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Northern Kenya - Samburu
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Long and bumpy ride today to Samburu National Reserve - 7 hours through some pretty awful roads. Every single organ, muscle, & tendon was shaken at some point today ... Let's not even talk about the clouds of dust. Did I mention that it's dry season? Not that it would be better if I were here in wet season because we would just be stuck in the mud.
The camp is a real one with tents and sleeping bags. The bathroom and showers are close to the river which has crocodiles, but we are told that they only come up on the opposite bank! Need I mention that we have no barriers from the baboons, leopards, gazelles, lions, and elephants. Akuna Matata (Swahili for 'no worries')! I'll spend 2 nights here. The service is fantastic, the meals were superb, and the atmosphere was comfortable. The sky is clear, the stars are out at night and the moon is full. Terribly romantic for all of the couples around me. Hopefully they will turn in early and leave the sky for my personal, private enjoyment.
The afternoon game drive was pleasant after the rough roads except for the tons of tourists around (hee hee). At one point, there wre 8 safari vehicles vying to position themselves for a photo of one lone lioness. Our vehicle was the last to get her photo (she was 10m away from me) before she got fed up of the attention and walked into a bush - the last 3 or 4 vehicles were not so lucky to photograph her. Dinner tonight was stewed beef with potatoes and carrots (just like Mom's but they really need a pressure cooker) served with rice and steamed cabbage. Day 2: This morning's game drive started at 6:30 - had a cup a coffee with the promise of breakfast to follow on our return. First exciting sighting was a Leopard!!! It was a stunning experience and even better in the photos - no less than 7 photos were taken by me. Next sighting ... a Cheetah with her breakfast of baby impala. No less than 23 vehicles stopped for a look. The closest that our vehicle stopped was about 10 feet away ... I don't think that I was too far off since you can see the colour of her eyes.
Due to the heat (& scarcity of sightings) during the day, we spend the time in the camp. Good time to make use of the cold shower which, at this time of the day, is quite refreshing. This afternoon's drive was unsuccessful in spotting lions even though we kept seeing their tracks. Blame it on the extended heat of the day (?). Did get into the personal space of some Elephants and waved to "Pumba" as he was shouting "Akuna Matata!" - People really do say that in Kenya. It's like hearing "Irie" in the West Indies ... lol. This is my 3rd game drive and my favourite animal to watch is the Giraffe. They are my reason for visiting Kenya in the first place. There are three types of Giraffe: The Rothschild's Giraffe (saw them in Nakuru), the Reticulated Giraffe (are here in Samburu), and the Masai Giraffe (hope to see them in the Mara). They look so gentle and move so gracefully that I am always smiling in their presence. Did you know that they walk slower than the normal pace of humans? ... they just get farther because of the length of their stride. Do you know that there is no other animal like the Giraffe? I mean that you can't put them into a category with similar animals like the way Lions fit into the big cat family. Leonard, our driver, has realized how much I like to see them because he always finds the road that will cross their path so that I may see their approach and their passing by.
The last night ended splendidly with my personal tree log to lie on and stargaze whilst waiting for the full moon to rise in the East. Fellow campers cooperated with my ambiance by turning in early. Day 3: Morning game drive still did not turn up any lions. We did see 3 Cheetahs taking a morning drink along the river. Of course, I was on the opposite bank and the zoom was not as close as I would have liked. Tomorrow, I will be in the Masai Mara ... bigger place and more animals. More thumbnails ...
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