Sarova Shaba Samburu National Reserve

... took him up on it). We then headed out to visit a local Samburu and Terkana village. Wow.<br><br>We were greeted by young men who performed a traditional welcome dance that featured vertical leaps of 4' or so. The women then performed and led us into their village where we learned about the culture, visited their homes, met the children. We saw how they made tools, started fire with sandpaper wood, etc. All of us who brought gifts from the USA (e.g ...

... people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania.<br><br>- Maasai are pastoralists and have resisted the urging of government to adopt a more sedentary lifestyle. They have demanded grazing rights to many of the national parks and are admired for their ability to farm in deserts and scrublands.<br><br>· Traditional lifestyle centers around their cattle which constitutes the primary source of food. The measure of a man's wealth ...

... of riverine bush and semi-desrt terrain. We see a number of zebras, impalas adn firaffes, and are rewarded with seeing a pride of lions and a fresh kill of African buffalo. They have ripped the tail off of it and the evidence is all over their faces. We wait ot see if they return for more but it seems they have had enough for the time being and most have retired to rest under an Acacia tree. One lone lion keeps wandering and is ...

... and then we arrived at the Samburu Game Park. We were excited to see zebras and then some dik-dik and even took photos of the ant hills. Then we saw the marvellous majestic giraffe, elephans the the wart hogs, oryx, gazelle and impala. A great finish to a long drive but still have not seen a lion! Got established in our tent after a tiring day and a nice outdoor dinner meal. Had a cold shoere here at this camp site ...

... and jumping skills the show lasted for about 45 minutes followed by the habitual sale of beads. As all proceeds go to the community and not to the individual I did not even try to bargain too much, I feel sadder as we have so much and they have so little. Ben was even ask by the head guard of the camp if he wanted to buy his bracelet ( apparently a great honour) so in true form, he did buy it but he did manage to cut the price by half, that boy is cold as steel, true warrior spirit.

... water. We headed toward Lanet Gate and just after Larsen's Camp we saw a giraffe drinking water in a watering hole. Further up in the same area we came across a herd of Oryx and toward the left a herd of Grant's Gazelle with a sole Grevy's Zebra, found in this region. As we headed back to the lions we came across an old bull elephant grazing peacefully in the bush. We reached the lionesses and the elephants were gone. The lionesses ...

... our mood. Christoph got busy with his axe and we had bbq'd lamb chops and vegetable stew for dinner. Along with cold beers and Cokes (Thomas has an identical fridge/freezer like ours), we finished off with some dark Lindt chocolate around the campfire while admiring the stars. This is THE LIFE! Start: Jungle Junction, Nairobi, KENYA. 09:30 End: Rangeland Camp, Isiolo, KENYA. 16:30 Distance Traveled: 295 km Road Conditions: - Temperature: dusty, cool

... is 'kinyeji', which I am positive is colonial. It is a mound of mashed potato with sweetcorn [corn] and sukuma greens in it. It's brilliant. Coming down from the highlands to the north of Kenya yielded some stunning views, a hint of what is to come: much less lush, tumulus strewn desert/savannah. But, as always in Africa, BIG. Isiolo has a very interesting feel. Much more Arabian than elsewhere in ...

... was the Samburu Serena Lodge, probably the nicest place we stayed. It is at latitude 00' 36" N, almost on the Equator, but at 2785 feet above sea level. Our room was half of a cottage, with a nice porch overlooking the river (and the monkeys cavorting on the grounds) and twin beds covered with mosquito netting. The lodge was very nicely decorated and the buffets were delicious. Our first game drive was very exciting. We spent about three hours driving all over the park. We saw ...

... also keeps the lions on guard. So all these interactions were amazing to see, and definitely not something you'd get at the zoo. It was just a taste of what life is like out on the savannah. We returned to the lodge and had a dinner outside for Christmas Eve. Highlights: good sliced pork, crepe/banana flambé. We were also fortunate enough to have local groups come and perform traditional music and dances for us, what a treat!