We are at the beach! Today I walked in the Indian Ocean. Downtime for
20+ of us has begun as the rest of the troops are in Nairobi,
preparing for their return to the U.S. The St. Louis contingent of 12,
accompanied by Br. Francis, took their leave this morning.
I will backtrack to my last blog on Wednesday, the warning of a 12-
hour drive to Amboseli. Yes, another early rising, miles and miles
over bumpy roads, through towns and villages. It is impossible for me
to put into words what we see along the way. We have, however, a
stretch of the best highway in Kenya, one built by the Italian
prisoners of war in WWII. Amazingly, there have been no repairs to
this road which climbs the escarpment out of the Rift Valley. Of
course, it is only two lanes and there is a lot of truck traffic.
We stop at a scenic lookout with, you can guess, more salespeople.
While most of our pictures are of the animals in the game parks, we
have also taken some of the sad realities of the third world. We are
ever so fortunate to be citizens of the U.S.A.
Our goal for this day is to arrive at Amboseli in time for sunset at
Mt. Kilimanjaro, and Edwin (and all the drivers) meet the goal. Having
driven all day under a cloud cover, we are thrilled when the clouds
lift and we can see the Snows of Kilimanjaro. Sadly, the picture we
have in our guidebook from several years ago shows much more snow than
remains of the glacier today. Br. Chuck said it has receded
significantly since last he saw it.
The lodge here is tented, a bit more rustic than Sweetwaters, but we
all are enamored of the authenticity. This is safari -- and my idea of
camping with indoor plumbing and a shower. On the way into the park we
see lots more animals with the promise of "herds" of elephants to come.
Sitting around the campfire that evening, we are entertained by
dancing Maasai warriors who encourage (and receive) dancing by a
couple of our younger safari goers. Drinks and dinner and then to bed.
Friday, June 20
After another early breakfast and packing up once again, we experience
lots of animals and birds here on a morning drive. Then it is back to
the camp for lunch and another departure. Indeed, we saw LOTS of
elephants, some so close up we could almost touch them!
We leave Amboseli for Tsavo, another game park and a much shorter
drive this day. A section of this drive takes us through a lava field.
It is like a moonscape. We are all in amazement.We stop at Mzima
Springs in this park where we can take a nature walk to see the
springs and the animals in and around it. We are up close and personal
here with an armed escort to protect us from the animals (I think. It
could be the other way around!). Every place we go there are "monkey
warnings" -- do not feed the monkeys.
The water in this springs comes from Kilimanjaro and provides the
water supply for Mombasa, our beach destination. There are hippos and
crocodiles enjoying the cool, clear water. One crock sits at a falls
in the springs with his mouth wide open, waiting to catch the fish
that will come through the springs. We are standing right above him.
There is also a below-water observation tank that allows us to see the
fish -- talapia -- swimming around.
As we return to our vehicles, a school bus is filling with girls from
what a person with the group describes as one of the best public
schools in the area. They just keep piling kids on the bus and into a
smaller vehicle for the trip back to the school. Windows are broken
out of the bus, girls are two deep in the seats. This would NEVER fly
in the U.S. We see lots of incidents like this, actually.
Our accommodations this night are at the Severin Safari Lodge, another
tented camp, several steps up from the previous one. The tents here
are bigger and the "facilities" more to our liking. Camping has gotten
better still.
This camp is not fenced from the animals so we are escorted to and
from our tents by a Maasai warrior with a spear and a flashlight. As
we prepare for dinner, several cape buffalo are grazing outside our
tent. They are a bit smelly but it is interesting to watch and listen
to them.
Another campfire, stoked by a Maasai, more drinks, and we await the
arrival of animals at a nearby watering hole. People see a hippo and
other animals there. We see only the buffalo. During the night, some
of our group witness the feeding practices of a large group of
giraffe. We missed it -- darn! I love the giraffes. One giraffe bumped
into the tent of two of our party during the night while feeding on
the trees above the tent. Whoa!
Tsavo, which translates to "place of slaughter," is so named for the
man-eating lions in this park. When the Indians were helping to build
the railway, apparently several of them were killed by the lions. We
did not see them, but apparently they come into the camp to the same
watering hole we were observing. They have even wandered into the
restaurant.
We get a wake-up knock from the Maasai in the morning, have breakfast
and head for Mombasa or Nairobi. Today is the last day we will have
our vans. We will miss Edwin, but we are happy to be heading to solid
ground for 8 days at the Severin in Mombasa.
Saturday (again)
We are settled in, unpacked, washed clothes, preparing for our next
meal -- we get breakfast, tea and dinner here. We can actually sleep
in tomorrow. We shall see if we can wind down after the whirlwind of
safari.
This trip was not for sissies. The survival rate was 100%. We have had
a few ailments, mostly tummy troubles, but generally we are hale and
hearty. We look forward to some R&R, but 8 days could pose a challenge!
My long entries are probably over. I will update with quick info or
memories that come back over the next few days. I hope to get all my
thoughts organized for my personal journal.
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the info.
Kathy O.
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