DAYS WITH THE ANIMALS

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At dawn we watched a herd of elephant take their morning drink enjoyed an otter moving around the water, had breakfast and were on the road at eight.
We arrived at Lake Nakruru in time for lunch and then started out on our first game ride at 3:00. Within minutes we were twenty feet from two female lions who were napping, saw Thompson’s Gazelles and Impala, savannah baboons, saw our first bee eater and it just got better; more gazelles, Impalas, and zebra, waterbuck and a white rhino and a black rhino and Cape Buffalo. So within the first day in the parks we saw four of the big five: elephant, lion, and rhino, Cape buffalo with only a leopard to go. It is impossible to describe the profusion of animals. Almost everywhere you turn there is a bird or mammal that you read about in books but never expected to see outside a zoo.
The lake is salt water and is home to migrating flamingos, pelicans and storks. A white rhino was pacing the beach when we arrived and later we got a glimpse of a hippo.
We are at the equator but the temps have been mild to chilly because of the elevation. It started to cloud over and we returned to our beautiful lodge for dinner and drinks and another early night because we start out at 8:00 am for the Masai Mara National Park. It was a rainy overcast day and we didn’t have high hopes. We arrived for lunch at 2:00 and at 3:30 we took our second game ride.
This was very different from the first. We could now recognized and spot some of the animals. Instead of relatively small lakeside park of 73 sq miles we were now in Masai county and on the vast savannah grasslands. The Masai Mara Park is 583 sq miles. Where before we saw a few animals herding together, now there were large herds, and, in the case of the wildebeest, huge herds. It’s migration time on the Mara and the wildebeest are beginning their return trek to the Serengeti.
We started out at 3:30 and the rain had stopped. We saw two species of vultures waiting in trees for an opportunity to feast. Next was a male lion with a black mane napping along side the road. Then it was a flock of vultures and storks feeding on a wildebeest carcass. And it just got better. Even larger herds of wildebeest and gazelle and impala, and giraffes were grazing at the roadside. We happened on a recent lion kill of a wildebeest. Two females and four cubs were feasting on the carcass. I’m glad we didn’t witness the take down.
Once the cubs had their fill they went to play hunting and pouncing each other as the mothers had probably stalked and pounced the wildebeest. Later on we saw the male black mane lion awake and checking out the tourists. He had probably had first snack on the carcass. Sunset was approaching and we returned to the lodge for dinner and an early sleep as tomorrow we are up at 4:00am for our hot air balloon adventure.

This will be a hard day to explain. We were up at 4:00 an on the “road” by 5:00. We boarded two trucks and a Range Rover. I was in the front seat on the Rover net to the driver, a very nice man I’m sure, but who had breath that would gag a maggot so I was easy prey. There was no way I could smell that for the next hour. IDEA!!! Who would like a breath mint? Thankfully the drive accepted one and we were off until the river.
Our lodge is set on the banks of a river that empties into the Mara River. There have been showers and rains lately. The rainy season has arrived a bit early this year. Well, on our first attempt to climb the bank on the far side we got stuck. The bank is about 45 degrees. After rocking and rolling we got free and off we went on Carole’s wild ride. Imagine you are in a Rover with a maniac in the dark in the savannah. Also imagine that your seat belt doesn’t work and you are a cranky passenger under normal circumstances. That’s me and I didn’t say a word nor did the rest of the van. I think everyone was busy praying. It was the wildest ride in my life bar none and I hope to never repeat it. We drove through the trees and out on the savannah, through sleeping towns and past Masai villages for about an hour until we arrived at the balloons. One truck had turned back and another was stuck in the mud for a while but eventually we all made it. It was still dark.

Seven balloons were lying on their sides and one by one the burners went on and the giant envelope inflated. Although the basket was tethered, half a dozen men held it down as well. Climbing aboard was a real trick but soon we were loaded, got our safety and landing briefing from Brian aka Captain Kangaroo. And then we were aloft. I am struggling to describe with the Masai Mara looks like from the air. Below throughout the park are a million Wildebeest and they are starting to move south. Wherever I looked there were herds, some small and some huge, grazing or running from the sound of our burner. Taking advantage of the safety in numbers theory, zebra, Impala and Topi mixed in with the wildebeest (wildebeest).
Think of the savannah as desert sky on a clear nigh and picture the stars as wildebeest and you get an idea of the vastness and numbers I saw below. The Mara is in the Great Rift Valley and the Mara River runs through it. During the migration, the wildebeest have to cross the river and it is full of hungry crocodiles. A hug number of wildebeest never make it past. We saw elephant and giraffes and gazelles and vultures. Some were frightened by the burner noise, many were just curious.
Our landing was uneventful. Sometimes the basket tips over or is dragged over rocks but I have had some airplane landings that were rougher then this.
We enjoyed a Champaign breakfast under an acacia tree. They served fruit, yoghurt, omelet, crepes, sausage, bacon, beans, pastry and coffee or tea as well as Champaign, Bloody Mary’s, gin and tonics, and all kinds of juices. The flies were a little bothersome but part of the experience.
On the ride back to the lodge we saw a loan ostrich, giraffes and elephants close up and personal and for the first time I saw an eland, the largest of the antelopes. The animals are becoming very familiar now and easy to identify. They were getting ready for the siesta and were just lying along the road in great numbers. The southern migration has started and we can see huge numbers of animals on the move, lining the horizon as far as we can see in each direction, with herds bunched alongside. The grasses here are still green but the instinct is to go south so they do.
Joe is feeling poorly so we bagged the afternoon drive and he napped instead. Reports were that the group got glimpses of a leopard and two cheetahs. We’re hoping that they will make an appearance tomorrow.
I was off at 6:30 for a pre-breakfast game ride. Joe is really feeling sick and decided to sleep in.
The highlight of the ride was the Big Guy and Younger Guy Lion Show. We can upon a young male lion with a fresh kill eating it in the middle of the savannah. We watched as he tore into the wildebeest, concentrating on the head. There were at least thirty vans on the road watching but it didn’t faze the boy one little bit. Our van drove off a short distance and there we saw a HUGE lion with a full black mane sitting and watching the young guy.
We drove back to where the young guy was eating and watched him pick up the carcass with his teeth and drag it across the grass towards the vans. As the drivers understood where he wanted to go they cleared a path to let him cross the road. He would drag for a while and then stop for a rest and then continue until he was at the top of a rise where the BIG GUY was sitting.
BIG GUY came over and they settled the carcass in a hidden spot and then went off for a nap. Before they slept they gave each other a face washing. It was an extraordinary scene.
Joe was ready for breakfast when I returned and then I set to work on the blog and he is napping as I type.
This has been an extraordinary trip so far and there is more to come.

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