A MORNING AND NIGHT DRIVE IN NABOISHO CONSERVANCY, BLOG 5, MARCH 12 2020

The alarm went off at 5:20 a.m. and one of the staff delivered our tea and coffee at 5:45. Paul and I call for an escort shortly after six. A man arrives and escorts Paul, Jacob, and me to where Francis is waiting for us. Jacob is in tent 10 allowing the guard to collect all of us at the same time.

There is a gorgeous sunrise as we are leaving camp and we stop briefly for photos. Francis tells us he is going to try and find the lions that we all heard roaring very early this morning close to the camp. Once we reach the area where Francis believes the roaring was emanating from, he drives around the dense cover where the lions might be hiding but if the big cats are around, we can’t find them.

We leave this section of the conservancy and soon are driving in a more open, grassy region. Up ahead we see a safari truck parked next to one of the main roads and as we draw closer, we spot a male and female lion laying close to one another. The duo look exhausted and Francis confirms our suspicions that they are a mating pair. We sit near the large felines waiting to see if their ardor will surface but the two can hardly keep their eyes open.

Tired lion pair

While we are waiting patiently beside the two sweethearts, another lioness appears on the other side of the road. There are two jackals shadowing the beautiful cat and when she lays down the pair sit down a few yards away from her. We ask Francis about this behavior and he explains that the two opportunists were hoping the lioness was going to hunt and if she was successful, they would steal tidbits from the carcass. Paul and I have watched jackals dart in and grab scraps from a lion’s kill but we never realized they actually follow predators in anticipation of a kill. Eventually, the two trot away sensing that the lioness is not going to hunt.

Lioness that appears across the road, you can see a blurry jackal behind her

The lions seem to have no intentions of mating so when the lioness across the road stands up and begins walking away, Francis drives in the direction the lion is moving, stopping our vehicle several yards front of her. I don’t know how he knows her exact path, but the regal animal walks right up to our truck, goes behind it, then passes right next to our vehicle on the other side. This elicits a quiet “Oh Wow” from Jacob which makes Paul and I grin at each other. The close approximation of an enormous lion, even though you are sitting in a vehicle, definitely has that effect on you! The lioness has her eye on some nearby shrubs and once she reaches the thicket, the massive mama plops down in the shade.

Lioness right next to our vehicle, no zoom needed

Francis turns the truck around and starts driving back to the amorous lion couple, oh shoot, they are mating. Well, we arrive in time to see the end of the mating ritual which consists of the female plopping on her side and going to sleep while the male continues to stand looking at his mate with great satisfaction😊.

Lions after they have mated.

Francis decides we will motor to a valley that is lined with trees that leopards favor. He warns us that leopards are very hard to find, (yeah, don’t we know it)! We don’t see any leopards but there are elephants and a fair size herd of cape buffalo including one cute baby buffalo.

Elephant nicely framed

Baby Cape buffalo with an itch

Francis takes us to a hilltop where we have our bush breakfast. There had been a herd of zebra grazing when we arrived but once Francis began setting up our breakfast table they slowly drifted away. We enjoy our breakfast while gazing over the tree dotted plains.

Jacob, Francis, and Paul next to our breakfast layout. Paul is wearing the coat that Ping gave him.

After breakfast, we continue on our game drive. Francis sees a Thomson’s gazelle and a baby next to the road we are traveling on. Francis drives right next to the pair not realizing that the baby gazelle has just been born. Mom is vigorously licking her newborn who is trying to get to its feet. As we come to a stop the mother gazelle runs off maybe 50 yards and I am worried that we may have messed up the bonding of the mother and baby. Francis, while in the process of driving away, assures me that the mother leaving her newborn is a common practice when a gazelle senses danger. It is a tactic they use in the hopes that a predator will notice them and not see the helpless baby. Looking back, I see the mama gazelle intently watching her new baby but she hasn’t started walking back to the poor little guy yet.

Brand new Thomson’s gazelle. Look at all those flies!

Francis has informed us he is now taking us to where two cheetah brothers have been located. When we arrive the two sleek cats are sleeping soundly. The couple we visited with from Detroit are also here patiently waiting for the brothers to wake up. We knew that the couple were avid photographers but we are amazed by their huge lenses and the stands that accommodate their cameras. Not only that but they are using the Asilia vehicle that is made for professional photographers. I wish I had taken a photo of that vehicle but foolishly didn’t. The chairs swivel and there is a mattress on the floor where the front seats would be in a normal vehicle. This allows the photographer to lie down and get an eye view level with animals, like these cheetah. I’m not sure how the doors opened up but there is an unobstructed view for the prone person. I would love to see the photos these two took!

Cheetah brothers sound asleep

Waking up

Francis tells us to be patient with the two cats as it is still chilly and they will sleep until the sun warms them. Our knowledgeable guide informs us that once they begin to warm up, the cheetah will start to yawn, stretch, even do a little grooming. Once the handsome fellows feel it is too warm, they will go find shade under a tree or bush.

As we sit and wait for the sun to work its charm on the dozing cats, Paul asks Francis if the brothers have a name. Francis replies that they are just called Amani’s boys. Paul and I both gasp and tell our guide that we saw a pregnant Amani when we were in Kenya in 2016. Francis says that these cheetahs are around four years old so that would mean these guys were who she was pregnant with in 2016. How cool is that! Jacob has been listening to our excited chatter about Amani and her boys and asks why Amani seems to be famous. Francis informs our safari friend that Amani has made a name for herself because she has an incredible record of raising her cubs to adulthood which is very hard for a cheetah to accomplish.

This fellow decides it is time to find some shade

Soon Francis’ prediction of how the cheetah would act when the sun hit their spotted bodies is playing out exactly as he said it would. One of the brothers wakes up much faster than the other and after a couple of yawns and stretches, gets up and walks about fifty foot away to a narrow band of shade under an acacia tree. His brother has a much tougher time of getting up. He yawns, rolls on his back with paws in the air, hits the snooze button and flops back on his side and sleeps a bit, yawns, stretches, rolls around and finally gets to his feet and goes to join his brother in the shade. Paul and I marvel at how big and muscular Amani’s boys are and it is obvious they are very healthy meaning that they are eating well. We drive away and leave the two enjoying their sliver of shade.

Yawning

A little grooming

Dozing off again

Finally getting up

Joining his sibling in the narrow band of shade

As we make our way back to camp, stopping occasionally to take photos of the various wildlife we see, Paul asks Francis if we could go out on a night drive instead of the late afternoon game drive. Francis agrees and Jacob is fine with the idea too. Francis calls the camp to tell them we will want dinner at six o’clock as we will leave on our game drive at seven. Francis then reminds us that there are no guarantees on a night drive and we assure him we are fully aware of this.

Weaver birds busy constructing their amazing nests

Stream where the weaver birds were

After lunch, Paul and I go to the Wi-Fi tent to check our email and are happy to find no messages from home! We then decide to get a beer and enjoy it at the observation platform. When we arrive, we find there are other visitors already here. There are four giraffes licking the salty soil and the long-necked beauties take no notice of us. It is so beautiful and peaceful here and we enjoy the solitude as we sip our cold Tusker beer.

A cold beer and gorgeous scenery. What more could you want?

Three of the four giraffes getting their salt fix

Paul and I return to our tent, turn the fan on, and take a nap. I know, it isn’t exactly roughing it. After my short nap, I am reading and occasionally looking out the front of our tent into the wilderness beyond the fence. I happen to see a giraffe gliding by and a bit later I see another one walking in the same direction as the first giraffe. I tell Paul that I bet the graceful beasts are heading to the salt lick so we decide to return to the platform and see if this is indeed where the giraffes are going.  We run into Jacob at the community tent and he decides to join us.

When we arrive at the platform, we see that there are seven giraffes approaching the area. Five of them continue coming our way but an adult and a youngster are wary of us and refuse to join their friends. A couple of the giraffe are obviously drinking but this is happening behind a small grassy dam so we are unable to see clearly. The five move on to the dirt bank and begin licking the soil with there long black tongues.

Five of the seven giraffe

Edwin, a personable member of the staff, comes down to fetch us for dinner. He leads us to our table which they have sat up just outside of the main dining tent. It is very pleasant this evening so it was quite thoughtful of them to allow us to dine in the open air. They served us chicken which was very good.

I believe this is a white-browed Robin Chat. He was near the dining tent. There were so many birds in the camp.

A staff member escorts us down to where Francis is waiting for us. We greet our delightful guide then climb into the truck ready to experience the conservancy at night. Francis has brought a young man who will help him with the spotlighting. They pass the light back and forth so they cast the beam of light on both sides of the vehicle.

Francis and his helper find bush babies, which are not easy to see, a white-tailed mongoose, a bat-eared fox, hyena, elephant, and gazelles. When Francis calls out that there are some African kangaroos, Jacob reacts with an incredulous “What”! Paul and I laugh as we had the same prank pulled on us a few years ago. The strange animal is really called a Springhare but gets its nickname due to the fact that it hops around on its back legs just like a kangaroo. It isn’t a hare but a member of the rodent family. We also enjoy hearing a variety of frogs calling, the most interesting ones to me produce a crystal-clear sound as if the frogs are clinking glasses together.

Francis takes us close to the river where we find a few bulbous hippo grazing. The rotund animals are intimidating enough when submerged in water but you don’t realize how enormous they are until you see them on land.

It is time to return to camp and even though we didn’t see any rare nocturnal animals like an aardwolf, aardvark or caracal, it was still a wonderful experience. Nancy

ENCOUNTER MARA CAMP AND NABOISHO CONSERVANCY, BLOG 4, MARCH 10TH, 2020

After our orientation tour of the tent, Paul and I return to the community area as it is time for lunch. Paul and I line up with other guests to go through the buffet line. I prefer buffets as you can choose what you want and how much you want and I don’t end up wasting half my food.  All the guests are sitting at the same table except for one couple and their guide who have a table to themselves.

We return to our tent after lunch and get our things organized, dirty clothes in the laundry basket, clothes hung up or laid on the shelves, etc. I don’t think this tent is any larger than our tent in Enaidura camp, (which was a great tent too), but everything is laid out horizontally instead of vertically and it feels roomier for some reason.  Whatever the case it is a really nice tent.

A staff member preparing to welcome new guests in front of the community tent

Since our game drive isn’t until four p.m., Paul and I decide to go orient ourselves with the camp layout. It is a five-minute trek from our tent to the community tent but that is fine as we need exercise! Mercy had told us about an observation deck near the dining tent but we aren’t quite sure how to get there. A staff member, Joseph, notices that we seem to be a bit lost and comes to our rescue. Instead of just pointing out the path for us, Joseph leads us to the covered deck. The deck is very nice and has several comfortable chairs and a wide ledge that you can set drinks on. A small water hole is situated right below the platform but the main draw for the wildlife is the saline soil which they will lick to get their salt fix. Since our afternoon game drive doesn’t leave until four p.m., Paul and I just relax as we enjoy the view and the cool breeze that is wafting over us.

Paul enjoying the viewing platform and his Tusker beer

Just before four, we return to our tent to grab a backpack, our coats and water bottles, then return to the community tent where we are to meet our guide. I believe it is Sam who introduces us to our guide, Francis. Francis will be our guide the entire time we are here. There is only one other person in our vehicle, Jacob, a young man from New York who is on his first safari.

Mom and baby zebra with lots of company in the background

Wildebeest and babies

When we have situated ourselves in the truck, Francis asks each of us what we hope to see while we are on game drives. Paul and I both reply that we enjoy experiencing everything. Jacob says he definitely wants to see lions and Francis assures him that we will see lions.  Once we exit the camps fenced acreage, we begin to see lots of animals. Numerous zebras, large herds of eland, wildebeest including some babies, elephant, giraffe, impalas, and some vervet monkeys. As we are cruising by this menagerie of animals, I comment that there are a couple of running jackals in the distance. Francis corrects me and says those are bat-eared fox! Paul decides that Jacob is bringing us luck since bat-eared fox are not easy to see during the daylight.

I think this zebra was just relaxing but he does have a small wound on his ear and leg.

Vervet monkey. I believe this is the only place we saw monkeys

The lost baby impala. So sad.

Francis points out a lost baby impala that is feverishly running about while frantically bleating for its mother. This is so sad as in this area there are no animals close by and any predator, even the small jackals according to Francis, could bring the misplaced baby down. The real world of nature sure isn’t a Disney movie.

Francis seems very comfortable with this elephant a few feet away from our truck

Sometime during our drive Francis receives call from another guide who needs to be rescued. We drive maybe twenty minutes and see why our help is needed as the guide’s truck didn’t make it through a narrow and steep crossing. The vehicle is high centered and tilted to one side so far that one front tire is not touching the ground. Holy Smokes. There is no sign of any passengers so we assume the guide is alone. Backing up to the man’s truck isn’t all that easy but Francis manages to get close enough to hook the tow rope up. At first the tires on our vehicle spin but then gain traction and we pull the guy’s vehicle free. The driver comes over and thanks all of us profusely for coming out of our way to help. Everyone assures him it was no problem, (besides it makes a great story😊). As we drive away, we look back and see several people climbing into the freed truck, I guess the guide didn’t want them in the tilted vehicle for safety reasons.

One of the lionesses

Francis drives towards a couple of vehicles that are parked by a brushy area and on our approach, we can see a sleepy lioness resting under the foliage. Once we arrive, we discover four lions, three females, (two which are easily visible but the other mostly concealed in the bushes) and one male laying just at the edge of the bushes.  I would assume that Francis had radio confirmation of the location of the lions before our game drive and that is why he was so positive that we would see lions! We stay with the big cats for fifteen minutes and then move on. In the conservancy the rule of thumb is that four vehicles can closely approach animals such as these lions, and other arriving vehicles must wait at a distance until someone leaves. This is what I really like about conservancies, they limit the number of guests to begin with and they discourage the disturbing practice seen in the reserves where 30 or 40 vehicles may be jockeying for position to get near animals, usually big cats. Also, the conservancies work with the natives and allow them to graze cattle within the conservancy. This attracts the wild grazers because of the short grass where the land has been grazed but there are spots where the grass is very tall due to the rotational grazing practice.

The male who obviously has been in a few fights looking at the scratches on his nose

Something catches this lioness’ eye

Francis chooses a beautiful place for us to have our sundowners with hundreds of animals peppering the landscape around us. Paul and I enjoy a Tusker beer while Jacob opts for whiskey. A Martial Eagle lands in a tree very close to us which seems odd until Francis points out that his mate is perching in a nearby tree. When the big raptor goes to join his mate, he lands on a dead branch that promptly breaks forcing him to take wing again, and yes, we laugh at the bird’s misfortune. The eagle comes back and lands in the tree next to us making funny noises that sound suspiciously like embarrassed muttering.

As the sun is sinking below the horizon all the animals begin walking north. We ask Francis what in the world is going on as lines of zebra and impala file by us to join the large herd far below us. Francis says the prey animals are going to find a place to spend the night together. He tells us that the more eyes and ears there are the better the animals’ chances of surviving to the next morning.

The sun is setting

As we continue to watch the moving mass of wildlife, Francis steps forward studying the area below us. He then declares that there are two male lions running alongside the marching animals far below us. It takes a little while before the rest of us see the lions in the dim light. Francis immediately begins to pack up the basket of supplies and we soon are driving into the dusky evening in pursuit of the lions.

Once we catch up with the big males it is obvious that this is a territorial dispute and not a hunt. Both lions seem to be out of gas because they have stopped running. The alpha male occasionally stops to mark his territory in which he sprays but also drops to the ground and rolls in the grass. He will then trot to catch up with the smaller male, who often turns his head to growl at his pursuer but it is more to save face than to voice a challenge. Francis seems to know what path the two cats will take and he drives ahead of the lions a couple of times which makes them walk right by our vehicle. It is too dark for photos but we are able to watch the cats because Francis flicks a red spotlight over the feuding lions, (the red light doesn’t blind the cats like a regular spotlight would). This is so cool but it also is a bit more disconcerting encountering these huge predators after dark!

We leave the males to their posturing and begin the drive to camp. We have one more interesting encounter on our way back when we happen upon a trumpeting elephant who is chasing after two hyenas. Once the big tusker is satisfied that he has taught the skulking scavengers a lesson, he promptly begins eating grass.

No time for a shower before supper because of our unusual encounters after dark. That is another thing that is different in the conservancies, you can be out after dark and you can drive off road. We have ham and mashed potatoes for dinner which was tasty. We also enjoy visiting with a couple from Detroit whose travels and adventures make Paul and I feel like novices. It is nice to have other guests to visit with at our meals. Later, Nancy

OUR LAST FULL DAY IN THE MARA, BLOG 3, MARCH 7TH 2020

I woke up to the sound of pouring rain sometime during the night. I fell right back to sleep so had no idea how long it rained. Paul slept right through the loud drumming of rain on the tent canvas.

Our pre-breakfast arrived at six o’clock on the dot. We again enjoyed our hot beverages (Millers can you believe that I am drinking coffee!) and toast in the stillness of the predawn.

Our trusty Maasai escort takes us down to the dining tent to meet Sarah and Ping. We climb into the truck and are headed out of camp before the sun climbs above the horizon. We soon find that it rained enough last night to make the roads slick which makes Ping wrestle with a slipping and sliding vehicle. Thankfully the farther we get from camp the roads become nearly dry.

The water filled ruts were the state of many areas of the roads in the Mara when we were there. This wasn’t due to the rain last night

Ping is determined to find the leopardess that we looked for yesterday. I don’t think I wrote that she has two half-grown cubs. Evidently the trio tend to stay in the vicinity we were at yesterday and Ping usually can find them. On our quest to see the leopards we drive by two jackals that are lying by the side of the road. The early morning light is literally making them glow. We stop for photos and Ping pulls his camera out to snap some photos too. You know whenever your guide starts taking photos that the situation is special.

Jackals glowing in the early morning light. No computer tricks here.

Another look at the sunlit pair

As we drive and drive in our hunt for the leopard family we visit with Ping, (Sarah is very quiet and doesn’t talk too much). Paul had told Ping yesterday about his lost coat and asked if he might contact somebody that monitors the airport in the chance that they might have found his coat. This morning Paul asks Ping if he had the chance to talk to anyone about the missing coat and Ping shakes his head and laughs, we assume this means the inquiry would by useless. Ping tells Paul he has a “jumper” coming to replace Paul’s lost coat and it will be here before we leave tomorrow. Paul insists he will be okay with his raincoat and a blanket. Ping laughs again and tells Paul that it will be very cold in the mornings once we get to Tanzania and the Ndutu area. Well, it’s pretty chilly here so I hope it won’t be much colder!

Curious Baby Mongooses

As we continue to search for the felines, we happen upon a group of mongooses/mongeese(?) sunning themselves on top of their burrow. There are several babies who are very curious about us and we spend several minutes observing and photographing the cute little things. We also see lots of Impalas, Thompson Gazelles, and an enormous lone elephant.

This fellow is huge

Ping finds a place near a small stream where Sarah sets out our bush breakfast, Ping is busy talking on his phone. Ping is co-owner of Enaidura camp so he must tend to business even while guiding us.  As we are eating there are some Maasai cattlemen driving an enormous herd of multi-colored cattle through the water not far from us. There are several agama lizards sunning on a jumble of rocks nearby and a hamerkop briefly lands on a large boulder across from our dining spot.

Agama lizard

This morning as usual we see a myriad of birds including a Martial Eagle, Whydah birds, a Grey heron, a Green-backed heron, Secretary birds, and a pair of beautiful Crowned Cranes to mention a few.

Regal Martial Eagle

Preening Crowned Cranes

We finally have to cry uncle on the elusive leopardess and return to camp for lunch. Happy is waiting for us with a tray holding washcloths so we can wipe our faces and hands. As we use the refreshing cloths Happy wishes us a happy Valentines’ day. Paul and I had no idea it was Valentine’s day!

There is a Dik-dik standing behind the dining tent who gives us a curious once over before bounding a way into the bushes. The staff has placed our lunch table under some trees a few yards away from the dining tent. There is a baby woodpecker who occasionally pokes his head out of a hole in a nearby tree and watches us throughout our lunch.  Anthony has fixed lasagna for lunch and it is delicious. After we have finished eating, I decide to walk the path between our tent and the dining tent just to get some exercise. The Maasai guard tries to walk with me but I wave him off, it is broad daylight and there is no sense in the young man trekking back and forth with me.

Dik-dik

On my second round on the path, something moves in the bushes next to the trail and I jump in fright. The guard, who has been watching me, quickly begins walking towards me but stops when he sees that I am laughing. I have seen what frightened me and it is the tiny dik-dik that had greeted us on our return to camp this morning. I’m rather embarrassed by my reaction but hey, in this wild place you never know what might be lurking in the brush. When Paul and I are walking down from our tent for our afternoon game drive a wart hog near the path gives us a start as it runs away.

Ping takes us back to the river to resume our search for the leopard. He sees a herd of Impala that are staring anxiously at a cluster of bushes. We drive around the dense brush but find nothing. The impalas are very uneasy so Ping stops the vehicle and we sit and watch the nervous animals. Several of the gazelle sprint by us in single file as if something is spooking them but if there is a predator around, we can’t find it.

Sprinting Impala

We continue driving along the river peering into the underbrush and trees. There are a lot of hippos in the river and I catch a quick glimpse of a crocodile. That is the only croc we see on this safari. A troop of baboons are feeding in some of the trees and seem at ease which indicates there is no leopard around. Ping finally gives up on finding the leopard and he drives across a scary river passage that has me clenching the hand rail in front of me. There are a couple of grunting hippos on our left and faster water running over broken shelves of rock on our right. I was sitting on the left side of the vehicle but decide if we have problems getting through the river, I’d rather face the swifter water than the hippos!

The crossing I found quite scary

On this side of the river is another large herd of Impalas and again they are very agitated. The group wants to move to an open field about 50 yards straight ahead of them. However, the trees and brush that grow on both sides of the road come closer together at the edge of the meadow. This makes a perfect ambush area for leopards or lions. Ping believes the impala smell or sense that the leopard and her cubs are in the vicinity because it was reported that the mother made a kill around here last night.  We watch the anxious antelope approach the narrow entrance several times only to lose their nerve, turn around, and come back down the road. At times they swivel their heads in the same direction looking like a synchronized dance team. One of them will jump at some imagined danger and they will all jump. We watch the uneasy herd for forty-five minutes until one doe finds the courage to walk through the danger zone and everyone else follows. I wonder if Impala get ulcers, I tensed up just watching the frightened gazelle.

Impala that took 45 minutes to get up the nerve to walk through a narrow opening into a grassy field

We return to camp after dark. Anthony outdoes himself tonight with a chicken curry dish which was scrumptious. This man is truly a talented chef. At the end of our meal the staff come around our table singing and dancing. Anthony is carrying a heart-shaped cake in honor of valentine’s day! It was a nice gesture and the cake was very good. When Nicholas takes us back to our tent there is a bottle of wine with long stemmed glasses sitting on the table outside of our tent. How nice is that? We didn’t drink the wine though as it is late and we are ready for bed. When we walk into our tent there is a very nice, fleece jacket folded up on the bed. Thank you, Ping!

This morning the ritual is the same with Paul and I enjoying our drinks and toast outside the tent. It is so peaceful and as we finish sipping our drinks the numerous birds in this camp are beginning to greet the early morning with a few calls.

A beautiful sunrise on our last morning in the Mara

We are off at 6:30 and return to the river where Ping has learned that a fellow guide and his clients caught a brief glimpse of the elusive leopard yesterday. Well, for us it isn’t meant to be to see the wily feline because we come up empty again. Ping notices a trio of vehicles across the river in the distance. He drives along the river until we are directly across from the other trucks. We spot a lioness just as she is descending from the top of a termite mound. The vehicles start to follow the lioness that is on the move and now we see that there are three lionesses and two large cubs. Even though the lions are a long way from us I am able to get documentary photos to show that we indeed saw lions. Ping can’t drive across the river because the passageway in this area was completely destroyed by the floods. That’s okay, we were able to observe them with our binoculars.

Lioness just before she climbs down from the termite mound

The other two lionesses

We return to camp and have a huge breakfast at our table that is sitting close to the river. When we have finished breakfast, we return to our tent and do a walk through to make sure we haven’t overlooked any of our belongings. When we exit the tent some of the staff are there to help us with our bags. Most of the staff gathers by the safari truck to say goodbye. Paul and I thank everyone for taking care of us and Paul hands Happy the envelope containing a handwritten note and tip money for the crew. We climb into the truck along with Ping and Sarah, waving goodbye as we drive away.

Eating breakfast in camp on our last morning at Enaidura Camp

Ping, Sarah, Paul and Nancy

The staff of Enaidura Camp less Brian and our Maasai driver.

Ping is driving us as far as the nearby airstrip, not the one we landed at, where Brian and one of the Maasai guards are waiting. Ping has two clients flying in this morning but they weren’t sure what flight they were on so he needed the guys there just in case the guests arrived before we got to the airstrip.

The airstrip where we meet Brian and our Maasai driver.

When we get to the dirt airstrip there are a couple of planes that have landed but Ping’s clients aren’t among the passengers. Paul and I say so long to Ping and Sarah thanking them for the interesting game drives we had with them. Of course, we give Ping his envelope containing a thankyou note, tip money and some extra cash for the nice “jumper” he gave Paul. Ping insisted the coat was a gift and refused to take any money for it at breakfast.

With the young Maasai at the wheel and Brian riding shotgun, Paul and I wave goodbye to our guide and spotter as we drive away. Our new driver will be taking us to our next camp, Asilia Encounter Mara, which is in the Mara Naboisho Conservancy, which they estimate is a two-hour drive.

Ostrich on our drive out of the Mara, wart hogs in the grass behind the big bird

Since the grass is tall in this part of the Mara, there aren’t many animals to be seen as we motor along. When we reach the Mara’s border there is a ranger that lifts the barrier to let us drive through and we leave the Mara and its lush grass behind. We immediately encounter Kenyans going about their daily business. A small boy is driving a few cows and a big bull next to the road. I ask Brian if this is one of the new bulls from Pakistan that Ping was telling us about. He translates this question to our driver who says that indeed it is and he stops the truck so we can look the bull over.  Paul and I comment that it is a good-looking bull. I then ask Brian to tell the little boy that his cows are very nice. When the Maasai relates my comment, (he speaks Maa to the boy), to the young boy a proud smile lights up his face.

I didn’t take a photo of the young herd boy for some reason. Here are some calves drinking out of a mud puddle in the same area.

The large herd of Eland in the distance as we drive into the Conservancy

We probably drive another hour to reach the gates of the conservancy where a guard must check our permits and papers have to be signed. Once we drive through the gate, we immediately encounter zebra, the biggest herd of Eland that we can recall seeing, numerous impala and Thompson gazelles. It isn’t far to the entrance of the camp which is surrounded by an electric fence. Our driver and Brian deliver us to where camp is set up and there are some of the Encounter Mara staff waiting to greet us. Paul and I say our goodbyes and thanks to Brian and our driver, then follow the staffers to the community tent.  Mercy, has us sit in some comfortable chairs and instructs us on how the camp runs. We are then escorted to tent number nine and shown all the light switches, how the bucket shower works etc. We even have an electric floor fan in this beautiful tent.    Adventures in the Conservancy in the next blog. Nancy

Tent number 9

Bed room

Washroom with shower and toilet to the left

EXPLORING THE MARA AND THE COMMUNITY LAND, BLOG 2. MARCH 5TH 2020

Our tent

Behind the bedroom were shelves and hangars for clothes, a big area with sink and shower and a small curtained off space for the toilet. Rough huh?

The Alarm clock buzzes us awake at 5:30 and I jump out of bed and begin to get ready for the coming day. Paul gets another fifteen minutes of lounging since he can get ready in half the time I can. We hear the clinking of dishes outside our tent at six o’clock and then Nicholas’ softly informs us that our tea, coffee and toast is ready. We unzip our tent flap and walk out into the dim light and Nicholas’ points out the coffee pot, the tea pot, creamer and sugar plus a basket of toast with butter and jelly all arranged on a small table. As Nicholas turns to leave, we thank him and then sit down and enjoy the hot beverages and toast by the light of a burning candle.

We leave our tent, escorted by a Maasai man, and walk to the dining tent. It is cool this morning and Paul has donned his rain coat which helps cut the chill of the early morning air. We meet Ping who will be our guide for the next two and a half days. Ping was actually supposed to meet us at the airport yesterday but he stepped on a nest of ground dwelling bees the morning of the day we arrived. The poor man was stung repeatedly and had to see a doctor for the pain. The doctor gave Ping an antihistamine which ended up causing him more trouble than the bee stings. Ping had a severe reaction to the medicine and was bed ridden for the rest of the day. He insists he is doing fine now. There also is a young woman who will be with us on our game drives. Sarah will help spot wildlife and assist Ping in serving us our bush breakfast.

Sarah

We drive to an area named Topi Plains and it is well named as there are Topi scattered everywhere. There are areas in these plains where the grass is not quite so tall and this is where you see most of the Topi.

Topi in the area named Topi Plains.

We are on our way to the community land; this is where the Maasai can graze their cattle. Because the grass is short here most of the wild animals have migrated to this area. Due to the floods that have occurred in the Mara many of the river crossings have been destroyed. The crossings that we do use took a lot of hands on work to make them more or less passable. I think it took us nearly an hour of driving to arrive at the community land.

Good grief. Now you know why the hyena is part of the Ugly Five. Wipe the drool off your chin buddy.

Although we saw plenty of animals sprinkled through the Mara before we crossed the river to short grass country the difference in the number of the grazers between the Reserve and the community land is stunning. A myriad of zebra, Impala, hartebeest, giraffe and so on are enjoying grazing in the safety of the short grass. We spot a tailless zebra on our drive and I can’t imagine how trying it must be not to have a tail to shoo away the relentless flies.

The tailless Zebra

Ping sees a giraffe and her baby in the distance so we drive over to have a look. Ping immediately notices that the little giraffe has a terrible head wound. Now that we see the injury it explains the odd stance and tilted position of the baby’s head. Ping surmises that a leopard must have leapt on it possibly from a tree and somehow the protective mother fought the predator off. We watch the pair for a bit and it is tough to see the week-old giraffe tremble in pain and rub its forehead against its hip in a vain attempt to get rid of the horde of flies that are covering the deep wound. As horrible as it sounds, I am afraid it would have been more humane for the baby giraffe if mama hadn’t rescued her offspring.

Mother and baby giraffe

Poor baby with head wound

Because the wound is so fresh, Ping thinks the leopard that attacked the giraffe is probably close by. The pair are very near the river, and the mother giraffe keeps staring towards some brush that is growing along the riverbank. Ping drives slowly along this area but we see nothing that resembles a lurking leopard, although the brush is so thick a leopard could easily disappear from sight.

Ping decides to drive across the river and look for the leopard on the other side. The crossing is a bit dicey but Ping seems to know where the big boulders are and we make it to the other side. Unfortunately, we don’t make it up the incline as the left rear tire becomes buried in sand and mud. The normal ritual of backing up and going forward to free the vehicle only results in a spinning wheel that is soon buried up to the axle. Oops.

There isn’t a shovel in the vehicle, (I think there was supposed to be), and even though several other safari vehicles drive by no one stops to help which really shocks us. I remember when we were stuck in the Serengeti in 2018 and there were people that came to help immediately. Ping says that the guides have had such a bad morning, (to most people if you don’t see big cats that is a bad morning), and they feel pressured to keep searching for leopards in the woodlands along the river. We don’t feel that way at all as there is wonder and beauty in everything if you just look!

Ping calls back to the camp and tells some of the staff they need to come and pull us out. There is a curious audience gathering across the river. They happen to have four hooves and black and white stripes😊. Truthfully, I believe they would like to come down to the river and drink but they don’t quite have the guts to do so with we humans standing outside of the vehicle.

We have quite an audience gathering across the river.

In the meantime, Ping decides we may as well have breakfast while we are waiting to be rescued which suits Paul and I as we are hungry. Anthony the chef, filled the breakfast box with crepes, sausage, bacon, boiled eggs, fruit and yogurt. Sarah and Ping set everything out on a table that they cover with a table cloth and then invite us to help ourselves. There is just nothing more satisfying than enjoying a bush breakfast with wild animals to watch as you eat.

Sarah and Ping setting out the breakfast. Our stuck truck is in the background

When we have finished breakfast, there are natives that are coming across the river on motorcycles. Often the driver has one or even two passengers but at the water’s edge the passengers have to get off and traverse the river on foot. The rocks where they are crossing look very slippery but the half dozen who wade across stay on their feet, including an older woman. One of the first motorcyclists that arrived on the scene has rather taken over and seems to be giving orders not only to Ping but to the motorcyclists who are fording the river. He shouts and gestures to the motorcyclists what path they should take to avoid the rocks. The drivers follow his advice and make it across without too much trouble. At one point there are a group of natives that decide to physically try and push our truck backwards. They literally lift the front end off the ground a bit but cannot dislodge the buried tire. Rats.

The water was pretty deep on these motorcycles.

Passengers had to walk through the river rather than ride.

Once they had sloshed through the river the waders situated themselves back on the motorcycle and off they would go.

The camp vehicle finally arrives and we find out that they had to come via a longer route because the closest route to us had two vehicles blocking it. They were stuck I know it isn’t funny for the guides but we couldn’t help but chuckle at the situation. As the guys from camp begin backing down into the river, Ping is telling them to go one way and the bossy fellow is yelling at them to go another way. Well, I’m not sure whose direction the driver followed but they took the wrong advice as they get their truck high centered on a rock! I’m pretty sure some of the zebra staring at us are braying with laughter. Three men, including Ping wade out into the river and begin rocking the vehicle while the driver tries to drive forward. By gosh it works. I think Ping gets into the rescue vehicle and backs it up to our stuck truck. In the meantime, someone has taken the shovel that our rescue crew brought and removed some of the sand and muck from behind the buried tire. The winch is attached to our truck and Ping tells us to load up. It doesn’t take much of a yank and our vehicle is pulled free. The camp rescuers pull us just a little way then unhook the winch. Ping then maneuvers our vehicle around and we drive back across the river into the dazzle of zebra who are patiently waiting for us to leave.

Our rescuers have arrived and must back into the river to pull us out.

Trying to free the high centered truck.

Soon they have pulled us out of the sand/mud.

We wave so long to our camp rescuers and continue our game drive. Paul asks Ping about the man that was giving out all the advice. Ping laughs and says that this was his cousin and that before long the whole village will have heard the story of Ping getting stuck at the river crossing! That explains why the man stayed for the entire ordeal. Ping says he will have to put up with a lot of guff from his family and relatives over his bad luck. Paul and I suggest he tell them that it was the American client’s fault as we insisted in crossing there to search for the elusive leopard😊.

I guess this is a zebras version of a thumbs down on our predicament

After this little blip in our morning game drive, Ping takes us to a bushy area not far from the river. Here there are lions doing what they do best, which is sleeping. There are supposed to be five but we can only locate four of the lazy beasts. We also enjoy a herd of elephants with two tiny babies, one of the youngsters is feeling very frisky and makes us all laugh at his or her antics. We also see Grant gazelle which to me are the loveliest of the antelopes.

This lion managed to raise its head

This lion never moved a muscle. Well his ear might have twitched once.

Baby elephant feeling his oats.

The little guy was so cute I will post another photo of his antics.

We return to camp around two o’clock and have lunch. Anthony has fixed us pork chops which are very good. Ping tells us the harrowing story of how he was attacked by a Cape Buffalo several years ago. The only thing that saved him was that the buffalo threw him into an acacia tree and the wicked thorns entangled his coat and kept him from falling back to the ground which would have been a sure death. A friend was walking with him and ran to the village telling everyone that Ping was dead. The village people came back and killed the buffalo which was still waiting under the tree to finish the job and rescued Ping. Ping shows us the scars from the thorns that had imbedded into his skull and chest, plus a deep notch in his ankle where I would guess he had a compound fracture caused by the horns of the buffalo when it threw him into the air. Holy Cow, that is so scary.

The dining tent

We retire to our tent and rest before our late afternoon game drive. A thunderstorm blew through mid-afternoon but it didn’t last long and the storm didn’t produce much rain thank goodness.

We left on our game drive at 4:30 and Ping took us to a place next to the Mara River across from the Tanzania Triangle. There is a leopard in this area and we drive around looking for the secretive cat. Ping stops the truck so we can admire a majestic Fish Eagle perched in a nearby tree. Paul sees another Fish Eagle in a tree farther down the river. Ping is looking at the second Eagle when he yells out, “there is a leopard”. No way! The sauntering feline is across the river in Tanzania and to far away for a photo. We watch the cat through our binoculars as it leisurely strolls along. The nonchalant leopard seems to be angling closer to the river. Ping is sure that the leopard will cross the river as its territory is on this side of the Mara river.

The first Fish Eagle that we stopped to look at. Sorry about the glaring white head.

Ping drives away and stops at a bend in the river where he thinks the leopard will cross. He gives the animal ten minutes to reach the crossing area and if it isn’t here in that time period, Ping remarks that this means the cat went somewhere else(😊). We wait and stare across the river into Tanzania hoping to see the spotted cat walking our way. While we wait, we also watch two hippos in the river that are either fighting or attempting to mate, with those critters it is hard to tell.

Love or hate. Who knows with hippos.

Fifteen minutes later we give up on the leopard and start back to camp. We have driven half way to camp when Sarah quietly tells Ping that there is a Serval cat up ahead. The small cat is a beautiful golden color but unfortunately it won’t hold still long enough for me to snap a photo. Oh well. I commend Sarah on spotting the little cat in the tall grass.

After returning to camp, Paul and I shower and boy is that refreshing. We are escorted to the dining tent by our trusty Maasai. The bartender, Brian, asks what we want to drink and we decide to have gin and tonics. Brian asks what we saw on our game drive and we tell him about the leopard that didn’t cross the river. Paul jokes that the leopard couldn’t cross because he didn’t have a passport. This strikes Brian’s funny bone because he laughs out loud! Then he jokes back that perhaps tomorrow the authorities will grant the leopard a temporary immigrant visa.

For dinner we have a tasty carrot soup and wonderful rolls. This is followed by thin slices of steak on mashed potatoes which is quite tasty. Ping ate with us and regaled us with more stories about his adventures as a guide and in getting this camp started. The man really is a great story teller.

Time to retire for the night so we are rested up for another adventure tomorrow. Nancy

BACK TO AFRICA, PART 1

The good news is that Paul and I leave for Kenya today, the bad news is that with three different flights and layovers it will take us around twenty-two hours to get there. Ugh.

As we wait to board our KC flight to Atlanta, we strike up a conversation with two couples that are going to Costa Rica. I had commented on their unique footwear which led to a pleasant visit as we waited for the boarding call. Having a conversation with fellow passengers before boarding is unusual anymore so this was a pleasant surprise. Paul had surveyed the crowd prior to our visit with these friendly folks and found only eight people who weren’t glued to their phones!

As usual we are in the last group to board the plane but luckily, we find room for our luggage in the overhead bin, no check through luggage for us. About 40 minutes into our flight the attendants make an announcement to ask if there are any medical doctors on board. Two men answer the call and begin attending to someone a few rows behind us. There is a lot of hustling up and down the aisle by the flight attendants, at one point they ask if anyone has a glucose monitor but, in the end, decide it isn’t needed. At one-point Paul can see that the patient is laying in the aisle and they are administering an IV.

I keep expecting to hear that our flight will be diverted to a nearby airport but this doesn’t happen. Eventually the man is able to sit back in his seat. When we are preparing to land in Atlanta an announcement is made asking us all to stay seated and allow medical personnel to board and take the sick person off first. It is good to see the man is able to walk off under his own power albeit he is gripping the shoulder of the medic in front of him for stability. His wife is following behind and we are dismayed to recognize her as part of the group we were visiting with in KC. Oddly we happen to see her after we leave the plane. She tells us that her husband is dehydrated and that this has happened to him before. He didn’t want to go to the hospital but the medics insisted so they will be delayed in getting to Costa Rica. We feel so bad for them but are thankful that he will be okay.

We have a reasonable layover in Atlanta before we have to board for our overnight flight to Amsterdam. Thankfully Paul and I manage to sleep a few hours on the long flight to Europe. Once in Amsterdam we have a long layover, (this airport is quite cold by the way). We strike up a conversation with a mother and daughter that are on their way to Kenya too. Eventually the duo lay down on the bench-like seats and fall asleep. When the call to board comes Paul and I get in the queue but Paul realizes the two women we had visited with are still sleeping. Paul goes back, wakes them up and informs them our flight is boarding. We have settled into our seats as other passengers continue to file on board. Suddenly we hear someone in the far aisle call out “Thank you Kansas for waking us up, we would have slept right through the boarding of the plane”! We laugh and wave at them.

After what seems to be endless hours of flying, eight or nine but who is counting, we finally touch down in Nairobi. At this airport you have to walk across the tarmac to the terminal building and Paul and I by walking fast, manage to overtake a lot of the people who got off the plane ahead of us. We have no problem in getting through immigration and then we join the line for people with E-visas, (it took Paul hours to get our visas on line). This line is much longer than the line for people who are getting their visas on arrival but fortunately we don’t have many people in front of us. Once we hand over our visa to the official and get our passports stamped, we head for the exit. We have to put our suitcases through a screener one last time, hand over our customs form and then we walk out into the Nairobi night. There are two people holding up Crown Plaza signs and I sigh with relief at the sight of them.

Norah from Crown Plaza leads us to the parking lot and says the hotel van will be here in ten minutes. Norah then looks us over and asks us where our big suitcases are. We explain that we don’t have any and she literally takes a step back and gives us a skeptical look. We explain that we don’t need that much as the camps we stay in do laundry. I am not sure she really believes us. The van arrives and within a few minutes we have arrived at Crown Plaza Hotel. The security people stationed at the gate inspect our vehicle and then open the iron gates and allow us to enter the premises.

We enter the really nice hotel and get in line behind a flight crew who are also checking in. The friendly woman who helps us seems to be having some trouble and calls the manager over. After conferring, the young lady informs us that this is our lucky day because we are being upgraded to a Club Room. Great. As we finish all the paper work the woman than asks us how we want to pay for our room. We look at her blankly for a minute and then Paul informs her that it should already be paid for. She asks us if we have a reservation number. No, we don’t but we get out our itinerary and point out that our tour company, The Wild Source, arranged and paid for this room. There are a couple of numbers for emergency contact with the contract company here in Nairobi but no one answers. The woman and the manager scroll through their computer and somehow find a booking number by the included breakfast on our reservation. Whew.

By now it is very late and we are happy to get to the spacious room. A shower is a must after our marathon travel and then we collapse into bed shortly before midnight.

Paul and I are up at six o’clock as we are being picked up at eight by a Safari Trails driver. We go down to the breakfast buffet and it is quite a sight. About everything you could want for breakfast is set out on the various buffet bars. You can also step out on the patio of the dining room and have a chef make you a made to order omelet or eggs. Paul goes for an omelet but I gorge myself on all the goodies on the buffet.

We return to our room to brush our teeth and gather our luggage. It is early but Paul prefers to sit in the lobby to await our driver. We have no more than settled into the comfortable chairs when one of the hotel staff approaches us and asks if we are the Millers. We affirm that we are and the young man informs us our driver is waiting for us. Great. We are escorted to the safari vehicle where we meet Carlos our driver. He tells us that he is glad we are ready to leave as today the body of ex-president Moi is being flown from Wilson airport, (where we fly out of), to his small village for burial. Carlos explains that he expects traffic to be even more congested than normal. Well our flight doesn’t leave until 10:20 so we should be fine.

Stuck in traffic. Not sure what this person was selling.

The traffic moves along at a slow crawl most of the time, occasionally becoming gridlocked. I am amazed how polite all the drivers are for the most part! We see people walking through the stalled traffic plying anything from snacks and drinks, racks of ties, and one enterprising man is trying to sell a bright blue hall tree!

Carlos is a very affable and interesting man. He talks about many topics, including the late Moi, the new president, identifies the occasional bird (I like this man!). one of the most interesting topics to me is when Carlos points out the beautiful braided hair styles most of the women are sporting. He tells us his wife has her hair done in this style. Carlos says that several stylists will work on one woman and that it takes a few hours to finish the job! He tells us that it is a good deal though as the cost of this popular hairstyle is thirty dollars but the hairdo will last for thirty days.

Mosque in Nairobi. Paul took the photos with his phone. My camera is still packed!

We arrive at Wilson airport an hour and half after we left the hotel. I think we were only ten miles from the airport so that gives you an idea of how slow our journey was. Carlos makes sure all our paperwork is in order and then says goodbye. We enter the small airport and check in at the desk where we are given an orange wooden slat which is our boarding pass. Other people are getting green slats which designates a different flight. Hey whatever works.

Map of the Mara. It was hanging in Wilson airport

The fumes from an idling plane are filling the building and it is not pleasant but there is no escaping it. We watch as a helicopter lands and a group of people prepare to board. They are surrounded by media people filming them and we assume this is part of Moi’s family. This delays our flight by thirty minutes but soon we are airborne over Nairobi. Forty-five minutes later we have landed on a dirt strip in the Mara. We gather our luggage and step off the small plane where John, Sarah and a young Maasai man are waiting for us. They grab our luggage and head for the truck.

Maasai tending to his cattle

Paul marveling at the tall grass.

We are driving on the edge of community property so see herds of cattle being attended to by a Maasai. The roads are rough and rutted due to the excessive rain Kenya has received lately. In many places the ruts are filled with water. Paul and I can’t believe how tall the grass is, standing five or six feet tall. We find it absolutely beautiful but unfortunately the grazers don’t like this lush grass at all as a predator can easily hide from them. We still see plenty of wildlife, they are just thinly scattered over this huge expanse of a park. There are Topi, Impala, Thompson gazelles, several groups of elephants, giraffe, ostrich, wart hogs and of course lots of birds.

Cape buffalo belly deep in grass

Impala nearly lost in the tall grass. Those are butterflies not spots on my lens!

A baby elephant

When we reach Enaidura camp there are three young women, Happy, Gladys, and Lillian, waiting to greet us. As we climb out of the vehicle, we hear in the distance the singing of Maasai. A group of Maasai appear and dance and sing up to us and then dance in a circle around us, one of them emitting that deep guttural sound that sends shivers down your spine. The young men stop and take turns springing into the air which always amazes me.

Happy, Lillian, and Gladys

Maasai that sang and danced for us

Leaping into the air from a complete standstill.

The leaping Maasai is Nicholas who was the young man that supplied our shower water and brought us tea and coffee in the morning. A delightful young fellow.

Once the show is over, we are shown around the camp which is situated by a river. A couple of hippos are residents in that river but the bank is so steep that they can’t get into camp. Our tent is really nice and spacious. We are told that we are the only guests which makes me feel bad. Once we are settled, we return to the dining tent for lunch which is delicious. Chicken with a nice sauce, fries, avocado/tomato salad and zucchini.

This giraffe has a entourage of red-billed ox-peckers hitching a ride.

A few of the many elephants we saw.

Hyena peering at us over the top of the grass

We left on a game drive at 4:30, it is so warm Paul and I are in t-shirts. We find the same variety of animals as when we drove into camp except, we did see Hartebeest and Southern Ground Hornbills. Paul and I marvel over the lushness of the landscape and I can’t help but think how much hay this grass would yield.

Southern ground Hornbill

Gorgeous Blue-breasted Bee-eater, I think?

We showered on return to camp then went down to eat again! Anthony the chef had butternut soup which is Paul and I’s favorite African soup, though they are all good. The main dish was lamb and though I am not partial to lamb this was tasty. The dinner rolls are excellent.

Paul realizes when we get back to our tent that his coat is missing. We know we had it on the plane from Nairobi to the Mara. He had fastened it to the back of his pack so it must have come loose after we got off the plane and is lying somewhere on the “airstrip” Hopefully a person will find the coat that is embossed with the “certified Angus Beef” logo and not some hyena who will try and eat it! Nancy