Elephant Watch Camp Samburu National Reserve

... batteries: I thought I had brought plenty. I brought 12 rechargeable lithium AA batteries (my camera uses 4), along with one set of regular. My batteries exhausted themselves this evening – they aren’t holding a charge. Of course I have shot 3000+ photos so I guess I underestimated how few times they can be recharged. I also underestimated what an electronic converter can do to them – the batteries are always hot when they are ...

... Africa, lions are still hunted when they maul Maasai livestock. Killing a lion gives one celebrity status in the community.<br><br>· Young women also undergo "female circumcision" as part of an elaborate rite of passage; the most common form is clitorectomy. Criticism has resulted in it being illegal in Kenya and Tanzania.<br><br>· The Maasai are traditionally polygamous, due to high infant and warrior mortality rates ...

... is an Arabic verb which means "to journey" and it has been only 3 days and we have found it to be an incredibly awe-inspring journey. We hope that if an opportunity arises for you to go on one that you would certainly consider it. It is absolutely breathtaking.<br><br> Tomorrow we are off to Lake Nakuru which is home to countless flamingoes. This will also be the start of our tenting experience which will continue for about a week.

... until 6 AM.<br><br>The tents were very good but our zipper a bit difficult to open. Not so good when one is ill and needs to get out quick. Showers were cool to luke warm and the toilets were sqaut bins that only flush during the time the generator was on - therefore not at night. We had to be aware of scorpions and snakes - cobra and puff adder - especially at night on the paths. Not so good for Doreen getting up at night!

... chatted with her till the driver returned. We entered Buffalo Springs Game Reserve by the Ngare Mara Savana Club Gate. Arrived at the SAMBURU SERENA LODGE at 1400 hrs. Checked in and lunch. There was no electricity and the generators were turned off at 1430 hrs. We rested in the room till 1530 and went to the lounge for coffee and cakes after which we departed for the safari in Samburu Game Reserve entering from Uaso Gate. Saw ...

... the African equivalent of a racoon) prowling the campsite in the evening. And we heard elephants in the river bed at night. Brad, Desmond, and Sandi decided to do a nature walk during one of the days up the river bed. Liselotta intelligently declined. One of the cooks said we could walk in one direction, but to avoid the other direction. In hindsight, he must have meant we could walk 100 feet in one direction, not the half mile we walked. Brad and Desmond had sticks to fight off lions ...

... We saw everything but the ostrich. The giraffes have very defined stripes, they looked like the Toys R Us giraffe almost like a perfect drawing. The long neck antelope stand on their hind legs to feed on tall bushes, the zebras stripes do not go past their sides, and they have huge ears. The oriches are a type of antelope with long straight horns. They also had miniature deer-like dik-diks, which were ...

... drive. It was exciting to see so many animals so close. Far better than a zoo. After lunch and a short rest, we took advantage of the opportunity to visit a native village. It was somewhat unusual because it was home to both Samburu and Turkana tribespeople. They've banded together to make a larger, more defensible settlement. For US$15 we were invited to look and take photos as much as we wished. Their homes were framed with sticks and covered with cattle dung, animal hides, or ...

Samburu had nice buildings to stay in, instead of tents. Our cabin was right on a river, so it did have a view over the reserve's wall. Here there were monkeys everywhere. They would try to steal anything, especially items from the tables. They employed locals with slingshots to protect everything. Pretty amazing to see the ongoing battle. We also ...

... baboons, a black rhino that looked as if he were going to charge, monkeys, crocodiles, thousands of birds, zebras, wart hogs, and squirrels. Orange and blue lizards. And two elephants were so close that, ten steps closer, and we could have touched them.