Giraffe, Zebra, WARTHOG, zebra, HIPPOS, giraffe, antelope. Medical Clinic

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Amosi!

So I can't wait to show you all the photos from last weekend. Our 'relaxation weekend' was a little less relaxation and a little more early morning lots of physical activity but SOOO worth it! it was like a mini safari!
We travelled down to Lake Naivasha on the Friday, arriving mid to late afternoon. It gave us just enough time to check out the Masaai market and the facilities (there were real showers and a flushing toilet!! luxuries!)
The next morning we were up early to ride bikes to Hell's Gate National Park. We were not really prepared for the ride and the terain was pretty much rocks and dirt the entire way. It was 5km from our campsite to the gate entrace to the park. By the time we were there i was in desperate need for a break, we were assured that we had riden uphill to get there and that the rest of the ride was pretty flat (afterthoughts still dispute that theory!) Once we were in the park it wasn't long until we started to see the animals. At first they were only from afar, getting excited by the zebra herd a few hundred metres from the road and then we started to see them closer. We had herds of zebras crossing the road just in front of us. Giraffes eating from trees on the sides of the road and antelope that were eating less than 100m from the road. There were some great photo ops. Some people even got picture of themselves with the animals close in the backgound. Most of the animals were pretty skittish, still being wild and not exactly used to people despite tha large numbers that ride, drive and walk through the park. We were still thrilled to get as close as we were to these amazing creatures. The giraffes are the most beautiful, elegant and graceful animal i have ever seen. Its hard to imagine that these seemingly gentle animals can kill a lion with a single kick!
Other animals we saw in the park on the Saturday were: Gazelles, Impala, Warthogs, Buffalo, Monkeys and of course lots of Zebra and Giraffe. The warthogs were my next favourite animal, they run around with their tails stuck straight up in the air its the funniest thing, and they watch you so closely. There was no way to get close to them, they were really skittish and very aware of people, i really hope that i managed to get at least one photo of them that shows them up. Love them.
At the end of the ride (really halfway) we had a walk through the Hells Gate gorge. It was more of a hike and so much fun, lots of climbing over huge boulders and a bit of rock climbing. There are some awesome shots of the scenery. We even saw the gorge that inspired the illustrator of the Lion King for the scene where Mufasa is trampled in the gorge.
The entire return ride was 25km and boy did we know it, everything hurt by the time we got back.
The next morning we were up super early hoping to get out on Lake Naivasha in time for the sunrise. We missed it but did get some awesome shots of the early sun over the water. We were on a boat cruise to look for Hippos!! When we finally saw them they were incredible. We got about 50-60m from the while in the boat and then we stopped the boats (which were more like large canoes with a motor) and walked along the beach towards them. When we were at the closest we were less than 10m away from them. They kept watching us, i was terrified, the men kept telling us that they dont come out of the water during the day, but most of us were dubious about getting to close anyway. It looked like they were going to get up and come out at any moment. Then just as we were walking away to go back to the boat, one of the larger ones got up and started running through the water towards us, half of us screamed and ran so fast back to the boat. She probably only took about 3 steps in the end but it was enough to put us off! Hippos are dangerous! It was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity that i will probably never get again. By the time we got back to our ride i was over the fear and just able to appreciate how special it actually was.
After the Hippos, we went off to a Game sactuary for another walk looking for wildlife. This time we got so much closer to all the animals, even closer than the day before. We were less than 10m from giraffes that didnt run away and even the herds of zebra didnt run off until we were really close. We also saw, water buck, dic dic, elans, impala and gazelles. Dic dics are the cutest of the antelope, they are the smallest and mate for life. They stay in pairs and you never see one on its own. Apparently the are so in tune that when one of the mates dies the other will die soon after because of the connection! Crazy and beautiful at the same time.
After the walk we went back to the campsite and it was still only midday. We ended up spending the rest of the day actually relaxing, hanging out by the pool and more shopping at the masaai market.
The other thing i want to tell you all about is the Medical Clinic we had yesterday. We had some fundraising money to spend and we decided to hold a free medical clinic for the people in Odede and neighbouring towns. We had around 8 medical staff (doctors and nurses) and in the end we had more than 280 people come. Most of them had colds, infections, malaria, worms, or injuries that had been around for a long time. There is no doctor anywhere near the town and most people couldnt afford the trip to Kisumu or the cost of the doctor fee and medicines. We also tested 26 people for HIV and not a single one tested positive, which was fantastic. It was a long day, starting early and working non stop until around 3pm, our makeshift pharmacy was working at breakneck speed. It was so good knowing that so many people who would normally not get treated (most of the patients were young children or women) had medication for a little while and had seen doctors for some serious problems.
Ok this may be my last blog from Africa, we have a week left, we are planning to paint the childrens dorms in the Child Rescue Centre, finishing touches on the goat farm, a visit to an orphanage, Offical openings for both the goat farm and the rescue centre and we start our safari on Saturday!! Crazy times. I know im going to cry when i leave, i am loving the life here and the girls are awesome! Of course i am missing you all too!
xx

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