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@@graceland.... My wife has had a Hello Kitty cove for years..Very distinctive. She made me get a cheesy giraffe one last year. Now distinctive at last.

 

It's like something from a horror movie - soaking in a long hot bath with ambient music on in the background and suddenly the bath is full of snakes, you're surrounded by fire and hte soundtrack is thrash metal mixed with free jazz .... don't do that again! You handled it well though - very quick to get it resolved.

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madaboutcheetah

OMG!!! Sorry you ladies had a fright with the passport mix-up ...... but, for sure you guys have a story to tell for the rest of your lives!!!

 

PS - Jane is a wonderful driver from Bush and Beyond - she drove me from Wilson to NBO in October and she even went out of her way to take me to lunch and stop for some quick souvenir shopping ..........

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@@SafariChick oh i totally forgot about it! you were the only one who couldn't get any phone service throughout the trip, although strangely when I made the call, there was a ringing tone and went to the voice mail, in which I left a message (if I'm not dreaming this, that is)...

 

and i still think they should have delivered the passport to you on the same day. you took it so graciously. Me? i would have been unable to sleep, worrying about if i will have a passport to check in and get back home.

 

@@pault bathtub full of snakes... i'm never getting into any bathtub again.....oh the horror.

Edited by Kitsafari
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That passport situation would cause a real panic - glad it worked out!

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@@graceland.... My wife has had a Hello Kitty cove for years..Very distinctive. She made me get a cheesy giraffe one last year. Now distinctive at last.

 

It's like something from a horror movie - soaking in a long hot bath with ambient music on in the background and suddenly the bath is full of snakes, you're surrounded by fire and hte soundtrack is thrash metal mixed with free jazz .... don't do that again! You handled it well though - very quick to get it resolved.

"Hello Kitty", here I come, @@pault. All those navy blue faded US passports all look the same. Lucky for @@Kitsafari she had one blaring color - orange I think!

 

I love your analogy...wasn't there a movie about snakes on a plane? I sure was happy to get on that plane, as much as I hated leaving the Mara, NBO is never on my fav. airport to lounge about people watching.

 

And @@twaffle there was some alcohol involved, Emirates serve Moet/Chandon upon seating. They gave me two. I pleaded for the bottle. :rolleyes:

 

I really DID not handle it well; I panicked. Thank goodness I had a partner in kitsafari, who was clear headed, calm, and kept reassuring me. And Jane from Bush and Beyond, lightening speed quick and caring. She was a star. And I insisted B&B give her the " transfer" charge I paid in addition to the tip.

 

They eventually did and I appreciate they did so. Recognizing a super employee.

 

I guess I could have stowed away on Kitsafari's plane to Singagore. Apparently NBO employees can't read passports. Or identify people via pics. :D But they can tell when a cabin bag is 3kG OVERWEIGHT. That one, I ignored. Just try to take it from me....grrrrr. :ph34r:

 

I am looking forward to @@SafariChick's day - a drive in a park, how delightful!

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Sorry to hear about your brother @@graceland I hope everything Is under control

Thank goodness you had @@Kitsafari to look after you, I'm not sure I would have coped with the stress alone either!

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Sorry to hear about your brother @@graceland I hope everything Is under control

Thank goodness you had @@Kitsafari to look after you, I'm not sure I would have coped with the stress alone either!

@Tdgraves; thank you. I am heading to his town soon; renting a house to be nearby for a while and take my lab along; I will depend on my SafariTalk addiction to get me through some stressful days.

 

Having @@Kitsafari to calm me down, find phone numbers, looking at cute cubs on her ipad, AND, watching (Lipault) bags while I ran from one end of the airport to the other -and outside again....PRICELESS.

 

I forgot to mention the kind of strange Emirates man, who, when I finally gave him MY PASSPORT, looked up and said, "This picture does not look like you"

 

I kid not; I was about to roll on the (dirty) floor laughing hysterically. I look like the first passport of @@SafariChick, with long brown hair, but not my REAL passport photo (ok I have a few more grey hairs)

 

I REALLY needed that laugh :D

 

And then he did a good deed. All that time no water or food (and after a camp feeds and waters you every hour you get used to it)

 

@@Kitsafari and I were sooo thirsty and there was NO where to buy a bottle of water..unless you had a boarding pass. SO he went upstairs and purchased ONE for us. I gave him the dollar.

 

We shared it ;) But thanks Mr. Emirates man.

Edited by graceland
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@@graceland I thought you were a scientist and then I realised you meant a Labrador!! :)

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@@graceland I thought you were a scientist and then I realised you meant a Labrador!! :)

Ha Ha Ha

thanks for making me laugh!

 

I am sure by all my meanderings here on ST I must seem as a "mad"scientist! I don't have the vocabulary required; and I barely passed chem.

 

I do have an adorable labrador retriever who is 12.

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SafariChick

@@graceland I hope your time with your brother goes well - glad you can go be nearby and bring your doggie with you.

 

So back to the report - after we left Jane racing back to the airport to deliver Graceland's passport to her, James drove me to Emakoko. @@Kitsafari has already described it, and I found it to be lovely and peaceful, and the staff very nice. I met both Anton and Emma, but spent more time with Anton. They have young children (who I did not meet) and also a dog that had had puppies the night I arrived! I had a nice lunch, a little time to settle into my room (the same one Kitsafari had apparently, very convenient as it was the first room off the public area) and then it was time to head off for the 5 pm Sheldrick visit that is available to foster parents.

 

I found my two visits to Sheldrick to be some of the most enjoyable parts of my trip. Of course I totally loved seeing the wild animals in the wild but getting to be close to these orphan babies who were so playful and seemed so happy in their environment was really heartwarming.

 

Here's a movie I took of some of the orphans coming back from their browsing out in the wild to have their evening bottles and get ready for bed. (the woman that is seen at times in my movie was apparently a model or actress that was there as part of a crew who were making a documentary or piece of some kind to be shown in Asia). Included in this group are my two foster babies, Kamok and Mbegu:

 

 

There were other animals besides elephants at Sheldrick's which I saw as I walked around looking for my foster babies' stalls. These were the most relaxed warthogs I've ever seen:

 

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and this is one of two ostrich babies that were rescued at the same time as an elephant (or maybe it was the giraffe baby they came in with - sadly, the giraffe baby had died before I came).

 

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One of the elephant babies going into its stall while happily drinking its milk bottle. They are fed a milk bottle every three hours round the clock. The keepers sleep in the stall with them. However, they rotate keepers so no elephant gets so attached to just one keeper that it would go into depression when that keeper goes on leave. I think I heard one of the keepers say that they use human baby formula now for the elephants, which surprised me after reading Daphne Sheldrick's autobiography as I had read that they tried all different things to try to simulate elephant's milk.

 

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This is Mbegu, one of my foster babies. She was shy to come over to me, but she loved when her keeper put his hand in her mouth and kind of rubbed or scratched in her mouth!

 

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And this is Kamok, who was happy to come over and interract with me. What a pleasure to have her wrap her slightly scratchy trunk around my arm! (oh by the way, I am wearing one of my pairs of Kazuri Beads earrings here).

 

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What a great way to spend an hour in Kenya!

Edited by SafariChick
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You handled yourself much better than I would have done in the same situation with the passports!

 

I left my camera on the counter of a bookstore (the one where Freddy Mercury was born) in Stone Town and only realized it was missing when enjoying a sundowner at the bar of the Serena and wanted to take a photo of the sunset. I was hysterical running around like a mad woman!! The poor attendant who assisted me didn't quite know what to do with me.

 

It was the end of my first 3 week visit to Kenya & Tanzania so all my photos were in that camera case! :( Luckily I was able to reach my guide who immediately went to the bookstore. The owner was just closing up for the day and locked the camera in the safe knowing we'd be back the next day.

 

We both went back the next day so I could thank him properly and I think I may have overwhelmed the poor guy with how tight of a hug I gave him!

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SafariChick

On the way back to Emakoko from Sheldrick's you drive through Nairobi National Park. We saw in that relatively short drive (45 minutes perhaps) 5 different rhinos: two black together, then 1 black alone and then two white. My photos from that evening are pretty poor as it was getting dark and they weren't always that close to the road, but I'll post a couple just for the record :)

 

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That evening, the barman made me the most delicious cocktail - I wish I could remember what it was called - it was an acronym for something and was their take on a Caipirinha. I actually had two, which is unusual for me - that's how yummy it was! Anton had dinner with me, and it was nice to get to chat with him. All in all, a lovely afternoon and evening.

Edited by SafariChick
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post-49296-0-58884700-1427528974_thumb.jpg

 

~ Dear @SafariChick:

 

That's one terrific image! The joy glows — seeing it makes my afternoon. Really, really nice.

 

Thank you for the thumbs-up recommendation of the Emakoko. Your safari partner, @@Kitsafari, kindly told me about her pleasant stay there.

 

I'd more or less already committed myself to a stay there after a safari in early May. Reading your endorsement seals the deal.

 

If I meet Anton, I'll tell him that you and @@Kitsafari inspired me, along with @@Game Warden.

 

Your description of your recent safari as a ‘Lipault Lady’ has been a treat. Such warmth and friendliness, along with true-to-life reactions to the inevitable quirks that crop up during safaris.

 

You all had such a great time. Sharing it with us extends the happiness. Many thanks for that.

 

Tom Kellie

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Thanks @@Tom Kellie. i believe it was the joy of being in Africa and seeing the wildlife that brought out the warmth in the reports. :)

 

awwww @@SafariChick, that's so heartwarming to have Kamok wrap his trunk around you and the sheer delight on your face. it's a precious pic to keep.

 

I would guess some people will wonder how effective it is to raise an animal in a human environment and how you would influence the behaviour of an animal raised, then rehabilitated and returned to the wild. I'd like to believe that the wonderful story of Ndume fully exemplifies the rewards of returning an animal to the wild, and that such animals would not necessarily be harmed from being brought up by humans, provided they are raised in the right environment under the right protocols.

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@@SafariChick

It is a good job you mentioned that it was an actress walking with the elephants as I might have wondered at the wisdom of the choice of clothing the keepers were wearing :)

You and the baby elephant look very happy in those pictures!

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What adorable shots and video from the Sheldrick trust. Yes you look in heaven with your elie. An incredible joy to meet the babies we think about all year long.

 

 

@@SafariChick the pic of you and your elie should be a poster for DSWT!

 

"Adopting an elie puts a smile on your face and a life well lived for the oprhans".

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OMG!!! Sorry you ladies had a fright with the passport mix-up ...... but, for sure you guys have a story to tell for the rest of your lives!!!

 

PS - Jane is a wonderful driver from Bush and Beyond - she drove me from Wilson to NBO in October and she even went out of her way to take me to lunch and stop for some quick souvenir shopping ..........

@@madaboutcheetah, If not for Jane, you'd be seeing me in the sequel,

 

Terminal 2

 

Even the Emirates gate folks did not think I'd make it because of the notorious traffic in Nairobi.

 

:) Jane has wings and flew over.

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SafariChick

Thanks, all. I really truly was happy meeting the ele babies and especially my fosters Mbegu and Kamok. You can certainly see it on my face.

 

The next morning, I planned to go back to Sheldrick's for the morning visit at 11 which is open to the public. However, we left several hours earlier than we needed to so that we could do a game drive on the way to Sheldrick's.

 

Cloudy morning sunrise:

 

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I wrote down some notes of things James told me as we were driving through the park. Our focus was looking for rhino since I hadn't seen any in the Mara. He told me that black rhino are indigenous in NNP, but the white ones they got from S. Africa. He said in general, white rhino are more numerous in Kenya than black and doing better but in NNP it's the reverse and there are more of the black rhino.

 

We were very lucky and saw many rhino on this day, and closer up than the day before.

 

First we saw a mother and baby who was about two months old - so cute! (But wish the grass had been a tiny bit shorter - oh well, not complaining, so fortunate to see them!)

 

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Next we ran into a single black rhino, rather close up. I just noticed now as I started looking at the photos that it seems to have some wounds on its neck. I hope it is ok.

 

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As we continued on, we sighted a group of 5 black rhino, one of which was a juvenile and two of which were still sleeping. They were rather far from the road. The juvenile was about one year old and we actually saw it nursing, though it might be a bit hard to see from the photos.

 

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This made me wonder whether the juvenile's horn hurts the mother when it is drinking, or if it fits in such a way that it doesn't poke into her.

 

Next we saw a single, black male rhino who was shy but quite close to the road

 

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and my notes say we saw yet another single rhino not far from the road after that, but I'm not sure I got photos of it.

 

And here, for those who may be getting sick of rhino, is a male Kori Bustard, who was fluffing out his feathers in a mating display. Not sure the female was aware of it though - she was on the other side of the road! Though not his intended audience, I certainly appreciated it - he was very cool-looking!

 

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And here are some trees:

 

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and a bird (what bird is it? I'm so bad with bird names!)

 

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Oh and one last rhino before I got to Sheldrick - this must be the one I was missing that I mentioned above

 

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Edited by SafariChick
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that's a good looking koribustard with his fluffed-up feathers! good catch.

 

it looks like the rhinos came closer to the road for you, but i share your joy in seeing them too @@SafariChick!

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Your mystery bird is a European roller

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It must be enjoyable to see so many different rhino. Is poaching a problem out there?

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post-49296-0-39275800-1427628606_thumb.jpg

 

~ @SafariChick:

 

This rhino image really grabs my attention. The detail around the eyes and muzzle, the rough sides, the slight hump on the back — it's 3-D.

The yellowish vegetation contrasts so nicely, so that the rhino stands out. Very cool image!

...a male Kori Bustard, who was fluffing out his feathers in a mating display. Not sure the female was aware of it though - she was on the other side of the road!”.

When I read that, I laughed out loud. Isn't that the way males so often do? Going through their paces to attract female attention but all too often the female in question has other, more pressing stuff in mind...like breakfast!

Really enjoying your warmth, humor and love of nature!

Agree with @@graceland that the cheerful photo of you and Kamok would make a terrific DSWT poster.

Tom K.

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Incredible you saw so many rhino, and there they were right in Nairobi. I should have suffered the extra funds Emirates wanted to extract, and paid a visit myself as you did get so very close.

 

I hope there is more detail.

 

Well wondering if you had a passport upon reaching the airport would be one. :blink:

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SafariChick

We arrived at Sheldrick's in time for the morning visit, but it was much more crowded than the previous afternoon visit. Luckily, I was able to squeeze into a good viewing spot, making sure that small kids around me could also see.

 

They had us all stand in a circle with ropes around it to keep us from crowding the eles. The eles were let in in groups by their age, the youngest first if I recall correctly. They had tubs of water to drink from, a big muddy pool of water to bathe in if they liked, and the keepers would shovel red dirt onto the ones that were too young to do it themselves. This protects their skin from bugs and the sun.

 

Here are some photos and videos of the visit - I found this visit just as charming as the previous night's. The speaker, who was also the speaker the prior evening, gave a good presentation about the elephants. There was a group of school children, and I was glad to see they are being brought to visit and hearing about how elephants must be protected.

 

This ele had a sore on his trunk but the keepers didn't seem too concerned about it and said it would heal:

 

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Drinking from the tubs of water:

 

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The ostrich babies:

 

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One of the warthogs enjoying a mudwallow:

 

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An ele helps a keeper put dirt on a younger orphan:

 

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The school children visiting Sheldrick's

 

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Some of the older orphans can hold their own bottles:

 

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A small excerpt of the morning presentation:

 

 

Some of the older orphans drinking their bottles:

 

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I see you stood a little away from the pool. I stood at the pool (a little to your right) and I kept wondering why there were so few people standing there. when the babies started rolling in them and throwing mud and water over themselves, I found out why! i was sprayed with so much mud and water, but I loved it! I did a quick wash of the spots at Eka Hotel and handed the mud-splattered clothes to Serian for laundry and they were fine. I forgot to warn you about that even though we were together for 10 days! too much happening to think of mud stains. LOL

 

Aren't they just cute? u just can't help but smile to yourself when you watch everyone of them.

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