Lions, Leopards and the Lipault Ladies

[SafariChick]

My notes mysteriously stopped here for the rest of the day! I think after our late breakfast was when we came across Mr. Handsome and his brother, Mohawk, so named because his mane looked to be in the cut of a mohawk when he was younger.

 

These sure are two gorgeous brothers, Handsome with his blonde luxurious locks and Mohawk with his darker but equally thick mane. I took about a million photos, hard to pick which to post so I'll just post a sample. It was rather windy and kind of fun to see the various shapes the manes took on in the wind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[graceland]

Those two lions were probably the most beautiful I'd seen in the Mara. And so aptly named. Not sure if this is correct but I had read somewhere upon returning home that they were trying to run some other fellows off? Someone can either confirm or deny this if they know.

 

But I can see why; these guys were just blowing in the mind - they knew they were kings

 

 

 

and plunking down on their territory...

 

 

 

 

 

and the visible scars

 

 

Taking the photos one last day with the 100-400 lens..poor student

 

 

 

Loved this look as we drove off

 

 

It was a cooler, windy day and we headed back to camp...one last shot of a chaotic tree...or was it just me being chaotic

 

 

[graceland]

The Ladies only spent two nights at Mara Plains, but it was an intense, action packed time. Because they lent us the Canon camera, it was interesting to see how the pros operate. Frankly I like my little Canon 50 powershot; it worked for me without the frustration.

 

So I wasn't too unhappy returning it....

 

 

 

And you can see the smart one....she brought a foldable tripod as well. I was fortunate to get a hat and fleece in my one bag. I now know why there are so many threads on getting your photographic equipment to Africa!

 

Going to our beautiful rooms, cleaning up and meeting for dinner at 8-ish..we would sit in the beautiully outfitted "living room" with a view and meet new guests, talk to Amy and Shaun and the photogs there filming for Great Plains.

 

 

This next photo is actually from the night before ..but I wanted to show the beautiful table - and the blanket I was lusting after...thrown over us to ward off the chlll from the upcoming storms.

That is Amy and Shaun sitting across from us with big smiles.

 

 

 

Both @@SafariChick and I had different and or absent time stamps with thel ions above, Handsome and Mowhawk; mine shows afternoon-- a bit of jet lag could be blamed!

 

Our intrepid journalist who was so good with notes probably knows the timeline and will for sure be coming along with her day's photos.

 

Dinners at Mara Plains were excellent; the chef is working towards being awarded a certificate from the Relais*Chateau group they are not affiliated with, and it showed in the presentation and quality of the meals.

 

Delightful hosts and guests make for a lovely end to an exciting day.

 

The next day was also eventful on the way to the airstrip!

 

[Kitsafari]

Nothing much more to add from my end as my fellow companions have portrayed the great looking dudes a fair bit. Poor Blondie had one canine missing so he's lucky he's got tough looking Mohawk to help him get food! It gives me a chill down the spine when I see my photos and find both lions' eyes staring straight and unwaveringly into the camera with such sharpness and alertness. i had a whole series of Mohawk yawning twice but won't spam this thread with them. instead, just a profile of him.

 

[SafariChick]

@@Kitsafari beautiful shot! You would not be spamming this thread with photos of Mohawk yawning - I would love to see them!

 

Yes, we really didn't see much else that afternoon. We did go looking for leopard and Dan was conscientious in searching slowly through areas that they liked to hang out, but it had started to rain a bit and they just were not to be seen, so we went back to the camp to have dinner.

 

One more morning drive to write about ...

[SafariChick]

The next morning, @@Kitsafari took a few photos around camp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kinda hard to see in the light we had but can you see the baby hanging on to the Mom here:

 

 

So we packed up our stuff, had our breakfast, and we said our farewells to Shaun and Amy and headed off to the airstrip. We hadn't been driving too long before we came upon this scene:

 

 

Dan told us that this was being discouraged by the rangers and that the vehicle the cheetah were on should have tried not to let the cats jump up on it. But since they were there, everyone was looking. So we did too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually, the rangers showed up causing all the vehicles watching to scatter as most of them were off road which is not allowed. Dan said the vehicle which allowed the cheetahs on it would probably have some kind of penalty. We continued on our journey towards the airstrip.

Edited March 25, 2015 by SafariChick

[pault]

They don't seem to be doing very well with the "discouraging" do they? @@SafariChick

 

The next generation are already learning the behaviour. Nice pictures of the wrongdoers.... including those two in the picture before the baboons.... hahaha

 

Seriously though, the cheetahs seem to be on the road, so technically then it would be yoiu and everyone else except the vehicle with cheetahs on it that would have needed to flee the rangers for being offroad and risk being fined, no? I don't mean to suggest that Dan was in the wrong here - in fact I expect he was not; just pointing out what one would conclude from the pictures in case you want to add anything.

[Kitsafari]

wrongdoers? whodunit?? the vervets did it!

 

 

@@pault you were right. the wrongdoers were in the middle of the road so the rest of us were "illegally" off road. as we were watching we noticed that the cars started moving off. we were among the last 5 or so cars to move off. Dan said the rangers had arrived and just as luck would have it, we had to pass the ranger car, who stopped Dan to question him why he was off road. Dan simply said that vehicle was blocking the way. and we hurried off. Dan did say that vehicle and the company which owned the car would get into trouble. But he didn't say what kind of penalty was involved.

 

I suppose the question is - could that driver have moved off when the cheetahs started approaching his car? if all 5 of the cats were surrounding him, it would have been challenging to move off without running over one of them. But we've been in situations when a cat started moving towards the car, and our guide would quickly start up the engine and move off. James did it with the Marsh lions, and Patrick did it in South Luangwa.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

Lovely pictures of "illegal" Malaika and cubs @@SafariChick.

 

among my pix of Mara Plains was of the view in front of the dining hall

 

 

and a close up of the vehicle - this somehow made me smile as it makes me think of the old days of the old safari vehicle trundling along masai mara surrounded by Thomson's gazelles

 

 

 

gazelles putting up a show as we had breakfast

 

 

and a baboon enjoying life and tranquil scenes every day

 

 

and of course the much needed "group pix" before we reluctantly tore ourselves away from Masai Mara

 

Edited March 25, 2015 by Kitsafari

[madaboutcheetah]

All it takes is for the guide to start the engine when the cheetahs approach ....... they will back off and not jump. Sad .........

 

Awesome to see Malaika and cubs in all your images and so glad they are doing well in a very predator dense Mara .......... Ladies, do you know how many male/female cubs there in Malaika's litter?

 

Nice to see Mohawk and Handsome - but, I think they are challenged in their Double crossing territory by the 5 males from OMC/Naboisho (I think I saw some FB updates last week from maybe Last Lions? or GPC?)

Edited March 25, 2015 by madaboutcheetah

[Kitsafari]

@@madaboutcheetah no i don't think so, and I don't recall any of the guides saying it too.

[pault]

555 @@Kitsafari... yes the vervets always did it. I knew you and @@SafariChick and @@graceland were innocent. I wouldn't have asked but you never know in the reserve. Lovely views from the camp.

[Kitsafari]

@@Kitsafari beautiful shot! You would not be spamming this thread with photos of Mohawk yawning - I would love to see them!

 

 

 

so for @@SafariChick : "Mohawk shows his perfect canines" and advanced apologies to those suffering from cat fatigue.

 

 

 

 

looks around....

 

 

and bares his teeth in an even larger yawn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tries to shake off the drowsiness

 

 

 

 

 

"grr they are still around me"

 

 

"I'll show them how big my paw is then"

 

Edited March 25, 2015 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

and for @@madaboutcheetah....

 

 

[graceland]

@@madaboutcheetah no i don't think so, and I don't recall any of the guides saying it too.

 

All it takes is for the guide to start the engine when the cheetahs approach ....... they will back off and not jump. Sad .........

 

Awesome to see Malaika and cubs in all your images and so glad they are doing well in a very predator dense Mara .......... Ladies, do you know how many male/female cubs there in Malaika's litter?

 

Nice to see Mohawk and Handsome - but, I think they are challenged in their Double crossing territory by the 5 males from OMC/Naboisho (I think I saw some FB updates last week from maybe Last Lions? or GPC?)

@@madaboutcheetah, I saw the same on some blogs and FB posts as well. Perhaps we can get a confirmation from a ST'r visiting the mara in the near future.

 

I'd like to think they are staying where they seemed to be quite happy! At least posing so graciously for us last day

Edited March 25, 2015 by graceland

[Sangeeta]

What a fantastic TR this has been, ladies! Chapeau to all 3 of you. My compliments esp at the composition and quality of the photos we're seeing here - and mostly all taken with bridge cameras! This really shows that the person behind the lens is so much more imp than the equipment itself, and that with a good eye and a decent camera, you can come away with many, many keepers, even with relatively simple cameras.

 

The videos have added a whole extra dimension - the leopard cub stalking was priceless!

 

Loving it all!

[SafariChick]

We finished our drive to the airstrip passing a sleeping lion (was it Handsome?)

 

 

a passing cheetah (my shots were kind of far away so I'm not bothering to post)

 

and a lovely Eland who posed nicely for us

 

 

 

then we were at the airstrip, and time to say goodbye to the Mara and Daniel. We took our plane(s) back to Wilson Airport and then it was time for @@graceland and @@Kitsafari to head to JKIA with Jane, the same lady who had transported us from the airport at the start of the trip to our Nairobi hotels, while I headed off with my guide from Emakoko, James (the same James that Kit had on her stay at Emakoko at the beginning of the trip, so it really was like bookends). I bid a fond farewell to the other two Lipault Ladies:

 

 

and I was off with James heading to the Kazuri Bead Factory.

 

Kazuri Beads is a really terrific place. Located in Karen, a suburb of Nairobi, it began in 1975 as a workshop on property that used to be part of the estate of Karen Blixen. It started with just a couple of women, it grew to now several hundred employees. Most are single mothers, but there are also a few male employees. I have heard they are paid about three times the average wage and also receive free healthcare for themselves and their families. Not surprisingly, I read somewhere there is a waiting list of people wanting to be employed there. Kazuri produces the most beautiful beads in all kinds of shapes and colors. They also make some pottery, and some little handmade clay animals. You can purchase jewelry from their shop and can also purchase loose beads if you choose. Here are a few photos from the free tour they offered, which is excellent and shows all aspects of how they make the beads from clay, glaze them, and turn them into beautiful jewelry. The jewelry is also shipped all over the world to be sold in other countries. A truly remarkable success story. Here are some photos of the factory and the employees:

 

 

 

 

Loose Beads:

 

 

Bottles of Beads:

 

 

I had the hardest time deciding what to buy in the shop. I walked around and around handling everything - they must have thought I was trying to shoplift but I just couldn't decide what to get! I finally settled on two pairs of earrings and a little gray elephant.

 

When I came outside, James was waiting and our plan was to go to Emakoko for me to check in and have a late lunch. As we started driving, he got a call on his cell phone. He looked and sounded concerned. He turned to me slightly and asked "Do you think you might have your friend's passport?" and mentioned @@graceland 's real name. I looked at him very perplexed and said "no, of course not - why would I have her passport?" He said wait a minute and told the person on the phone he'd call her back. He hung up and said to me "Well, because apparently she has yours!" To be continued ....

Edited March 26, 2015 by SafariChick

[twaffle]

Argh! A passport misadventure, I can't remember reading about one of those!

[Kitsafari]

@@SafariChick I don't think that's Handsome. the mane is smaller and less thick.I suspect it's a young nomad male probably just kicked out of his pride. hopefully he finds a coalition.

 

here's a pic of the last cheetah, although it's quite far in the distance, but this is to show that we did indeed see it!

 

 

 

I loved the beads. unfortunately, because of my tight schedule, I did not have time to tour the centre but I sure took quite a while to choose the jewelry. they were all beautiful, and making my mind was tough!

 

I'll let @@graceland recount the passport incident but I felt for her and the anguish and the panic and anxiety she felt. we had always wondered how you found out at your end. Hope to hear more of it from you @@SafariChick.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Kitsafari

[graceland]

I'm going to try and tell my part of this confusing and extremely panic inducing end to such a beautiful safari with two friends.

 

Some of you may know that I've had my only famly member outside of my husband fall quite ill last year -and just last night I received some devastating news as he is "only" four years older than I. I told the Ladies I was not sure I could even type, however, I feel it will help me balance out my feelings and of course finish what we had started on my end.

 

The lovely, outgoing, enthusiastic Jane from Bush and Beyond did pick me and @@Kitsafari up to take us to NBO. We met James, @@SafariChick's guide (as mentioned was also @@Kitsafari's guide at Emakoko) and being the small world of Africa; James and Jane knew one another! We snapped some pics, hugs all around, and off we went....Jane to her next stop, and us to the airport. We had plenty of time which turned out to be a good thing afterall.

 

Upon arrival at "arrivals" there was a short line outside as the security team was there running bags through the machines, as they do. When I approached a young man asked for my boarding pass and passport. Being out in the bush I had no printer, so I said here is my check in on my Iphone. He was hesitant to let me in; which I found strange and he kept looking at my blue US passport and my phone check in page. He finally waved me in.

 

Naturally everything beeps when I walk through. So back out, take something off, back in. Still beeps. I should have known this was going to be the beginning of a LONG afternoon. I get patted down by a lovely African woman who laughed and said I had on too many beads. I of course said, they were my remembrances of our amazing time in Africa. She was very happy that we had a great safari and I was telling her of the many times I'd been and I hope to see her again.

 

I find that when you tell an employee, a security guard or a driver just about anyone how much you love their country (which I sincerely do) they really make an effort on your behalf. Which I needed later!

 

I had to get my pass and @@Kitsafari went to her airline desk to get hers so we could proceed upstairs and find the lounge. Naturally no one is at my desk; they were not opening for another 30-40 min. Thank goodness we had time.

 

So we sit down and wait. Look at pics @@Kitsafari had downloaded to her ipad. It was nice just remembering the eight days prior.

 

Finally Emirates employees show up. Now they want me to go back from the desk to the middle of the room where they had set up a security officer. I conversationally asked him why we were going through yet another official desk when I had just walked through their security, not 10 feet way. "I must look at your papers" he replies.

I had no papers, so he says hand me your passport. He does the usual look; up,down, hands it back and waves me to the desk to finally obtain my boarding pass.

 

If this sounds long - it is; just think what I am thinking - give me the damn BP so @kistafari and can go to the air-conditioned lounge, have a cold drink and wait it out together!

 

I am now at the Emirates check in. NO bags to check; this should be quick. The young man takes my passport (now gone to the third employee) and gets on the computer...at least five minutes go by, I say is something wrong. Ma'm, we cannot find your reservation. No problem I show them my handy Iphone app that has my confirmation and check in right there..large letters. CHECKED IN. A supervisor comes over; I ask again. What is it. She says "@@SafariChick's - name" we do not have you on this flight. I said, well my name is not @@SafariChick. She hands me the passport - iT iS @@SafariChickS"!

 

I now have 2 hours until takeoff.

 

I am stunned. I am scared, I am panicked, I am surprised; I am in shock mode. I do not want to be in Nairobi airport; I want to go home. Today.

 

@@Kitsafari is watching our bags and I wave to her - come here,I need you! Thank goodness she was there; I was totally in a state, not knowing who, what,when or where @@SafariChick was in the large, chaotic (that word comes up quite a bit in this report ) city of Nairobi, where it takes two hours to get from one end to the other; and I knew she was heading to Karen. The Emerites folks were not quite up to speed with this when they hand me over to an office person and we ask him to call the Emakoko - thinking they'd have an idea of where their guide was with Jane. They had never heard of it.

 

The time is ticking by - I am fearful they won't be found; and I will end staying in the airport overnight OR at the embassy trying to obtain a passport. This has never happened to me and quite frankly I am falling apart. I just lost it; I was teary, scared, and felt no one would help me. Emirates certainly could have cared less.

 

If not for @@Kitsafari's cool demeanor and being there for me I have no idea how I'd ever find my passport. She had written down the Bush and Beyond number so we call them. I won't go into their attitude, but just say it worked out after wasting yet another 20-30 min on phones, pacing, back on phones, negotiating...it was a process. Meanwhile we also call Emakoko and ask them to locate James as well. Having two groups working the circuit was better in my opinion than just one. it was a kind lady from another airline who heard all this going on, coming on with their phone number. Thank you kind lady.

 

Remember when I said our driver Jane knew James the guide. Well thankfully she had his cell phone number and she called him,finding out where he had taken @@SafariChick. I am still in panic mode as I saw the traffic and thought no way she can drive to Karen, find them, retrieve my passport and get it back here within one hour. The clock was ticking. But she called me and said I will try my best.

 

So we sit. And wait. Meanwhile I am now not only stressed to the max, but wondering how NBO let me ENTER THE AIRPORT to begin with - with a person's id that bears no resemblance to me; TWICE. First was security (TSA style) and second, Emerites' fact/paper checking dude at the table....NEITHER ONE OF THEM NOTICED I did not have long brown hair, a few inches taller; and other physical attributes unlike @@SafariChick.

 

So now I am getting mad. And I REALLY want out of this airport. @@Kitsafari was my emotional support and to this day I don't think if I had been alone, I'd even know where to begin to resolve this situation. I usually do not fall down so under obstacles, but to not have a passport in hand in a very chaotic airport was the last straw for me. I just envisioned my self trying to find an embassy with no one at the Emirates desk caring one bit if I were me or her. And I had spent quite a lot of money for that seat and I wanted to be in it.

 

Unbelievably, I get a call from Jane the driver..she has located James - she is on her way and she will race as fast as she can to NBO. I am thnking, no way she can do all this..

 

Then another call... Jane is at the front of the airport.She had tracked down James and @SC.... So now I have to get out of this place...Once you are in, there seems to be no doors to leave. They were locked. So I go to my kind TSA woman who patted me down, and said, "Remember me, the one with the beads" I need to go get my passport.......it is packed now with all sorts of travelers going through scanners. She smiles and I say - I have to leave- she waves me out. Whew, so glad I was nice to her!

 

There was Jane, parked and jumping out --waving my passport! Hallelujah life is good. She takes @@SafariChicks, and hands me my precious exit bok out of NBO and back into the states. I never felt so good. A huge hug, large tip and I have to make my way back into NBO where a line down the street had formed. I am not waiting in that line, I want my boarding pass and I want to be on that plane.

 

I walk to the front, am waved off, but now I am woman, hear me roar." You should have seen hours ago that I was holding someone else's passport yet you let me through. Well you just let me cut in front of everyone and back to my bags"- (being watched by @kitsafai - thank you, thank you) Can you imagine doing all this while carrying everything in and out of security!

 

So he pats me down, wants my money/card bag which i refused to give him. I showed him what was in it and said, it is NOT coming off my body. By then I guess he figured out I was emotionally spent...and let me in. Again.

 

By now Emirates has a bit of a line, and I stroll up and say, ok...here is my passport, now give me my boarding pass. You people did not catch it first go round either; what is with this place?. No wonder people get through - terrorists even. The New Agent person, bit rude; however after explaining what happened she wanted my bag. They had already cabin checked it, so off I go to find @@Kitsafari so they can see my bag again. It is overweight. Now I just want to hit someone. Agent says you are checking this..I said No. Well it is 3Ks over; I just said, Souvenirs. Pass is handed over. Finally.

 

YES! And on we go up the escalator to find a cool lounge that is quiet and I can have a super sized glass of wine. The first agent told me he'd let @@Kitsafari in on a guest pass, but the second rude one would not. So she pays, but it is well worth it! I am drenched in "glistening" sweat from the ordeal and just want to recover. I should have paid it; sorry @@Kitsafari, I was not thinking clearly...next time!! promise.

 

Again, having my support team, @@Kitsafari was paramount to my mental state. I could not thank her enough and I still do. I may still be there wandering NBO for all I know. I have no idea, and this is something I will be sure to know in the future....what to do when you do not have a passport. I did have a copy...somewhere. But if a plane is leaving in two hours...never would make it.

 

This was long..and rambling, and I wish I had some pics to post. However, the two hours seemed like two days to me; and I am thankful we did get there early. Time was wasted - at least 40 or more minutes by (1) me not checking my passport....but it was blue, it had USA on it, I thought it mine

(2) First security let me in after looking at passport, looking at me, looking a passport and waving me through

(3) Emirates security - Same as above.

 

I think something needs to be changed here; not sure how, but I did fire off a letter to Emirates and perhaps they will have a discussion with the Security personnel at the Nairobi Airport. If anyone wonders as I now do, how folks get through with and without their own passports..or fake ones.

 

A quick hug and @@Kitsafari is on her way home.

 

A few minutes later I am (once again) going through security at the gate; this time I have MY OWN PASSPORT. Which is getting a new cover.

 

I am on my way home. Life is good.

[SafariChick]

Poor @@graceland. So sorry for the issues your brother is going through, and sorry for the scare you had at the airport! On my end, when James told me Graceland had my passport, I quickly went into my purse, opened up "my" passport, and sure enough, it had her name and face! I was shocked - how had this happened? I thought to myself we never took our passports out the whole trip, so how could they have gotten mixed up? Eventually, Graceland figured out what must have happened. When we checked in at Wilson for our first flight to the Mara, the gate agent asked to see our passports. When he handed them back, he must have handed them to the opposite people - and we didn't think to check - they both look exactly the same on the outside! We happily put them away in our own respective purses and didn't look at them again until this moment!

 

So once I confirmed I did indeed have her passport, James got on the phone again with Jane. They arranged a meeting spot that was not far from where we already were. I guess Jane had driven in the direction of Karen already by this time. We met at a strip mall, they jumped out and Jane got my passport and jumped back in her car, racing off to meet Graceland at the airport again! She still didn't have my passport of course as she hadn't been back to the airport to get it yet - no time - more important was to get Graceland on her flight, then figure out my passport as my flight wasn't for over 24 hours. Initially, Jane said she'd bring my passport to David Sheldrick as I would be there at 5 pm for the evening visit allowed to foster parents. However, she later called back and said the company didn't want her to do that as they had no plans to come that way. Instead, they said it would be at JKIA the evening of my departure and their representative would meet James and I at the airport to give it to me. I was a little worried about this plan as that airport and area is hectic, but in the end that is what we did and we managed to make it work. Phew. Crazy experience. From now on, I will always check my passport when it is handed back to me!

 

More soon on my visits to Sheldrick, Emakoko, and Nairobi Nat'l Park.

[graceland]

Oh right @@SafariChick, I totally forgot how @@Kitsafari and I sat for those hours trying to figure out how the passports were switched! The first day of course...

 

What an ending for me.....at least @@SafariChick still had an adventure ahead; but I do think B&B should have delivered her passport that day... as good customer service. I'd been worried as well that in the " busyness" of NBO someone might not find me with that passport!

 

But it all ended well....I did get an apology from B&B for their agent's response to me when I called for help, and I am sure they are now more aware of the emergencies that can occur while traveling; and how a response time is urgent.

 

So it will be good to get another view of Emmakoko from Safarichick as I missed out by typing in the wrong date of travel - and Emirates wanted $1800 to change to my ticket by one day!

 

I will just enjoy the park through the Ladies as well

 

It was all worth it!

[Kitsafari]

We thought we would breeze through the check-ins quickly as we were very early and we would relax in the lounge, but the turn of events left poor @@graceland pretty distressed. I was glad I was with her and the first thing that came to me when I heard she had @@SafariChick's passport was to call @@SafariChick. when she didn't answer, our next course of action was to call Emakoko, as their guide was with her,and i recalled we had an emergency contact to call so i dug up B&B number. I was so relieved that B&B's Jane was able to get the passport and sped to the airport for @@graceland. and don't worry about the payment to the lounge - it was nothing and it was a huge relief to be able to sit and relax in there. I was just shocked that South Africa Airways had no proper lounge, but apparently since it got burned down, the air carrier simply provided coffee and tea in the transit room. hrmpph. i much preferred and enjoyed the cold drink and delicious snacks in the Emirates lounge in the company of @@graceland.

 

Just very glad that the passport got to you in time @@graceland.

 

Now looking forward to Nairobi national park through @@SafariChick's eyes.

[twaffle]

How terrifying for you all, I'm just glad that it all worked out. I think I'd have needed 3 g&ts to recover.

[SafariChick]

@@Kitsafari Yes it would have been easier if you had been able to call me! Unfortunately, I had zero phone service the entire time I was in Kenya despite having a new iPhone6 and despite my phone carrier (T-mobile) touting how my plan includes free texting in 120 countries (including Kenya!) and phone calls that are something like 20 cents per minute!! Grrrr. Just glad the other ladies were so resourceful as to figure out how to contact James and that it all worked out! I will be back tomorrow with the last part of the report.