14 May,
Saturday Samburu to Isiolo, Kenya
We are ready and packed at the crack of dawn – our sunrise game drive. We have a 24 hour park permit, so we do not want to waste time. We see many antelope, giraffes, elephants, zebra, baboons and birds. Willie takes stunning pictures. (See Gallery: Photos: Samburu Day 2) There are several tourist game drive vehicles looping through the park and everyone wants to see, of course…lions, but they’ve been evasive.
We find a big herd of elephants and it is wonderful to watch them kick up grass with their front legs, use their trunks to pick it up and stick in their mouths. We spend a long time watching the activity and interaction with one another. The tranquil environment and beauty of nature also thaw out our emotions and harmony is restored. 11 am Willie finds a secluded picnic spot by the river and we can let Sammie out to run. We have oatmeal for breakfast and
enjoy the break from sitting in the car. Our seclusion, like so often before, is short lived: young children herding goats from across the river spot us and a shrill one-way conversation starts between us.
45 minutes later two older brothers arrive decked out in colorful traditional attire. They wade through the river and join us. Hugo tries a conversation with them, but their understanding of English is limited. They are friendly and I am sorry that I did not take a picture of them and Hugo, but all I want to do at this point is pack and leave. I am tense about Sammie especially
after one of the guys pulled out a mobile phone from where in his attire I do not know, because he did not wear clothes with pockets and makes a call. I am so nervous, often unnecessarily, and I make life difficult for myself and others with me…
We leave and have 3 hours left, before we have to leave the park. We drive along the river and see many animals in the most beautiful setting of lush green vegetation under a canopy of thorn trees – truly a scene from ‘out of Africa’. Willie and I wondered if it was worth spending all the money for the park, but feel different after this drive. We watch how a baby elephant
crawl-stumble over a fallen tree in an effort to do what mama was doing – the kind of scenes you often only see once in a lifetime.
This was a rich experience and we agree that we can head out to the gate. Willie stops by the river where we watch a troop of monkeys feed, fight and frolic through the Marula trees. Their behavior change in one splitsecond: loud alarm calls and monkeys scatter around, jump and disappear into the trees from where they join the wild angst-chorus. What can it be? “There’s a lion!”, and Willie points across the river and we all see her for 30 seconds before she disappears in the shrubs. We are excited and Hugo wants Willie to g look for her a.s.a.p. To do this we have to drive across the river and thanks to Dolla, our GPS guide, Willie can mark the spot, but it will be a 40 minute drive. “Let’s do it!”
Hugo climbs out on the roof of the car when we approached the area where we saw her – thick scrubs and trees – typical lion country. It will be difficult to find a lion here, because she can lie behind a bush and we will not even know. Willie takes several loops and then I see her lying in the shade under a tree! He backs up and we commit all ‘the watch-animals-in-the wild’ faux-pas: we talk loudly; point and all of us frantically want Hugo back in the car! Those yellow eyes looked at us and then immediately switched focus to Hugo on the roof! We finally have Hugo back in the car, but by this time she’s decided this circus is too much for someone who needs an afternoon nap, so she slowly gets up and saunters away!
Aaagh!
We have to see her again, so Willie starts to circle and we do see her under a bush, but a fallen tree obstructs our view and we cannot get close enough – so we have to try a different approach: Willie pushes the car over shrubs and we finally have a good enough view of a very drowsy, lethargic lion so that we can take pictures. (Gallery: photos: Samburu Day 2) We watch and take pictures until we are satisfied. We’ve seen our lion and are so happy for Andrej.
We leave the park and drive to Isiolo 1 hour away where we have the waypoints for Gaddisa Hotel. It looks inviting with big, shady trees, a swimming pool and we are welcomed by a friendly Danish lady. We pitch camp behind the hotel and the happiest of us all? Our stow-away, Sammie, released from his car-prison. He runs up and down with a big smile on his face! Water has become one of the most important luxuries on this journey, so very soon all
4 of us are in the cool, refreshing water of a swimming pool. What more can you ask for?
We have one of the best meals on our trip – unanimous decision: chicken and the ‘best fries, north of Mt Kenya’. We crawl into bed verycontented and thankful for all the unexpected small, but important, luxuries ofwater, grass, clean bathrooms, food and kindness of people.
See Gallery: Photos: Samburu Day 2
Saturday Samburu to Isiolo, Kenya
We are ready and packed at the crack of dawn – our sunrise game drive. We have a 24 hour park permit, so we do not want to waste time. We see many antelope, giraffes, elephants, zebra, baboons and birds. Willie takes stunning pictures. (See Gallery: Photos: Samburu Day 2) There are several tourist game drive vehicles looping through the park and everyone wants to see, of course…lions, but they’ve been evasive.
We find a big herd of elephants and it is wonderful to watch them kick up grass with their front legs, use their trunks to pick it up and stick in their mouths. We spend a long time watching the activity and interaction with one another. The tranquil environment and beauty of nature also thaw out our emotions and harmony is restored. 11 am Willie finds a secluded picnic spot by the river and we can let Sammie out to run. We have oatmeal for breakfast and
enjoy the break from sitting in the car. Our seclusion, like so often before, is short lived: young children herding goats from across the river spot us and a shrill one-way conversation starts between us.
45 minutes later two older brothers arrive decked out in colorful traditional attire. They wade through the river and join us. Hugo tries a conversation with them, but their understanding of English is limited. They are friendly and I am sorry that I did not take a picture of them and Hugo, but all I want to do at this point is pack and leave. I am tense about Sammie especially
after one of the guys pulled out a mobile phone from where in his attire I do not know, because he did not wear clothes with pockets and makes a call. I am so nervous, often unnecessarily, and I make life difficult for myself and others with me…
We leave and have 3 hours left, before we have to leave the park. We drive along the river and see many animals in the most beautiful setting of lush green vegetation under a canopy of thorn trees – truly a scene from ‘out of Africa’. Willie and I wondered if it was worth spending all the money for the park, but feel different after this drive. We watch how a baby elephant
crawl-stumble over a fallen tree in an effort to do what mama was doing – the kind of scenes you often only see once in a lifetime.
This was a rich experience and we agree that we can head out to the gate. Willie stops by the river where we watch a troop of monkeys feed, fight and frolic through the Marula trees. Their behavior change in one splitsecond: loud alarm calls and monkeys scatter around, jump and disappear into the trees from where they join the wild angst-chorus. What can it be? “There’s a lion!”, and Willie points across the river and we all see her for 30 seconds before she disappears in the shrubs. We are excited and Hugo wants Willie to g look for her a.s.a.p. To do this we have to drive across the river and thanks to Dolla, our GPS guide, Willie can mark the spot, but it will be a 40 minute drive. “Let’s do it!”
Hugo climbs out on the roof of the car when we approached the area where we saw her – thick scrubs and trees – typical lion country. It will be difficult to find a lion here, because she can lie behind a bush and we will not even know. Willie takes several loops and then I see her lying in the shade under a tree! He backs up and we commit all ‘the watch-animals-in-the wild’ faux-pas: we talk loudly; point and all of us frantically want Hugo back in the car! Those yellow eyes looked at us and then immediately switched focus to Hugo on the roof! We finally have Hugo back in the car, but by this time she’s decided this circus is too much for someone who needs an afternoon nap, so she slowly gets up and saunters away!
Aaagh!
We have to see her again, so Willie starts to circle and we do see her under a bush, but a fallen tree obstructs our view and we cannot get close enough – so we have to try a different approach: Willie pushes the car over shrubs and we finally have a good enough view of a very drowsy, lethargic lion so that we can take pictures. (Gallery: photos: Samburu Day 2) We watch and take pictures until we are satisfied. We’ve seen our lion and are so happy for Andrej.
We leave the park and drive to Isiolo 1 hour away where we have the waypoints for Gaddisa Hotel. It looks inviting with big, shady trees, a swimming pool and we are welcomed by a friendly Danish lady. We pitch camp behind the hotel and the happiest of us all? Our stow-away, Sammie, released from his car-prison. He runs up and down with a big smile on his face! Water has become one of the most important luxuries on this journey, so very soon all
4 of us are in the cool, refreshing water of a swimming pool. What more can you ask for?
We have one of the best meals on our trip – unanimous decision: chicken and the ‘best fries, north of Mt Kenya’. We crawl into bed verycontented and thankful for all the unexpected small, but important, luxuries ofwater, grass, clean bathrooms, food and kindness of people.
See Gallery: Photos: Samburu Day 2
RSS Feed
