So it took about 40 minutes to make it to the airstrip where now I sit and wait.
I'm allowed 31 pounds of luggage on these mini planes and somehow managed to be 6 over. I did some shopping in the gift shop at the hotel this morning, figuring I wouldn't see another shop for a while. That couldn't have put me over, but after chastising me, they let me through.
I've just managed my first mosquito bite of the trip. I lightly applied repellant this morning figuring I wouldn't be out in the wild until lunchtime. Apparently that's not the case.
A comment on security here, as I know folks are wondering and/or concerned. Security is ever-present. My hotel was behind a locked gate and guards swept the vehicle and me on my way in. Same thing here at the airstrip. I'm told that they do the same going back into Nairobi airport. I guess it is for good measure, but it is disconcerting to see armed police just about everywhere. I'll be happy to be where my biggest threat is a lion. Ha!
So, going off the grid until next Wed/Thurs. I'll be writing all the way though and will post updates as soon as I am connected again.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Kenya Day One -- The Getting There
Monday, February 17
After sweating it out on Saturday with a dusting of snow that was predicted to be 10-12 but ended up being only 3, I was up and out for my 630pm flight. Thankfully for snowstorms we managed to make it to Amsterdam in a little over 6 hours, which was pretty quick. Too quick to sleep with any substance.
A very quick 2 hour layover at Schipohl passed with a flash and off I went on KLM to Nairobi. The Economy Comfort on this plane was great, about 10 rows 3x2 in its own separate little cabin. Extremely comfortable and a very smooth flight down, 7 hours and 20 minutes. It seems as though they did nothing but feed us. Started with a snack of almonds, then lunch of vegetarian gemelli, then an ice cream snack, then a calzone with pasta salad. I only managed to watch two movies, I dozed for a lot of it and it went by quicker thank I expected, thankfully.
I'm looking forward getting to Nairobi and getting settled in. And tomorrow off to the bush!
Arrivals at Nairobi were chaotic...understatement of the year. Since the fire in August that destroyed the arrivals terminal, they retrofitted a parking garage for customs, immigration and baggage claim. It is exactly what you're picturing, I suspect.
I stood in line for the visa. Despite my conscientiously filling out the visa form, as usual all they really cared about was the $50 fee as they hardly read the form. I then went and exchanged $580 for 48,000 shillings, which makes me feel rich for about 10 seconds. With my three inch wad of bills, I then made my way to the baggage carousel where I stared at the same 50 bags for an hour. Staff had been yanking bags off and piling them up seemingly indescriminantly. Finally I realized my bag was in a pile behind the carousel. How I was supposed to find it is beyond me.
I grabbed my bag and met my Gamewatchers rep outside. A Kenyan club football team had just returned from a victorious away game, so it was more chaos still outside in the parking lot. We made our way about 10 minutes to the Eka Hotel, where I settled in for the night. The bed was hard but it didn't stop me from sleeping, thank you Ambien. I cannot believe I'm here and this is all happening again.
After sweating it out on Saturday with a dusting of snow that was predicted to be 10-12 but ended up being only 3, I was up and out for my 630pm flight. Thankfully for snowstorms we managed to make it to Amsterdam in a little over 6 hours, which was pretty quick. Too quick to sleep with any substance.
A very quick 2 hour layover at Schipohl passed with a flash and off I went on KLM to Nairobi. The Economy Comfort on this plane was great, about 10 rows 3x2 in its own separate little cabin. Extremely comfortable and a very smooth flight down, 7 hours and 20 minutes. It seems as though they did nothing but feed us. Started with a snack of almonds, then lunch of vegetarian gemelli, then an ice cream snack, then a calzone with pasta salad. I only managed to watch two movies, I dozed for a lot of it and it went by quicker thank I expected, thankfully.
I'm looking forward getting to Nairobi and getting settled in. And tomorrow off to the bush!
Arrivals at Nairobi were chaotic...understatement of the year. Since the fire in August that destroyed the arrivals terminal, they retrofitted a parking garage for customs, immigration and baggage claim. It is exactly what you're picturing, I suspect.
I stood in line for the visa. Despite my conscientiously filling out the visa form, as usual all they really cared about was the $50 fee as they hardly read the form. I then went and exchanged $580 for 48,000 shillings, which makes me feel rich for about 10 seconds. With my three inch wad of bills, I then made my way to the baggage carousel where I stared at the same 50 bags for an hour. Staff had been yanking bags off and piling them up seemingly indescriminantly. Finally I realized my bag was in a pile behind the carousel. How I was supposed to find it is beyond me.
I grabbed my bag and met my Gamewatchers rep outside. A Kenyan club football team had just returned from a victorious away game, so it was more chaos still outside in the parking lot. We made our way about 10 minutes to the Eka Hotel, where I settled in for the night. The bed was hard but it didn't stop me from sleeping, thank you Ambien. I cannot believe I'm here and this is all happening again.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Nearly there!
Well, I'm just about into single digits now. The snowstorm panic is in full bloom. We're in a particularly stormy pattern the next week or so, and all I can do is hold my breath and hope that I can squeeze in my pre-trip haircut and on time departure.
It should come as no surprise if you've read this blog at all for past trips that I'm essentially packed, with piles of clothes and miscellaneous stuff all over the upstairs. I'm waiting for new mosquito repellant to arrive and then get my cash, yes I'm that ready. I'll fetch my duffle from storage and pack and go. It's a great feeling.
Yet I've gone through the usual homesickness before I even leave, feeling more of a homebody and missing home despite sitting right here. It's a strange feeling, wanting to go but feeling the ties to home so much more strongly than if I was not going anywhere.
But in the back of my mind I'm so looking forward to being warm, seeing the wildlife, the landscape and meeting new people, that that is what is carrying me.
I'll be thee soon enough....
It should come as no surprise if you've read this blog at all for past trips that I'm essentially packed, with piles of clothes and miscellaneous stuff all over the upstairs. I'm waiting for new mosquito repellant to arrive and then get my cash, yes I'm that ready. I'll fetch my duffle from storage and pack and go. It's a great feeling.
Yet I've gone through the usual homesickness before I even leave, feeling more of a homebody and missing home despite sitting right here. It's a strange feeling, wanting to go but feeling the ties to home so much more strongly than if I was not going anywhere.
But in the back of my mind I'm so looking forward to being warm, seeing the wildlife, the landscape and meeting new people, that that is what is carrying me.
I'll be thee soon enough....
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