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Published: August 26th 2006
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Masai Mara
First sighting of Giraffe's in the wild..!! ...Jambo from Kenya....
Day 1 - Friday 11 November Woke up at 4:00AM, taxi arrived to take us to Heathrow after about 3 phonecalls..!! check-in BA and into the lounge. Flight was an hour late leaving. Arrive in Nairobi 9:30PM, go through immigration - no hassles & then a long wait for the bags (last ones as always..!!) Simon & Lawrence from Kenia Tours picked us up at the airport and took us to “Termial Hotel” in Nairobi town centre, driving past locals (women selling their wares..!!) Checked into the hotel (quite late by now, past midnight) and have a entertaining night - hotel was next door to a Disco so locals partying & music & car horns blaring till 4:00AM… another sleepless night. It was the first night we practise brushing our teeth with bottled mineral water… !
Day 2 - Saturday 12 November Alarm goes off at 6:00AM. Not hot water in the shower so have a shower in the room next door. Breakfast at 7:00AM in Dove Café next door (excellent value for money) waiter a bit too keen to take his tip. Hot toast and the first of many omelettes to
Masai Mara
King of the Jungle...! come for the next fortnight. Met Pricila from Kenia Tours / paid the money for the tour & had a quick briefing. Waited for driver & cook (Isaac) to arrive and we soon found out we had more company (young Francis - cook’s son). We start our safari (first time ever) to Masai Mara in the minibus convertible with several stops for the chef to stock up. Drive out of Nairobi, get our first sighting of the “Jacaranda” trees - Nairobi by day (seemed safer than night). A long drive began past the high fenced / locked security guarded streets and suburbs of Nairob. First stop on the way was the viewpoint to the “Rift Valley” & various Masai curio shops selling the local wood carvings and famous Masai blankets. This was the first look from the western escarpment down to the enormous Rift Valley. We continue on the long drive to Narok - another stop for the chef’s supplies.. then continue along the bumpy road & finally arrive at our campsite by 2:30PM in the Masai Mara (just outside the park gates). We put our stuff into the tent which is much better than I’d expected, permanent tent with
Masai Mara
Sexiest animal on earth..!! real wooden beds…!! First lunch (omelette) by chef Isaac, were introduced to Ellie the camp helper (& gardener) & Mike the Masai security guard. Then at 4:00PM we leave for our first game drive of our life with Lawrence & Francis (he starts writing his animal book). Driving along the bumpy roads of the Masai Mara we get our first sight of the gazelles / zebras / impala / giraffe… !! See a lion family at the lion rocks. Also see several birds - ostrich / secretary bird.. wildebeest / hartbeast. Finally head back to the campsite as the sun goes down. Learn how to use the toilets using a torch ..!! dinner by Isaac is a lengthy affair - warm soup (all 5 courses). Finally off to bed after a very long day only to find there was more disco music blaring out of the lodge next door.
Day 3 - Sunday 13 November Wake up early at 6:00AM for a long day of game viewing. Have a shower and breakfast at 7:00AM & leave for the day in the Masai Mara at 8:00AM. We get our first sighting of the famous migration - wildebeest &
Masai Mara
Our companions in the Mara... !! zebras in their thousands..!! proceeding along the various tracks of the Masai Mara - open plains (African savannah) dotted with the odd Acacia tree in the horizon. Watching several animals & birds on the way we arrive at the Hippo pools via the Kenya / Tanzania border point… some local Indians taking lots of photos (as if they’d never seen a border before..!!). we go on the big hunt for the lions (as another safari driver told Lawrence there were some lions nearby) before we see the hippos. Finally we see our first male lion. We then head off to have a picnic lunch in the open plains of the Masai Mara under the shade of the Acacia tree. Lots of samosas (veggie & fish) some local fruit called tomato fruit (very slimy..!) then we see the many hippos in the Mara river. We’re then off once again only this time on the hunt for the Cheetah… Lawrence’s hawk eye spotted a frightened Gazelle which was the clue to finding the Cheetah & there he was right in front of us… a very sexy beast..!! Also saw a tortoise sitting peacefully under a tree only to be disturbed by Lawrence
which it didn’t like n threw up some horrible liquid on him..! a dead zebra was being attached viciously by hundreds of hungry vultures…. Wasn’t a pleasant sight at all..!! and top this all up Lawrence decided the game drive wasn’t gonna end until we had seen Elephants and the big hunt began. Eventually Francis spotted the big beast in some thick jungle & we were off to see the mighty beasts. It was quite a sight to see them from so close. Satisfied we went back to the camp for some more lovely dinner & a peaceful nights sleep tonight.
Day 4 - Monday 14 November Very early start - 5am wake up call. Had a wet wipe shower (first of many to come!). This morning, Ellie joined us all for a 6am game drive. Lawrence was chattier than usua!! Driving in the savannahs with the sun rising in the background. Today on the chase for a closer look at the last nights elephants. No problems finding them, but nervous time with Lawrence trying to wind up the mighty beasts! We managed to escape safe and sound with Fatima screaming to get out before we get
Masai Mara
Francis finds something not so wild in the savannah...!! rammed. Next sighting was of the elusive Leopard, and Lawrence getting over-excited and chasing after it across the plains in the bouncy van. The game drive finishes and we head out via a different exit (for a change) to the camp for lunch and to prepare for the long drive back to Nairobi with a drunk driver. Arrive at Nairobi… hot and dusty… drop of Isaac and Frances and finally manage to get a hot shower at the Terminal Hotel. Meet up with Pricilla to give her feedback. Suggest they should invest in solar power outdoor lighting for the campground- she was amazing to hear such a thing existed. Pop across to the local supermarket (only across the road - wouldn’t dare go any further in Nairobi after dark) to stock up on some food for the long drive tomorrow. Dinner at the Dove hotel and finally get some sleep.
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