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Giraffe Manor

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Farewell Breakfast with Giraffes

For all of you who have Giraffe Manor on your bucket list, go for it. It’s quite the experience. We were up early to start bonding with (ok, well, feeding) the giraffes early. Alas, from our window, we saw the first one standing in the field in front of the manor house, but even with wild waving, he didn’t come visit. Could it be? Doesn’t he like us? But worries were of course for naught. We wound up going down to breakfast as it was starting and there were already a few folks feeding a giraffe from their tables. We had heard from one fellow traveler that it was chaos, but it was actually very fun. The staff is amazing, helping to call the giraffes over to the windows so all guests get a chance to feed and pet them, they coach on how to lure them in the window a little further, and are all-round great. The giraffes are hungry little devils, devouring the kibble in one’s hand. We would try to give them one piece of kibble at a time, but if they know that your hand is also hiding a handful, then their tongues (rough on the top, slimy on the bottom) try to pry one’s had open. It’s a hoot. We had a grand time, closing the nearest window for a bit so we could actually eat, then fed them some more.

Next, we took a few photos by the front door and then went back up to Jock’s room. Ahhh. This was fab. Henry (one of the staff) took a gazillion photos from the ground while we hung out feeding Ed. It was indeed amazing to be able to sit on the edge of the bed and feed. The bin of kibble was on the windowsill and we had a minor catastrophe when Ed got greedy and knocked it all over our room (likely not the first time that ever happened), but we assumed he didn’t adhere to the five-second rule, so we picked it up and continued to feed. At one point, Solomon came over - quite a bit shorter than Ed. So not only did we have private time with our buddies, but we were able to each have a giraffe to ourselves. They are so gentle, even just nudging and pushing to get more food. Love, Love, Love these guys. A few bits of giraffe trivia... Looking down on a giraffe (as one can do at least with a shorter giraffe from a 2nd story bedroom), it turns out their nostrils are on top of their noses - funny little holes. Their fur is quite rough and their eyes are just gorgeous - big, black, with long eyelashes. Oh, did we mention that their breath is a bit off? LOL. Alas, we had to say our farewells to the Giraffe Manor and to Africa.

We were booked for an airport transfer at 10AM, but wrangled a much better deal since our flight wasn’t until about 4:30 this afternoon. Off we went with a driver to the elephant orphanage. It was pretty crowded, given it’s high season, but it’s such a good cause: to rescue little guys who are injured or whose mothers have been killed - before they fall prey to a lion or such. We did each get a chance o pet their course, dirty skin. Off to the airport, through security, and a sandwich/wrap in the airport was our last meal in Africa: inauspicious, but filled our bellies. We spent some time chatting about our trip and marveling that it’s come to an end....

August 13, 2018

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August 13, 2018 Baby Elephant Orphanage

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Daisy, The Naughty One

All good things come to an end, but man, is it hard to get our heads around this vacation ending! A relaxing morning at Mara Plains was just the ticket. Everyone else was out on a game drive by the time we emerged for breakfast, so we had the main tent to ourselves. As predicted, breakfast at camp was lovely. Daniel was out (we had said our goodbyes and thanks yesterday), so another guide, Nick, and a trainee guide, James, who had been our primary tent steward, drove us to the airport. Don’t you know it - Daniel let him know that they’d seen a cheetah with four cubs not far off the path to the airport, so Nick got us there for a quick glimpse. Of course, they were on cheetah time, and didn’t rouse for the 3 or 4 minutes we were there. The mother was awake, but we only could see undefined soft fur next to her under the bush. Nick was very entertaining - clearly, Mara Plains has seriously good guides. He chatted with us and at one point burst into the songs of The Lion King – he knew all the words - LOL.

In light of our cheetah detour, we got to the dirt airstrip only three minutes before our scheduled departure (and they reportedly don’t wait for passengers!!). Yes, we experienced another “mission mode” drive. Thankfully, we had plenty of time, as the plane was about 10 or 15 minutes late. The flight was painless, if a bit bumpy for all the wind. We had to wait for our luggage a while at Wilson Airport in Nairobi, as the president was taking off and things had come to a stand still for a while. Our Giraffe Manor driver took us to a great craft place on the way. Having not been able to shop much due to the luggage/weight restrictions on the wind-up planes we took, it was fun to get out our credit cards.

Giraffe Manor was everything we’d hoped. The building is, well, what one might conger up as an elegant British manor house of the early 1900’s: an ivy covered stone house with windows that open out, a patio in front with comfy lounge chairs, and decorated inside with dark wood and leather. Giraffe art is everywhere: old photos, modern art, sculpture, glassware, ceramics, etc. etc. It’s positively delightful. We are in Jock’s room - a fabulous corner room with views in two directions. On arrival, we could see giraffes in the distance and when we went out to the front patio, we were entertained by several warthogs scavenging for food.

When high tea time was approaching, the other guests joined us in front, and then one of the staff started shaking a pan of giraffe kibble (which we now know is made in Lewa), the main act arrived on scene. What a hoot. There were three giraffes who came to the patio for treats - the rest stayed in the background. We had received a safety briefing, as giraffes are known to kick or knock one around by swinging their long necks, so we had to stay in front of them. We hung out with Daisy, “the naughty one.” We rotated with several other folks, feeding her, snapping photos, and having the staff take pictures. It’s a quite odd sensation, feeding a giraffe one treat at a time. Their long black tongues are rough as they greedily reach for food. Finally happy with photos, we took some time to simply soak up the scene, and enjoyed the jenny of giraffes strutting and running back home when the action was done. Such a treat!

We relaxed in Jock’s room before dinner on the patio. The meal was delicious and elegantly served. It’s difficult to imagine saying this, but much as the food for the last mont has been spectacular, we are just about maxed out on the abundance. Three full (very full) meals per day plus countless treats and snacks; we almost crave a little depravity. Ok, well, maybe that will really kick in after breakfast tomorrow: might as well enjoy the last day of decadence...LOL.

A fire in our room while we work on the blog, we’ve been reminiscing about the trip, and thoughts of “real life” are creeping back in. Jill is looking forward to the comfort of home and daily routines, and Sarah is excited to see Fergie. But hey, it’s not over ‘til it’s over. We have breakfast with giraffes yet to come...

August 12, 2018

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Language of the Mara

Lovely drive for the morning of our last full day on safari. Coffee was delivered to our tent - in thermos travel containers, no less, so we could take it with us on the drive. Other places paid attention to details, Mara Plains is far beyond!

We left at 6:00 AM, a little earlier than most of our drives. Daniel’s plan was good - we got to the park to check out yesterday’s leopards early, and arrived on the scene before anyone else. A few other cars arrived and joined us to watch the leopard and one of her cubs for a while. She was clearly in hunting mode; would stay quiet and still, and then become alert and poised to move when she saw an opportunity. Alas, the place was awash with hyenas so she held back. Impalas, otherwise known as McDonalds for lions (or leopards) due to markings on their rears that are reminiscent of the arches, were around, but even when a few were pretty close, she would not attack them for fear that the hyenas would fight her for her kill. It was quite interesting watching the animal dynamics!

Also around were wildebeests and zebras, but no nearby crossing of the stream this morning. At one point, one of the leopard’s cubs appeared, went over to mom and snuggled up - too cute. When too many cars arrived and they started jockeying for position - potentially blocking the area for animal movement, Daniel pulled us out and we returned to our private concession where there are fewer cars and more etiquette and respect among guides. We enjoyed a fabulous plains breakfast, complete with omelettes to order, with a staff of four having set up the table with a spectacular view. Have we said before: This is the life....

Daniel, like other guides, used amusing terms during our time with him, in talking about life in the plains....

**Herds of resident wildebeests: those “without passports,” not to be confused with the herds coming in from the Serengeti in Tanzania.

**Wildebeests are “leftover” animals, as if they have parts taken from others: stripes from a zebra, horns from a buffalo, hindquarters and mane from a horse, and faces from grasshoppers! It’s pretty cool to see them in large, spread out herds, and then to form a line to move on to another area.

**The hippos - who we hear grunting a lot from camp - hang out during the day in pools: deeper areas of the rivers and streams. With water low, there’s quite a bit of stagnant water around, which becomes quite sulfer-y smelling. “Eau de Hippo” perfume we will NOT be purchasing at duty free!!

**It is amusing, however to see the “hippo highways” in the tall grass: narrow(!), well trodden pathways. where the stubby little legs of these enormous creatures leave their mark when they parade out of the water at night and find good grazing areas.

**Cape buffalos are not aggressive when in groups, but the old males who’ve been pushed out of their herds (“retired generals”), are solitary and reportedly can get quite fiesty. Plenty of those old guys around!

**Many animals’ familial groups are lead by a dominant male: the “big boy.” Often, one big boy hangs out with quite the harem of females until another, stronger male challenges, wins and becomes a replacement big boy.

**The male who was beaten may join a bachelor group of animals, known sarcastically as the “losers.”

**There is even terminology for non-animal goings-on in the Mara. If a woman (guest) feels the call of nature, she is to ask to “pick some flowers;” men should request to “check the tires.” When asked, Daniel will stop the car and check around for lions before we get out to hide behind a bush!

**Daniel has also pointed out the “Chinese gazelles” that one sees now and again crossing the plains - motorbikes used as taxis for the Masai people.

**We’ve had a lot of fun here at Mara Plains, using the camera assigned to our room. With a big honkin’ 400X zoom lens, it makes both of our cameras (which to date we’d been quite happy with) seem pretty rinky-dink! Glad we experienced this at the end and not the beginning of our trip! Even with that contraption, or when we’ve spotted something and get ready for a photo, sometimes it turns out to be an “ALT” - Animal Like Thing (rock, dead tree, stump) instead of a real... whatever. LOL

We had a fabulous lunch back at camp, and siesta in our glorious digs. Please, don’t let this end.... We, with Carol and Dave, were joined for our afternoon drive by a couple from VA who had just arrived in country. It changed the dynamic of the vehicle initially, but they wound up being really nice people too. While we didn’t see animals we hadn’t seen before, we had a delightful time watching an ellie family with playing babies (one trying to intimidate us - LOL), more sleeping lions, some chomping giraffes, baboons, myriad antelopes -in particular two camera-shy dikdiks (tiny guys).

The most fun was playing hide and seek with a hippo. He had a cut on his hind quarter so was staying out of the water during the day so as not to attract parasites. He lumbered toward us and hid in the bushes. When he started to come out, Daniel pulled the car around to give us a better view. The hippo darted (if a hippo can dart) back in the shrubbery, and the cycle began again. We were all laughing hysterically, as if with a playful child.

We bundled up against wild Mara wind for the melancholy drive back to camp, knowing that we were ending our final safari drive...

Again, we had wine by the fire on our return with fellow guests. Mia (the fill-in manager, who was great) had arranged a communal table for the six from our vehicle, two more guests, and herself. As has always been the case at communal tables, dinner was entertaining and, in this case (including ostrich steak), especially delicious. Sarah jumped when there seemed to be a commotion toward the kitchen (someone being eaten by a hippo?), but out came about 10 of the kitchen staff and waiters who proceeded to dance and sing around the table. One carried a cake with candles. Clueless Sarah was wondering if it was for the Carol and Dave - on their 25th wedding anniversary trip - or the new people who’d been married 40 years. But no. Since the song they were singing was in Swahili, it was impossible even to know that it was a birthday song until the birthday cake was placed in front of her!!

Special thanks from Sarah to Jill and Mike, our “Africa guy” - such a fun surprise, even with my birthday still a few days away!

August 11, 2018

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Olare Motorogi Conservancy

Imagine our delight when we were in the common lounge area of Mara Plains, and in walk Carol and Dave, who we met at Lewa! They felt like dear old friends. And we were paired together for game drives.... fabulous.

After a wonderful buffet lunch, we crashed in our palatial digs for siesta. Ahhh. This is the life. After siesta time, we headed out with Daniel, Carol and Dave. The drive was great. Daniel is a font of knowledge, and so good at sharing interesting facts and trivia about the animals. We spent time with ellies, hippos, antelopes, and a bunch of other animals.

We stopped to check out seven of a larger pride of lions snoozing on the plain - fun to watch, but no action to be had: they were wiped out, with the bellies of the two young males full and bloated. We later saw another female from the pride sleeping on her own.

No craziness on this drive, but it was delightful. We stopped for a sundowner over a splendid sunset, and headed home.

Back at camp, there was a fire in the fire pit on the far side of camp – we did not even go to our tent before settling “around the campfire” for a glass of wine and entertainment from lightning in the far distance. Dave and Carol joined us and we ended up putting our tables together for dinner as well. The staff is great - very attentive to every detail, and the meal was outstanding.

Can’t say we were disappointed to get back to our tent to chill and enjoy every second in this truly lovely space.

August 10, 2018

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Arrival at Mara Plains

Still reeling from the leopard kill, we arrived in short order at Mara Plains. We are once again in the lap of luxury, only this time, it has put to shame every other experience. The welcome was great, with each staff member introducing himself and offering a hand. One has to walk across a suspension bridge to get to camp. WOW.... and to reiterate: WOW. It feels like some kind of over-the-top colonial outpost for the rich and famous. The main area has leather couches, wood furniture, brass chandeliers, with every detail attended to. It’s elegant, stately, and opens to a spectacular view of the Olare Motorogi Conservancy - a private concession - with wildebeests roaming in quite large numbers. After an introduction and welcome drink (lemon, ginger and honey), they took us to Tent #6. It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen. The same view (fab); the room is huge, with a bathroom area on one side that can be sectioned off with curtains (and toilet, even further separated). The bathroom fixtures: brass and copper. Even the stopper in the copper sinks (one for each of us, of course) is amazing - a brass hippo! The shower is brass and copper and totally cool. The sitting area has a writing desk and two comfortable leather chairs. Oriental carpets pepper the lovely, wide-beam wood floor. There are fabulous leather trunks around as tables. And charm aside, it has all the modern conveniences: A/C, safe, WiFi, hairdryer (but we forgot how to use it), overhead fan, convenient electric plugs. Even though we’re still in the Masai Mara, somehow, there seems to be less dust here (maybe because fewer cars turning up dust on the roads in the park?). Sarah comment: Jill, you’re welcome back to visit, because I’m not leaving.

Our Tent

Common Areas

August 10, 2018

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Serious Mission Mode

After a wonderfully relaxing morning at Little Governors - late wake-up, leisurely breakfast and packing - Joseph drove us to one of the gates of the National Park/reserve. Daniel, from Mara Plains, was waiting for us. His first order of business was to give us the overview of his “office”. Cooler in the back, Masai shuka (wraps) on the seats, snacks, tissues, power strip, wine (a little early, even on safari!), water bottles, Swarovski binocs, camera rests, and on and on. This is definitely the most outfitted Land Rover we’ve been in.

We set out and Daniel, who was chatty and funny, was hugely interactive right off the bat. When asked, we told him what we’ve seen, and said that one major gap is “a kill” (Didn’t we already mention having become bloodthirsty? By way of explanation, somehow seeing one would give context to having observed the aftermath of many.) He sounded hopeful, and on we went with Daniel’s fingers crossed. He stopped periodically to describe behaviors of the Mara animals as they happened: boy Wildebeests and Thompson gazelles each trying to woo a female to no avail, a few thwarted fights, and some crazy warthogs running around playing.

We got to the area close to where we saw the leopards yesterday. There were wildebeests on both sides of the stream, and he explained that one group was waiting for the other to cross and join them. We waited from a ways away, and indeed the wildebeests on the far side started to cross. It’s sort of cool - they organize themselves from a herd configuration to almost single file to cross. All of a sudden, some wildebeests turned back; we continued to chat with Daniel even as he was on alert. Jill was totally focused on a cute hippo and .... YIKES ..... Daniel went into serious mission mode! He said “Leopard - LOOK!” and took the car careening in the direction of where they’d been crossing. Hold onto your hat! He zoomed up front and center, about 3 yards away from the leopard bringing down the wildebeest. It’s hard to describe the feeling. Rivoted does not do justice to one’s attention. Sarah started to shake; Jill, in disbelief, left her attention to the hippo in the dust; and we watched as the wildebeest slowly (yes, slowly) died. The leopard held him by the neck, trying to block his air passage. The leopard stayed almost perfectly still, save periodically readjusting her posture. We could see her heavy breathing as her chest heaved. The power was amazing. It seemed forever until - finally content that the wildebeest was dead - she started moving the carcass to a safer place. The muscle it must take.... She straddled the beast, would move it a few tens of yards, rest, then start again, even sitting on it at one point! We finally lost good visibility and left others to continue watching. What a surreal experience - to see something loosing its life in front of our eyes, but with a recognition that indeed it’s all part of the circle of life that we’ve heard about (and seen) so much on this trip.

August 10, 2018

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Little Governors Camp

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A Dedication to Our Cat-Loving Friends

It is fitting - having spent several hours on our first afternoon on safari (weeks ago) with a cheetah and cubs - that coming up on our last days on safari, we spent a good amount of time this afternoon with a leopard and her two cubs. For all of you kitty-lovers out there, be grateful that your companions that LOOK cuddly actually ARE cuddly. Our leopard this afternoon, like our cheetah friend, was making short work of a carcass: in this case, a baby wildebeest. No dainty eaters, these African cats: feeding is serious business. It’s riveting to watch! This time around, the cubs just nibbled (likely had already feasted by the time we arrived). But one cub did drag a leg off to munch a bit in private before wandering off, drinking a bit from the stream adjacent to where Mom was pigging out. Ha. She would lick, tug, pull, get a good piece and spit something out, slurp in another piece of flesh that was hanging out of her mouth. You get the idea: not your snuggly house-cat!

The father/son pair from this morning thankfully (for us) moved on to another camp nearby, so we had the drive to ourselves. We had such a great time with Joseph, who apologized for the morning. We assured him that we understood he was in a tough position trying to accommodate everyone. We’ll spare you the details on the morning, but suffice it to say, even the son unloaded on his father, when the father did a little tour that none of the rest of us were interested in. Knowing the family dynamic, we were more compassionate for the boy and the position that Joseph was put in.

The great thing about spending a good amount of time on safari, is that as time goes on, one can be a little more selective on what to do/see. Joseph had planned to bring us to see rhinos, but having seen so many in Lewa, we asked about a leopard. In the Mara, it turns out, there are so many animals, one can virtually (and we did) pick what to see. Joseph called around to his buddies, found out where a leopard had been most recently sighted, and that’s where we went. It was quite good to be singularly focused, even as we saw plenty of other wildlife along the way. In fact, we agreed that the plains, dotted with individual and groups of (bunches of) animals, is frankly more what we had expected here. So fabulous to have experienced the hunt as well as the voluminous part of African wildlife!!

After our leopard extravaganza, we came back to camp and joined a brother and sister co-travelers from S. Africa/Australia, Laya and Dave, for a drink overlooking our watering hole. We had a lovely chat and wound up eating dinner together also. So nice to have again met great peeps, after one of very few less-than-ideal people experiences. And appropriately, they were excited about the prospect of finding a leopard in their couple of days on the Mara.

August 9, 2018

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Soaring across the Mara

It was time for something different, so a balloon ride was well timed. Up at 5, we were escorted to the launch field by the guards with rifles who protect us from wild animals in camp and were initially horrified that there were tons of people around (turned out to be about 80 guests plus staff and crew) for what we expected to be a peaceful ride. Thankfully, our concerns were put quickly to rest. There were five balloons being launched and the operation was amazingly well-run. Check-in, safety briefings, loos for a last minute run - they’d thought of everything. It was pitch dark when we arrived, and dawn as we lifted off - a group of 16 in four sections of the basket, surrounding Graham, our pilot, who preferred fist bumps to handshakes. He was all business on the ground, and (appropriately) lightened up once we were airborne. The ride was glorious - spectacular views of the “spotted plains” (termite mounds pop up above the tall brown grasses and the greenish grass on top stand out as dots across the plain). While we didn’t see masses of animals from the air, we did get views of giraffes, zebras, hippos, birds, antelope, and a couple of ellies. It was an interesting perspective of the vastness of the Mara, and we got slight views of some of the other camps in the park. Lovely ride, really. After just under an hour, we touched down. It wasn’t too rough, with cushioned seats. As the basket toppled over, we were on the bottom level (“economy”) and there were hoots of laughter from the young girls in the section above us. We were transported to where the champagne breakfast was set up, and again, it was efficient and so well done. They sat our balloon group together, and it was fun to chat with the other peeps as we feasted.

Joseph and our father/son combo from yesterday picked us up and we headed out to see the great migration of wildebeests and zebras (why we’re at this particular camp, after all!). It turns out that since it’s been a wet summer, the wildebeests still have plenty to eat in the Serengeti, so the migration is late this year (they migrate when they run out of food). We still got some good views of masses of animals romping and walking across the plains, but not the volume that would typically be here this time of year (a few hundred thousand vice two million or so). They’re actually sort of cool animals and it’s particularly great to see them with zebras!

We also had an interesting stop to check out a group of vultures going at a wildebeest carcass. Wouldn’t want to get in the middle of that action - they’re vicious and competitive!

August 9, 2018

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Lion Hanky Panky

After a quite relaxing morning, we had a one-hour flight to The Mara - an area of Kenya known as home to the Masai people (though they live beyond the Mara). We were transferred to Little Governor’s Camp, which is within the national park. One has to cross the Mara River in a little boat tethered to a rope to get to our camp. Escorts hand us off to each other - the point being that we are at no time un-escorted. Animals abound here! Our tent is the smallest we’ve had, but nice. It’s more tent-y than other places, if there is such thing as tent-y. But still solar powered hot water and electric, nice tiled bathroom, and wood floor with a fabulous patchwork animal pelt rug.

Lunch was a buffet, overlooking the same view as our room - a watering hole with hippos, zebra in the background, warthogs, various birds, baboons. It’s quite an active, fun vista. In the evening, we even saw a couple of hippos playing, opening their gigantic mouths to each other. We had a lovely siesta in the room (where, surprisingly, we have WiFi!!), then off for our first Mara game drive.

We were paired in our Land Rover with a father and son from NY. To say they are thoughtless is an understatement. They jumped in the car ahead of us with no consideration for our seating preferences; the father texted during our drive, and worst of all, both talked on the phone out on the drive. Soooooo tacky and inconsiderate! Thankfully, our guide, Joseph, did let them know that they should “keep calls short.” Hope they got the idea. Determined not to let it get to us, we actually had a great drive....

We saw several cheetahs, one sitting on a mound in the middle of an open plain, scanning the horizon for possible prey. We saw her later in the afternoon feasting on the remains of a baby impala. OMG, the crunching and munching sounds (we were mere feet away) were something! We came across a male lion sunning his belly - stayed only a minute or two, as there was no action there. LOL. We saw a mother lioness nursing her two cubs in the tall grass, and then the cubs going off to nap nearby. We observed a hyena den with 3 small cubs and a bigger one. They were amazingly cute, given hyenas are seriously ugly (including the two mothers who returned from hunting after a while). The kids played, and it was interesting to see them duck into the den as the mothers approached - in case they were other threatening creatures! Of course, on the plain, there was also the usual variety of antelopes, warthogs, elephants, zebras...

It’s amazing how much more abundant the wildlife is here than in Botswana. But the vibe in the Mara is quite different. There are loads of vehicles cruising within eyesight - at one point, we counted 13 in a quite small area! Multiple vehicles drive up to a sighting, jockeying for position; there seems to be less camaraderie among guides; and there is generally less time with each animal sighting, since others come in behind wanting their turn to watch. It’s still great viewing, but doesn’t feel as special or unique as we’ve experienced.

Ok, all that said, the highlight of our afternoon was when Joseph drove up to an area with only two other vehicles. There lay a male and female lion. He said: get your cameras ready, they will mate soon. We couldn’t imagine how he could predict that, but low and behold, about 10 minutes later they went at it. Turns out that lions mate for seven days straight; on the first day, every five minutes; on the second day, every 10 minutes; and on and on, 24 hours/day. Crazy. We stayed for three rounds. LOL. It was quite the scene. Each time, the lioness stirred, then the lion; he’d get up and circle; she’d get up and situated herself for his access; and he’d mount her. While for the most part, it was a perfunctory operation, he did lick and seemingly caress her neck (projecting, much?). He growled and she made some other indefineable noises. Within a minute, they were done. The lioness would roll over and pass out, and the male would strut for a few seconds then lay down and sleep. On their third round, when they first got up, the lioness moved away and the lion had to follow. All the action was not ten feet from the back of our vehicle, just along side where Jill was sitting! And yes, by the third round, we felt like serious voyeurs!

On our return, we relaxed in the bar area which is quite lovely. They called us to dinner, which had been set up “inside” (well, in a covered, floored area) and looked lovely. Dinner was quite good, complete with white table cloths, candles, hanging lights, etc.

August 8, 2018

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Lewa Wilderness Lodge

Ground and Common Areas

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Lewa Wilderness Lodge

Our Cottage

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Boys and Girls on the Prowl

We’ve had fun with Peter. He’s razzed us, teased us (please go out and milk that buffalo for milk for breakfast, because the lodge ran out; oh no, we’re stuck in the water, please push the car; hunting for Guinea fowl and ostrich eggs when he was just at a propane grill behind the tree scrambling up chicken eggs for our bush breakfast....) and been generally silly. But don’t think for a minute that he’s not a serious tracker. He’s good. We only briefly saw Eric (our trainee) today, and this afternoon had a young man only 7 days into his training. He was nice, but clearly uncertain and tenuous in engaging us - not like Eric.

Peter headed out, stopped to show us an ostrich sitting on his egg, but then continued over hill and dale, seemingly to West Africa! It was waaaayyyyyy out of our normal drive territory. We got into a no man’s land where trees were sparse, and there was nothing around. Finally, Peter stopped, and clearly was looking for something. He admitted to us that lions had been sighted earlier, and he was hoping to find them. So we all lifted out binocs and searched.... and searched..... and searched. Not a blessed thing. But then we heard bird noises, saw some antelopes running away from something, and saw giraffes in the distance looking attentively in a certain direction. Still nothing.... nothing...... nothing.... then: Look! Cheetahs! We watched for about 30 minutes as two brothers crept and stalked, watched, sat, looked attentively and finally went on the attack. Alas, the antelope won that round. The cheetah continued to stalk, coming closer to our Land Rover, and a few times Peter moved the vehicle. It was fantastic to watch these guys, hunting in tandem, pausing, looking, listening, and stalking more. In the end, we didn’t see the poor hungry creatures fill their bellies. In all likelihood, by the time we’re writing this, they’ll be chowing down on some other animal. Maybe another guest will be treated to views of the aftermath tomorrow.

We decided to forgo a sundowner, as the sun was set by the time we lost the cheetahs and it was COLD! So we headed home. It was quite dark at one point and Peter got to a fork in the road and paused, phone in hand. We need to work on our Swahili, but it was clear that he was getting good scoop and going into “mission mode.” Peter turned to us, and said that there were lions nearby that reportedly would be very difficult to see. Did we want to try? Well, Yeeeeeeees! So we did a hard right and followed a fence around a protected area. David pulled out the red light, and it was Jill who was the first to see them (“Well spotted!”). There were two lions (one male and one female) seemingly resting behind a fallen tree near the fence line. We later realized that another female was nearby. Away from the fence was a line of buffalo, only outlines barely visible in the darkness, but not too far. Peter maneuvered the vehicle on the fence side of the lions so they were about 1 1/2 yds from us, backs to us, facing the buffalo another 20-30 yds away. David continued to illuminate them with red light and they ignored us. Wow. Peter whispered to us about what was going on: their ears were communicating details about their hunt. We could see their muscles tense, and they would come to attention before relaxing a little and then getting tense again. Finally, we saw the male getting up and starting the charge. the female turned and looked right at us - Jill leaned in and reached back for moral support. (We can laugh at this now but it was a little scary). Alas, the buffalo caught onto what was happening and scattered. No kill yet tonight. One of the lions walked around the car to the other side, and then the three sauntered off together.

When all’s said and done, bloodthirsty safari-peeps that we’ve become, we thoroughly enjoyed the hunt, despite no cheetah or lion kill. It was a good end to our stay at Lewa, and it was good to get back to the lodge again. The new guests are a good bunch, and drinks and dinner were fun - comparing safari stories and exchanging info on other travel destinations. Dinner was delicious, as has been the norm here, and is so much more appreciated now that we’ve seen the farm. Tomorrow, on to the Mara!

August 7, 2018

[bobbinonsafari]

Sustainable Tourism

It was time for a break in the safari routine this morning, and it wound up being delightful. We had coffee up at the lodge after waking to what turned out to be music from the church at a local village. It was a reminder how close this conservancy is to populated villages. One can see the lights in the distance at night, see the periodic truck on the “highway” just outside of Lewa, and see buildings and even a cell tower by day. Things are changing in this area - huge population growth and tourism both.

Our first activity was horseback riding. This had not been on either of our lists, but the other night at dinner, two kids (teenagers) raved about it being their favorite activity, so we agreed to go for it. The plan is always to steer clear of ellies, cats, and rhinos, but cozy up to impala, zebra, baboons, and giraffes. And that we did. For Jill it was a first for horseback riding at all, to say nothing of in the bush. For Sarah, not a lot more experience than none, but enough to be less wary. We both did fine! At the stables, we were met by a few of the owners’ dogs and cats, which is the first time in Africa that we’ve seen more than token domesticated animals. At any rate, there was help to get up and down, and they appropriately classified us as “beginners” so matched us to calm horses. It was a slow pace with our guide in the lead, then Jill and then Sarah. After a few nerves to start, it was wonderful. One feels like a part of the scenery instead of an observer thereof. We first stopped to say hello to Dave, essentially the mascot of Lewa Wilderness, a very friendly 28-year-old (beyond the life expectancy) giraffe. We got closer than we’d been, allowing a really good view of wrinkled skin, his ears and horns, and his beautiful pattern.

We headed across the plain, through grasses and brush to a small herd of impalas and one zebra. They let us get amazingly close, looked up and took note, but did not act afraid or run. It’s cool to be “one with nature.”

We paid a visit to the baboons

The best was the giraffes. There were about 10 in an area with shrubby trees and they were meandering through munching on leaves. We went first around the herd and then into the middle of it. Giraffes front, back, right and left. Wow.

Back at the stables (thatched roofs, of course and charming!), we dismounted and checked out the spinning and weaving area. All of the rugs in the lodge (and some for sale) are made on the premises by hand.

We returned for a really yummy breakfast at the lodge. Since we were a little later than the rest of the guests, we ate with Miranda, the assistant manager, and the biplane pilot who had just finished three trips for groups of guests. He was interesting in that he grew up in Lewa and now lives on a farm that neighbors the lodge. But the most interesting fact… no one pays attention to the 33 lb limit on luggage. Let the shopping begin!

After breakfast, we were hooked up with two walking guides (one with a rifle, just in case), in Masai dress. (A young fellow guest told us about his walk with “warrior dudes”. These were our WDs.)

Our destination, the Lewa Wilderness farm. This place takes being sustainable very seriously. In addition to transitioning to mostly solar power, almost all of the food is grown on the lodge’s farm. The little more than 1/2 hour walk to the farm was basically a walking safari, with the guides chatting and pointing out plants, tracks, insects and animals. The walk was a nice bit of exercise, though neither of us had brought hats, so the sun was hot, even at 10AM. (We’re not only nearer the equator than we have been in Africa, but are again at 6500 feet.). The farm is not a modest operation, but TRULY reflects a sustainable operation! They have animals for meat, cows for milk, chickens for eggs, furniture-making, a dazzling array of fantastic veg gardens, fruit plants and trees, bees for honey, facilities to make cheese. They even have a man-made pond for fish! We were amused to hear that they even make the giraffe treats for Giraffe Manor, where we will be on our final night in Africa! There are some things that they have brought in, but we now fully understand why the meals here have been delicious.

We were sad to say goodbye to some of the fun peeps we’ve met here, but at lunch, we met a new crop of fellow safari-ites. And we had even newfound appreciation for the delicious food!

August 7, 2018

[bobbinonsafari]

Kenya Cats

It was a lovely day in Kenya. Up early (why did we think that was a good idea?), the coffee delivered to our cottage (French press) was a disaster, but thankfully, there was coffee available at the main sitting area before we left. Eric and Peter both met us, Eric seemingly enthusiastic to see us again (until he left mid-morning for guide-training activities). The morning drive was nice - perhaps fewer animals than we would typically see in Botswana, but still wonderful. We stopped and watched a very fun baboon troop for a while. There were some very tiny babies learning to climb, one baboon who ran screaming away from a larger one chasing it, youngsters playing and teasing each other: quite the active scene. Baboons may not be the most beautiful creatures, but they sure are entertaining.

On we went and Peter spotted a cheetah quite a ways away. Nearby were giraffes and zebras meandering across the plain past the cheetah. He looked - on and off - like he was going to attack and we’re ashamed to admit we were ready to watch a “kill.” My, how one’s sensitivities change after a few weeks in the bush!!! Alas, after almost an hour, the cheetah was still stringing us along so we moved on. Oh, did we mention that while we were excited to see A rhino, we’ve found them to be “around every corner” – jaded, much?

We spotted a couple of monkeys on a fallen tree limb who were being dive-bombed by some birds. There was general craziness as the monkeys in turn tried to reach up and catch the birds. LOL. We’re told that likely the birds were defending their eggs or babies nearby. Not too far away, there was an eagle quietly/patiently observing (stalking?) a few Guinea fowl. Again, we gave up before he attacked. So interesting, this animal behavior in the bush!

We started back in the direction of the camp, and found breakfast awaiting us on a ridge - lovely buffet, with - of course - a washing station, and chairs to relax as we ate. Peter teased us about leaving us to hunt ostriches and Guinea fowl for eggs, and while he didn’t do that, he DID hide behind a tree and cook us scrambled eggs on toast!

We returned to the camp in time for our tour of the Lewa “Ops Center.” Peter drove us over with fellow guests Carol and Dave. On the way, we caught up with our cheetah from this morning. She was resting under a bush in an area where the vehicle could pull up within a few feet of her for a simply amazing view of her face and gorgeous fur. After a few minutes for photo-taking and admiring, we were back on the way. The “Ops Center”, about three years old, was fascinating, with big screens that monitor rhinos, elephants, and the people who patrol the conservancy to protect them. Conservation is serious business here!

Both of us were exhausted and totally crashed after a lovely lunch back at camp. We hadn’t really caught up from our gorilla days and transit to Kenya. Our naps were thoroughly refreshing and we were ready for the afternoon. Peter alone took us out this afternoon for our game drive. It started slow, but we had a few great sightings. Peter spotted two lions - a male and female - quite a ways away, relaxing together under a bush. It was a challenge to get photos, particularly as the wind was quite strong and made it hard to stabilize a camera! There wasn’t any action so after a bit, we carried on. Our sundowner was across a little stream from a hyena apartment building (a series of holes in the earth having been previously dug by aardvarks) with little ones coming out and going back in or resting. Man, they are seriously ugly creatures! It was cold, so we bundled up for the drive home, stopping to check on our lions. Yay. There they were, well, at least the female with two cubs romping. It was dusk and the light was fading fast, but we caught some good playing of the cubs with the mom standing (well, sitting) watch.

Back at camp, we joined the group for drinks and then a wonderful meal: tomato salad followed by leg of lamb with carrots and potatoes, then chocolate mousse and birthday cake (one of the other guests) for desert. Life is good. Conversation was good with the very interesting characters we’ve met here; nice ending to a good kitty-viewing kind of day....

August 6, 2018