I keep telling myself I'll write every day. Good thing I've promised that, otherwise I would probably never get around to it.
Where did we leave off? Lets see... We were at the Nest. We were sad about leaving. We were excited about the safari. We hadn't had a good cup of coffee in far too many days. Yep. That sounds about right. Since then I've said my first goodbye to the Nest, (the second, official, farewell is tomorrow) I've had a few too many good cups of coffee. I've seen lions and giraffes and zebras and gotten up close and a little too personal with a herd of buffalo. I contemplated my future. I made the walk to Elizabeth's house again. I strengthened my vocal chops. I was payed a visit by the Easter bunny (who was NOT eaten by jackals thank goodness)
We are in our way home from safari as I write this somewhat under-descriptive blog post. It really is hard to portray the exact feeling one gets when seeing a lion stand up and shake his big head only to lay down and yawn so big I could probably stand up in between his massive jaws.
The first day of my first safari I was just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. We say gazelles and zebras driving in an they were absolutely spectacular, but they are about as abundant as houseflies. The lions made us work for the privilege of looking. After that we didn't see any big cats, but we were graced with the presence of Russle (Rustle?) out side our tent that night. The camp has its collection of visitors. Both wild animals and wild humans. Russle is a big, old, blind buffalo whose favorite place for a midnight snack is right outside our tent window. We received our 6 wake up call about 2 hours early thanks to that big guy. We were "Rustled" as the camp coordinator put so nicely. He has such a presence at the camp that he gets his own verb.
There was a troop of baboons that parades through the park at night too. I forgive them for the amount of noise they were making, though. I would probably have been a little upset and noisy if I and all my family was being chased by a leopard too.
Upon arriving to the bush camp, we mistook the sign reading "PRIVATE NO ENTRANCE" for a private drive that should on no account be entered. It was in fact, just the opposite. (You would think that might be an important topic of conversation, but go figure.) so we passes the camp and instead drove another few meters into a muddy pit. We were stuck there for about an hour. Leg one of our adventure... Complete. The sad part is, it wasn't the last time we got our car stuck. I won't say the total number of times we got stuck for the drivers benefit and dignity, but it was more than 3 and less than 5. The staff was very pleasant and welcoming. If they were frustrated by our lack of mud thrashing expertise, they didn't show it. The camp is run by a British woman and her husband, (who was in Nairobi) an intern, and staff. They made us feel very welcome.
The act of welcoming is very prevalent in Kenya. I feel welcome everywhere I go, which has something to do with the number of times I am told "Karibu" when I enter someone's house. Kenyans are very eager to have you come in and sit down and drink tea and eat. and drink some more tea and eat some more chapati, and then wash it down with some more tea. This was the case when we went to visit Elizabeth again. I don't know how I made it all the way home without bursting.
I was able to spend the next morning saying goodbye to the nest and my friends. Roberts had us over for our promised cup coffee. The staff had begun the easter celebration while I was still there. Some of the older kids got a few skits together to kick off the holiday season. I was able to see the breaking of the bread before I left the next morning.
Elizabeth met us at the house to take off for our trip to Nairobi to visit her brother at his restaurant. I felt pretty secure with her along. She guided us down the busy streets that I wouldn't be able to navigate by myself. Not yet, at least.
It felt a little bit like a jungle to be back in a city after so long away. Funny that I should immediately find myself back in the wilderness, only this time surrounded by REAL wild and dangerous animals.
Besides lions, the Ol Pejeta conservancy is home to rhinos, hippos, cheetah, hyena, chimps, ostriches, and just about every thing else. We visited the chimp sanctuary on our second day. There are about 20 chimps that have come to the sanctuary from abusive situations. They were absolutely fascinating. One, named Poco, was restricted to a tiny cage for 9 years, unable to sit or stand properly. As a result of being unable to spread out, he tends to walk on two legs still. That was pretty strange to see. All the other chimps walked on all fours while Poco just walked upright amongst them all.
Ol Pejeta is also home to 4 of the 7 remaining northern white rhinos in the world today. Yes, that's right. There are only 7 Northern White Rhinos left in the ENTIRE world. Two of them are in San Diego, one is in the Czech Republic, and the other four are at Ol Pejeta. What I can't believe is how an entire species can get down to 7 individuals. How does that happen?
We were attacked by rain which made it a little harder to drive, but that meant the animals were a bit more frisky. We got to see an antelope hop his way down the plain. Yep. Hop. He looked like the Eater Bunny had dressed up and went for a stroll.
Speaking of the Easter Bunny, we were surprised sunday morning when he paid a visit. We thought for sure he wouldn't have made it what with all the leopards and lions and jackals on the prowl, but he found us. Ah... the magic of Easter. Is there anything the easter bunny can't do? I remember one year the Easter Bunny managed to find my beloved stuffed penguin that had been lost for weeks.
Last night we took a night drive. I could be wrong but I am almost certain that the twinkling spot hiding in the trees was the eye of a hyena. I mean, what else could it have been? If it weren't for the rain beetles flying into my eyeballs, it was the highlight of the trip. The animals behave so differently at night and it gets so dark that they can sneak up on a person, even the elephants.
Incase you were wondering, rain beetles get their name for two reasons. The first reason is because they wake up when the rains start up. The second is for the sound they make when the swarm hits the side of our tents. There were so many landing on the tent and hitting the plastic cover that it sounded like a steady downpour. I'm getting itchy now just thinking about it.
If there is one thing I've learned, its that elephants are interesting, gazelles are not. I could probably watch a herd of elephants all day, as long as I was at a safe distance. They are so engaging. We had a herd visit us during lunch yesterday. It had been raining so the banks of the river were very slick. That kept them from charging us but also left plenty of mud holes to wallow in. We happened to see two families meet up then part ways, but not before extending a greeting of entwining trunks and bashing tusks with each other. It was quite the sight to see. I didn't even mind the rain. They came close to say hello to us and answer a few questions of their own, I know I had a lot for them. They tested the air using their long trunks which looked like little black eyes. It was almost as if they were smelling and seeing us at the same time. Giraffes used to be my favorite animals, but I think the mighty elephant with its spongy feet and leathery ears may have taken first place in my heart.........
I'm back home now, in Nairobi, and I have a lot of work to do. I head out to west Kenya in a little less than a week. Malaria pills and travel plans are just half of the battle. I have little to no idea of what I'll be facing in the west. All I know is that I'll be practically to Uganda. Weeee.
Tomorrow I go back to the Nest for my farewell.
All is well. Happy Easter everyone
-Natalie
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