Hello fellow cyber dwellers,
I know I only posted the other day, but there's so much good stuff to say about Kenya, and it is raining outside so just hanging at a cyber cafe until it dries up. Done a little play-by-play of the safari I took on the weekend, hope you enjoy it :)
5.00am Got picked up by taxi driver who dropped me in town. Bit too early for matatu. Met the other safari-ers and headed out to Tsavo West, a two hour drive from Mombasa. Met an old german couple and some UK newlyweds who were pretty awesome. Just kind of eloped with their parents in tow, had masai warriors, african drums, chants, the lot. Then went snorkelling straight after the ceremony! I like their style, none of their friends are going to have wedding photos on deserted islands off the african coast..
8.30 Had a cuppa at designated souvinier shop (hate those places, everythings overpriced and feel like you have to buy something just to be polite because you're in the wop-wops).
10.00 Went for first game drive at Tsavo West National Park. These are the following myths I would like to clear up:
WHAT I EXPECTED:
Was concerned about the appropriate footwear I had to bring..comfy sandals or trekking boots?
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS:
I could be wearing 6 inch stilletto heels and it wouldn't have made a difference..in the van the whole time. Then I realised that at no point on the safari were we allowed to exit the vehicle to take photos on the ground. We would be eaten.
WHAT I EXPECTED:
I would see animals up-close and in plain view. I would be able to see the gleaming of lions teeth
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS:
Only in the movies. It takes a team effort to spot anything and even then it's usually 500m away and camouflaged in grass/trees/dense foliage. David Attenborough, you must have no life.
WHAT I EXPECTED:
I could impress my friends with photos of the Big Five (Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Leopard and Lion)
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS:
Its all 'right place at the right time' kind of luck. And the more game drives you do the more chances you have. All the van drivers carry radios so they can tell eachother where a cute leopard family of four may be eating.
WHAT I EXPECTED:
Actual elephant ear holes are behind those big flappy things.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS:
Not correct. In front of the big flaps! Makes sense though, our ear holes aren't behind our flaps.
WHAT I EXPECTED:
All animals go to sleep at night have happy little tiger snoozes.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS:
And you're wrong again. They constantly eat, drink, mate, chat to their friends. Elephants & zebras were coming to the watering hole near the hotel restaurant at all hours and making lots of damn noise. Some people went on the night game-drive to spot lions who do most of their dining-out at night.
Carrying on..
1pm Had lunch at a funky restaurant what was situated right in front of a massive watering hole where groups of male buffalos would drink and poop and lie in their own mixture.
2.30pm Did another game drive. Very exciting, saw a whole herd of elephants chilling in the swamp, and there were quite a few babies in the mix too. Saw some cheetahs which hadn't been spotted by any groups in a few weeks. Pretty cool.
5.30pm Finally got to the Sarova Salt Lick Game Lodge where I stayed overnight and for some reason got all emotional and nearly started blubbering at the room boy. I think it was a combination of seeing amazing animals out in the wild, headache from all the squinting, seeing my room that was on stilts and had zebras and elephants roaming past my window, and realising I had my own shower. First proper shower in 3 weeks that wasn't freezing cold and from a bucket. That would make anyone start crying happy tears.
The Lodge:
Never seen anything like this before, about 50 cylinder-shaped units sitting high on stilts in the middle of the sprawling plains of Tsavo East. About a kilometer away are the hills of Tsavo which show off a brilliant purple sunset. They've constructed a water hole about 2 metres away from the lounging deck where you can sit and have a cuppa. It's what comes to the watering hole that makes it famous. Herds and herds of big beautiful grey African elephants. All different sizes, they come right up to the deck. Each one sticks their trunk in the water and makes a slurping noise that sounds like bathroom pipes, lifts their head and throws their trunk to their mouths to drink. I like the way they sway into eachother with their dusty wrinkly bodies and the noises they make every now and then that give you a hell of a fright!A deep yelp that sounds like someones groaning through a megaphone. Each herd of elephants takes a turn at the hole for about 20 minutes, then makes way for the next herd. I could watch them all day.
Woke up early and did a game drive before breakfast. Seeing the sun rise over the savannah watching grazing zebras and gazelles is pretty damn cool. And I ate like a ravenous heyena at breakfast. Stuffed some danish pastries into my bag which came in handy later when feeding the Sterling birds. Then the baboons came along and threatened to jump the van window for said pastry so we had to leave. Did another game drive before heading home again. If you do happen to go to Africa and don't have a lot of time, a 2-day 1-night package should give you a decent injection of safari that will leave you high for days. Can't praise it enough.
Ok, enough for today, racking up a bill at the cafe (i'm now their favourite customer!)
Take care all, and remember monkeys are not as friendly as the ones in the movies.
-Beth
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