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We had a nice breakfast in the hotel. It was a buffet. But they had the scariest scrambled eggs you’ve ever seen. “A bit runnier than you’d like it sir”, to quote Monty Python. There was “tree tomato’ juice. I don’t know what tree tomato is but the best I can describe it is it tasted like ‘purple’. It was good actually. The first of many forays into ‘let’s see what this tastes like’ land. You have to be willing to experiment when you travel, right?
We were packed and ready at 8:45 as planned. But no driver arrived. We started to get worried about 10 minutes later. I finally went in and had the front desk call the safari people. “He’s stuck in traffic” they said. But he showed up a few minutes later. His name is Richard. He’s apologetic. He really was stuck in traffic. We got a look at it on the way out to the airport. It was really bad into town but not bad going out luckily. Richard is also going to be our driver when we come back through Nairobi on our way to Zanzibar. He mentioned this when he reminded us that he’d be picking us up at 4:30am. We both agreed that that really wasn’t very nice for anybody.
We finally get a chance to see Nairobi at least a little bit. It’s very third world looking not surprisingly. LOTS of people walking or standing around. Kind of shabby looking. Very uneven. Skyscrapers and tin sheds a block apart. It reminded me a lot of Panama City. Not scary per se but I wouldn’t necessarily want to wander around. No white faces. We would have stood out as tourists. It’s like a beacon that says scared person, unfamiliar with the area, probably carrying money. Please rob me. The clothes are very colorful as are some of the buildings.
We don’t fly out of Nairobi International to the safari camps. We fly out of Wilson Airport. It’s a small regional airport. It looks like something from a movie. One with banana republic dictators, drug lords, or some sort of CIA operation. There’s a dirt road into it. There are lots of people milling about as well as goats and pockets of military. Old DC-3 type planes and old hangars. A run down looking “tower” which looks like it was a house with a bay window added. Our bags weigh exactly the maximum amount. Luckily Marion’s and my bags were weighed together so we were able to combine her underweight with my likely overweight. So no worries there. Another stress inducing item we can now check off the list.
We meet a few folks who are going to Lewa with us and kind of attached ourselves to each other. It provides a small measure of anxiety reduction.
One of the security guys has a hat that is much bigger than his head which I find very humorous. I took a secret picture of him. You’re not supposed to photograph security people or the army but luckily I wasn’t arrested. What had to be a Norwegian couple came in. We thought the man was a woman at first. Marion is sure he had on foundation. I said he looked like Legolas from Lord of the Rings. VERY thin. And his blonde buxom wife/girlfriend/sister stood out as well. They seemed very out of place. They wandered out shortly after. We’re not sure where they were going and never saw them again.
They call our flight and load us into a van for the ride out to ‘departures’, back down the bumpy dirt road we came in on. I’m glad we’re with some other folks. It doesn’t seem quite as scary that way. We go through a dingy concrete building and out onto the tarmac. There are a series of small 15-seater prop planes all going off to various camps. And one by one small groups are led out to them and off they go. We’ve got colored boarding cards so we’re not as dependent on understanding the English of the people telling us where to go, which is lucky.
Finally it’s our turn, the yellow card group. We cram 15 or so people into our little plane. Two seats on one side, one seat on the other with about a foot in between. And about a foot above your head. I sat right behind the pilot so I had a pretty good view. There’s no divider. His name is Moses. He turns in his seat and gives us the in-flight instructions which pretty much consist of hi, I’m Moses, we’re going to Lewa, fasten your seat belts, have a nice flight. Then he passes around a basket of mints.
I’m not sure how high we were flying but it doesn’t seem very high. We get a good view of parts of Nairobi. Some shanty towns and areas I DEFINITELY wouldn’t want to go. Then ‘suburbs” I guess. Then it’s green, with reasonably large houses. Better suburbs. It’s that way for awhile. It’s about an hour flight. The houses diminish then disappear. It turns very ‘deserty’, with just a few trees. Then a dirt runway appears. We see a giraffe and a zebra from the air as we get closer. Pretty cool.
We circle the runway, presumably to make sure there are no giraffes or zebras in the way. There’s a plane half off the runway about 3/4 of the way down. The pilot continues to circle, fairly sharply, about 3 times. We’re starting to get airsick and trying to figure out what the plan is. I think he was hoping the plane would move. But he finally decides they’re not moving the plane and maybe he can make it, so he brings it in. He’s getting lower and lower and there’s no runway yet. He touches down on the very edge of the runway, really no more than a few feet onto it, and brakes to a stop before hitting the other plane. He had probably 50 feet to spare. Hakuna matata (no worries).
It turns out the other plane blew a tire on landing and went off the runway. They almost flipped. I’m glad we weren’t on that plane needless to say. We met the people who were later at camp. It sounded like more excitement than we would have wanted. (In fact two of the people on the plane then had a tire go flat on their safari drive the next day. They definitely did not have the good trip karma that we did.)
We were met by 3 people in Maasai dress plus a few others. Actually they weren’t just in Maasai dress. They were Maasai. That’s just how they dress. This isn’t Disneyland. Bright red cloth wraps, colored beads. Serious expressions. I wanted to take their picture but didn’t. I was too intimidated. Although I’m sure they’re used to it by now.
We got sorted out into various trucks and met our guide, Daniel. We didn’t realize it yet, but you get assigned a guide on arrival and he’s your guy the whole time you’re there. He takes you to and from the airport and on all the game drives. And that way you know who to give the big tip to.
While we were getting sorted out, they managed to get a truck attached to the plane with the tire blowout and with that and about ten guys pushing they managed to drag it off the runway so our plane could continue on to the next stop. It’s essentially a taxi service with airplanes. There are dirt runways at various spots around the country near the parks and reserves. And these little planes just bop around between them with a piece of paper that says who is supposed to be on what flight and where to drop them off. It mostly seems to work.
We headed to camp, about a 30 minute drive. We saw a wart hog almost immediately. And a zebra. Then a few other animals. Looks like we came to the right place! It’s a dirt road and very bumpy. Something we would find is pretty typical and we would become accustomed to. Our driver doesn’t seem too happy/jolly compared to the others we met at the runway.
We pull into Lewa camp, which is nestled into some trees. It definitely feels like “camp”. We’re met by Issy and Murray, two Brits who now run the place (since last December) and their little dog Treacle. Treacle’s only been in camp a few months and still getting adjusted. As Murray said, he hasn’t figured out he isn’t the only predator around yet. They call him “jaguar bait”.
We get handed a cold wash rag and some passion fruit juice. Then a quick orientation (when meals are, don’t wander around at night) and they take us down to our tent. We’re on the VERY end. A bit of a walk but nice to be away from everyone. Now when I say tent, think M*A*S*H type tent. Heavy canvas, held up with big wooden poles and a thatched roof over it. We’re not talking pup tent here. It’s got a queen size bed in it, a desk, some shelves and a bathroom on the side through a flap. The bathroom has running water, a toilet and a shower. Plus there’s a big patio with a view out onto the reserve, down a valley and the hills beyond. This is luxury camping. Marion takes a nap and I read out on the patio. Very nice. We start to unwind a bit. We’ve made it to where the animals are unscathed.
Lunch is at a scheduled time. There isn’t food available generally. At one I head up to the lodge for lunch. Marion wanted to keep napping. I sat with 3 older ladies. A mother, her daughter and the mother’s sister in law. Mother and sister are from Kansas, the sister in law is from Billings. In fact everyone in camp is from the US. A bit disappointing actually. But maybe at the next camp we’ll meet some foreigners. Mother is 84 years old and quite a trooper. She has macular degeneration and can barely see to walk around. I’m not sure how she’s going to see animals. But she is up for anything, including maybe even a camel ride they said. The daughter is taking her first international trip. Kenya is pretty ambitious for your first try if you ask me. The sister-in-law, Mary, is an Africa veteran. She’s been over a dozen times and has many stories to tell. In fact, we discovered she really never stops talking.
All the people (there are about 10 in camp) seem very nice and the conversation is interesting. This tended to be a theme throughout. Uninteresting people don’t go on safaris I guess.
We went back up to the lodge for ‘tea’ around 4. We had some cake and looked through some picture books and chatted a bit. We wandered out by the pool and watched the birds for awhile. Blue and yellow ones (the yellow were weavers, I think the blue were starlings). And a big black and white one with a long tail that flew by a few times.
Then it was time for the game drive. It turns out we get a vehicle to ourselves and our same guide Daniel. But it appears that after a rest he’s in much better spirits. He’s much more talkative and friendly. The accent is a bit tough at times but we’re getting better at understanding.
We didn’t see too many animals to begin with so he told us lots about termites (we saw the mounds and asked) and about the reserve itself. The termite mounds are 3-5 feet tall. It’s a bit disturbing to think that all of these little creatures manage to build something like that. But I’m sure it’s what the aliens think when they see New York.
Lewa started as a rhino conservancy and has evolved into something bigger. It’s owned by three siblings who live in various corners of the reserve. And it’s next to a national park so there is quite a large area where animals are protected.
The first animal we saw was a giraffe. Then Daniel spotted an elephant. I have no idea how he was able to see it. We were practically on top of it by the time I did. But we got up real close and watched him eating reeds by the river. It made great tearing sounds as it ripped up reeds and stuffed them in his mouth.
Another giraffe was standing and looking up the hill and Daniel was convinced there was a predator up there. We spent a long time looking for it. And Daniel borrowed Marion’s binoculars to check it out, which she didn’t like too much (hey, get your own buddy). We never did see what it was. We continued on and saw a cape buffalo (with big head and horns), an eland with big curving horns, a giant walking bird whose name escapes me (not an ostrich, not that big). And finally up at the top of a hill we discovered a lioness and her daughter snoozing as the sun went down. I got some great pictures of them. We were maybe 10 feet away, if that. But the lions didn’t seem too concerned. Of course, why should they? They’re the ones that can rip you up limb from limb. Not the other way around. We had no weapons that I could see.
By now it’s getting dark and time to head back. We had gone down some pretty bumpy roads but now went down what looked like a goat path out to where we had seen elephants in the distance. It’s like riding a horse as you get jostled from side to side. We got a closer look at the elephants in the twilight. Very cool. As we were heading back up to the ‘main road’ we had to go through a small pond. The road just kind of dropped off into it about 3 feet down and continued up the other side. The truck had a snorkel and was pretty high. Still the water came up as high as the engine. But we kicked it into 4WD and we made it no problem, although I noticed another truck was up on the road waiting to make sure.
Back on the main road it was hell bent for leather back to the lodge. It was definitely a rental horse returning to the barn experience. I guess there’s no reason to take it slow when it’s too dark to see anything. But ladies, hang onto your hats. It’s an “African massage” according to one of the guests. And a pretty good core muscle workout to boot. My back had been pretty sore and stiff after the long flight over. But after a few days of game drives, it got a lot better. So maybe there’s something to it.
We go back in time for dinner. In fact this is all carefully orchestrated. We’re near the equator so it gets dark around 6. So they get you back around 6 or 6:30, you get an hour or so to rest and clean up, then up to the lodge for drinks and dinner. Then off to bed.
We walked up to the lodge in the dark. We’re not supposed to do that as it turns out since there may be animals around that might find you tasty. But the sky is amazing. It’s absolutely full of stars and there’s nothing to block your view from horizon to horizon. It’s like a giant planetarium ceiling. You can clearly see the Milky Way from horizon to horizon in a sweeping arc. I’ve never seen enough of it to be able to actually see it curve, but you could here. It gives you some sense of what the Greeks and people of that era could actually see in the sky before light and air pollution.
We ended up eating dinner with the same ladies from lunch so I heard the same stories again. The woman from Montana is definitely a ‘talker’. She patiently explained the ‘clock system’ the guides use to explain where the animals are. “If they say 9 o’clock, that means to your left’. Oh really? Do you work for the NSA or something? We would have never worked out such a complex coding system. Wow, what other mysteries of the universe can you clear up for us?” On the inside. On the outside we just smiled and nodded. “Oh, I see. Thanks.”
Although she did have one pretty interesting story. Her middle name is Marine. Not Maureen, but Marine. And the reason is because her brother, a US Marine went AWOL when she was born to come see her. When her mother was looking for suggestions for her middle name, that’s what he proposed and they decided since he made such an effort to get there, they’d do it. He got 10 days on bread and water when he got back for his troubles.
It turns out Murray, the camp host, is a former Royal Marine. Military training seems beneficial for running a safari camp. The manager of the third camp we went to was also in the military. It does seem very appropriate. After all, they give you survival training, teach you to kill things, and prepare you to deal with emergencies and rough living. It’s perfect.
So back to our tent. We’re at about 5000′ of elevation and it’s cool in the evenings. The camp provides hot water bottles in the bed with the turn down. A very nice touch.
It did get a little chilly but not bad. There were lots of birds and insect and animal noises. I had trouble sleeping although it was because my body clock was messed up, not from the noise. I woke up at midnight and again at 2 and at 3. By 2am though all the animal noises had stopped. That was a bit eerie actually.
Finally I slept a bit from 3-6 when we got our wake up call. Well, knock at the door. Well, person standing outside the tent saying ‘hello’ until you answer. Now I was sleepy but had to go. The birds were back in force with the sunrise. There’s one bird that sounds like Walter (our kitty) when he wants to go out. And something making an aw-woop noise that turned out to be a hyena (which is why you shouldn’t wander around by yourself at night).
So back into the truck with Daniel for some more massage. He was in a less friendly mood this morning, as were we. I was feeling a bit groggy and my back was hurting. Marion had to carry the conversation. I was expecting a breakfast before we left but there was none to be had. I’m especially grumpy if I don’t get any food first thing in the morning. As it turned out it was in the truck but we didn’t get it until 9. Kenya operates on the breakfast at 9, lunch at 1, dinner at 8pm food cycle. This is not my food cycle but I adjusted to it over time
So off to see more animals. And there were lots more animals today. Giraffes to start. Then Grevy’s zebras and Grant gazelle’s. We came across a giraffe with a broken leg. It was very sad to watch him struggle. But these parks and conservancy’s are not zoos. Nature is left to run its course, no matter how good or bad for any particular animal.
We saw an ostrich. They lay their eggs communally as it turns out, everyone in one nest and take turns sitting on it. More buffalo (they are BIG). And very rare white and black rhinos. There are very few rhinos (of either type) left in the wild but because they are a rhino conservancy, Lewa has one of the largest populations in Kenya. It’s one of the reasons our tour company picked the place.
White rhinos aren’t called white because of their color. It has to do with their mouths. It’s an Afrikaans word for ‘wide’ that sounds like white to the non Afrikaans speaking world. Black rhinos have a smaller mouth and a prehensile lip. They’re heads are a different shape as well. That’s the kind we have in our zoo (Pete). Looking at the pictures now I’m not sure I can tell them apart. But at the time I was pretty good at it.
We saw both a white and black rhino with a baby. A toddler really. The size of a Mini Cooper. The black rhino didn’t much care for us looking at them and as we came around behind them decided to charge us! Daniel got us out of there quickly. It was kind of fun (once we were sure we were not going to be crushed to death). Thinking back on it now, we’re wondering if maybe Daniel didn’t provoke her a little to get her to charge to see if he could scare us. What I thought was him trying not to spook the rhinos, moving slowly around them, Marion thought was more taunting. He did ask us after if we were scared afterwards. So maybe. Fun with the tourists.
Best of all was seeing cheetahs. There were two cheetahs lying in the grass taking a rest against each other just out in the middle of the savannah. They weren’t interested in doing much but it was very cool to see them. And we saw monkeys for the first time. Some small white monkeys with black on their faces running around. Daniel wasn’t too interested in the monkeys and generally speaking we found that to be true with the other guides in the other camps. Our speculation was that monkeys are trouble makers and the guides find it best to stay well away from them so they don’t end up having to chase them through the bush trying to get someone’s hat or camera back.
The morning drive was a long one. 5 hours by the time we got back. I was feeling kind of seasick with all the bouncing around. What amounts to roads here would be considered an unmaintained trail in the US. Great for Jeep ads but not for actually driving on. But our land cruiser was very capable. Actually I’m beginning to think it’s the malaria pills that are making me feel queasy. Of course I can’t stop taking them. So I’ll just have to live with it.
We met a nice couple from Orange County at lunch. Actually we had already met them but had a chance to chat with them. Nice people and it turns out they will be going on our afternoon game drive with us. Which is good because we’ve about run out of things to say to our guide and they’re much more gregarious. While it’s nice to have the vehicle to yourself so you control what you see and for how long, it also puts a burden on us introverts to keep the conversation going.
We crashed in the tent for a few hours. One nice thing about the safari drive schedule is it lines up well with Marion’s nap schedule. Up early, do some stuff, have lunch, nap, then back at it.
We went on yet another set of roads this time. And these “roads” (using the term loosely) made the other ones look like freeways. Ruts and rocks and all kinds of nonsense. Up and down too. But we got into a more wet area that had (or would have if there was water) a river in it. Some different trees and more greenery. But few animals. We came across the same elephant we had seen the previous day at the same spot pulling up reeds. Our guide gave us the run down on how to avoid being trampled by an elephant — all the warning signals they give (stamping their feet, flapping their ears, etc.) and what to do if they charge (unfortunately, I forget). Luckily he did not charge us. We drove around some more but didn’t really see much. A giraffe, some Grant Gazelle’s (which our new friends called Gigi’s which we liked) but not much else.
We found a spot for our sundowners (drinks at sundown). But since neither of us drinks we were kind of party poopers. Luckily our new friends like them some vodka and tonic. We watched the sunset, which wasn’t too bad and chatted some, which was fun. Then headed back. It wasn’t quite the mad dash across the savannah that it was the other night. Maybe Daniel had a date last night.
I got a much better night’s sleep although I’m still waking up in the middle of the night. We heard the hyenas again.
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