I spent the next two months taking numerous trips to the Hilo Library so that I could read up on Kenya and start familiarizing myself with some of the animals and their calls. It was an exciting 2 months, but I was also incredibly torn in leaving Nic for two and a half weeks. I have a hard time when he has a 24 hour shift at the station! Nic would reassure me over and over again that this was a trip of the lifetime, and that this was just a type of reconnaissance trip for when we can go out there together. Even though he was more than encouraging and supportive of me going, it didn't keep me from breaking down in complete sobs on the way to the airport, on the curb, through TSA, and up to the gate. On March 12, 2013 I set out on a new adventure to a place I had dreamed of going to, but didn't know when that dream would actually come true. After two days of layovers and long flights, I landed half way around the world in Nairobi, Kenya with my best friend Ashley, her Mom Susi, and the hilarious Captain Lee (who I nicknamed Leeford for the remainder of the trip).
Our last long leg from Amsterdam to Nairobi.
We joined the rest of the group of zoo keepers and trainers at the airport for a 2 week safari throughout Kenya, guided by Patty Pearthree. We exchanged some US Dollars into Kenyan Shillings and made our way to the Wildebeest Eco Camp in Nairobi where we stayed for one night in order to catch an early morning flight on a small 12-seater plane en route for Lewa where we stayed for the majority of the trip.
Wildebeest Eco Camp was our first taste of Africa. It was a cool, drizzly night with intermittent showers. Stars were trying to poke through the clouds and the pathway to our tent was covered in frogs. Our tent was right across from a pond covered in huge lily pads. We had a porch and a really nice bathroom and shower inside our tent. Even though it was late in Kenya, we were too excited to go straight to bed. We went back up to the lodge to order breakfast and catch up with some of the other group members. Ashley and I got some delicious hot chocolate and just enjoyed the night. I loved sitting back and listening to all the new sounds surrounding us. I slept surprisingly comfortable that night and the first look outside our tent, made me smile... there were birds everywhere. This was the first of many moments to follow where I would think of my Grandpa and squeeze his binoculars in my hands. He would love Africa.
Our tent at Wildebeest.
The lobby where we sat up and talked. Also where we had breakfast the next morning.
We were in tent #7, second to the last.
Our flight out of Nairobi felt more like a ride at an amusement park than an actual airplane. All the way down to the boarding pass which was a bright colored hard ticket that you handed back to the man outside of the 4 steps it took to board the plane! The two pilots greeted us by shouting over their shoulders with big smiles on their faces. They handed back our snack which was a tupperware full of mints, and off we went! It was a bumpy flight, but it was neat to fly so close to the ground so we could see the changes from Nairobi to Lewa fade from city scape to open land. An hour and 15 minutes later we landed on a dirt air strip in Lewa.
Our refreshments!
And we are off. Ashley was sooo excited to be in such a small plane!
Leaving Nairobi.
We landed in Lewa and started our "Game Drive" right away. A game drive is where you pile in a safari truck (mostly land cruisers and land rovers) and go wherever the animals are! We immediately saw zebras, elephants, gazelles, impala, warthogs, giraffes, vervet monkeys, rhinos, cranes, and ostrich. That was just on the way to the camp where we would be staying. It was truly amazing all we saw in just a few hours!
First spotting was of a dazzle of Zebras, both common and grevy's zebras.
Next came the elephants! We drove right up to them!
I love this photo. Blue cloudy sky and golden plains...
and beautiful lawn ornaments :o).
It looks photo shopped, but it's real, I promise!
First Rhino encounter!
Look closely at this photo and look at what you see before scrolling down!
I loved driving around and feeling the electric harmony of the African Savannah. It was incredible seeing all the animals, that for the most part could care less about us. Well, except the warthogs. If you started to slow for one second, or if you looked in their direction, they would bolt with their little tails sticking in the air. They have 3 gates: walk, trot, sprint. That's it.
Well, back to the picture above. This lion was spotted from hundreds of yards away by our driver. A small flick of a tail in the distance, and he knew exactly what it was. This was the first of many exciting encounters, and the ability to spot clearly certain animals from such a far distance never ceased to amaze me. We slowly crept closer and closer to what would be our first lion encounter! Two to be exact. A male and female taking a nap in the sun.
The female is on the left. That black flickering tail is all that was spotted from hundreds of yards away.
The lioness could not get comfortable and the lion wouldn't move!
Smile!
The young male is on the right. About 2 years old.
We were in no hurry so we were able to just sit and watch them for a while. Even though we were so close, I loved looking at them through my binoculars and just admiring how majestic they are. There was a zebra and an elephant less than 20 ft away from them and there was this unexpected peace that came over me. It was a new feeling that is hard to put into words, but little did I know that this feeling would visit me again and again during these next two weeks.
We made it to Lewa Safari Camp and were greeted with warm smiles and the gentle sound of "Jambo!" or "Hello!" They helped us out of the trucks and handed us eucalyptus soaked towels to wipe off our face and hands from the dusty road. We were given a brief introduction to the camp regarding meal times, laundry services, and safety protocols. Each tent was given directions on how to use the hand held radio in the room in case of an emergency, and reminded us that after hours we would need to be escorted to our tents and should we have the need to leave at anytime during the night, we were to radio for someone to come and retrieve us. We were then taken to our tents and this is what we found, the most beautiful spacious tent I have ever stayed in!
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| Wrap around screens, with a gorgeous view and giraffes in the distance. |
Our beds, with the bathroom in the far back.
They would slip hot water bottles in our beds at night to keep us warm.
The bathroom.
The view from the throne. Not too bad :o).
We got to eat change clothes and then head back out for more adventures! This was only HALF A DAY up until now. Pretty incredible. This is getting long, so I will post for now and start working on sorting the other 2000+ photos. Stay tuned!
