Think Pink!

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From Lake Naivasha, we headed for another animal encounter at Lake Nakuru. We took what was supposed to be a one hour matatu ride to Lake Nakuru. In true Africa-style, an hours journey really means many more... Due to the poor state of the roads, the lack of passengers meaning a delayed start, and the fact that we had to stop to fill up the radiator with water every half hour, it took us almost four hours to reach Lake Nakuru. It was worth it!

We got up bright and early at 5:45 this morning to get ready for our 6:15am pick up. The driver arrived in his 4WD Jeep bang on time, and off we went, just in time to catch sunrise at the lake. Lake Nakuru was just as pretty as I remembered it from two years ago. The lake is surrounded on all sides by lush hills, and fringing the lake is a pink tint - you guessed it, millions of flamingos. With such a picturesque setting, any animal life is merely a bonus. We saw all the usual things such as water buffaloes, giraffes (including a small baby), zebras, and gazelles. There were also quite a few warthogs.
Supposedly, the stars of the show at Nakuru are the famous rhinos. We saw lots of these, but the real star of the show for US at least were the hyenas.

As we got close to the lake, we could see a hyena running along the side, watching the pink flamingos. It sounds horrible, but we were willing it to attack. When you have been in Africa a while, the big thing becomes the chance to see a "kill". Two years ago, we had witnessed several failed attempts, but never an actual kill. This could be our big chance!

As we looked on excitedly, the hyena ran into the lake, sending the flamingos flying into the air in a blind panic. Suddenly, it had one! It ran out of the water with a pink floppy thing in its mouth, coming to rest on a small island to eat it. As we listened to it crunch gruesomely through the bone, we saw the caribou storks come in to wait for the left overs. Amazingly, and to our morbid delight, it attacked again two more times, each time bringing back a prized pink trophy to eat. I did feel guilty I have to admit, when one of them was not killed right away, and struggled in the hyena's mouth to escape. Quite gruesome, but an awesome experience!

If you have been watching the news, you might have seen Uganda in the headlines due to the unprecedented flooding. Well, that is our next destination! Crazy, I know, but after some careful consideration, we have decided to go for it and hope for the best. Wish us luck!

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