My, those are big orphans! Adventures of Joyce, Rod, Mark & Patty in Kenya

[twaffle]

I wonder if the predators are thriving with all the dead and dying animals, very sad. Poignant comment about the young hippo, they don't get much credit for emotion usually.

 

We also saw the Air France van but it looked in pretty good condition back then.

 

Lovely report despite the drought, thanks.

[Leely]

I wonder if the predators are thriving with all the dead and dying animals, very sad. Poignant comment about the young hippo, they don't get much credit for emotion usually.

 

Lovely report despite the drought, thanks.

 

twaffle, did you ever see the rather dramatic documentary Capturing the Killer Croc (or something very like that) about Gustave, the giant croc in the Nile in Burundi? There is a part devoted to a family of hippos that finds a dead cow on a sandbar and all go up to "mourn" it, circling and sort of moaning around the carcass. Very odd!

 

Patty, thank you for this report. Lots of ideas percolating in my "brain," using that term loosely, along with some serious worries about the drought.

 

//sorry about the over-reliance on scare quotes in this post!

[twaffle]

Leely, I never saw that doco. Will keep an eye out for it. I have seen docos and photographs of hippos exhibiting cannibalistic behaviour. So much more for us to learn about all these wonderful creatures.

[Patty]

We also saw the Air France van but it looked in pretty good condition back then.

 

Do you know the story behind it?

[twaffle]

As far as I remember the story is something like this.

 

Back then flight crews would often travel to Tsavo for a safari in their break, remembering that this was THE prime wildlife viewing park back then, more so than the Mara which was very underdeveloped and underused.

 

This flight crew was attacked by bandits and I think that was the beginning of the end for Tsavo East (Northern sector).

 

As far as I remember, the crew (or their remains) were never found.

[Game Warden]

Now that's the basis for a film...

[Tom Kellie]

~ Another terrific report, @@Patty!

 

What I'm learning about Safaritalk's archived trip reports is that they're ideal for deepening one's limited understanding of what's out there.

Your visit was some years ago, long before yours truly ever entertained any notion of going on safari. Through the trip report and your Shutterfly images I'm able to enjoy, as well as learn.

There's an immediacy to your writing which pulls me along. Looking over your fine images I said to myself that I need to return to see much of what I missed.

Your Kenya adventures sound like they were such great fun!

Years late, please accept my belated thanks.

Tom K.

[Patty]

~ Another terrific report, @@Patty!

 

What I'm learning about Safaritalk's archived trip reports is that they're ideal for deepening one's limited understanding of what's out there.

Your visit was some years ago, long before yours truly ever entertained any notion of going on safari. Through the trip report and your Shutterfly images I'm able to enjoy, as well as learn.

There's an immediacy to your writing which pulls me along. Looking over your fine images I said to myself that I need to return to see much of what I missed.

Your Kenya adventures sound like they were such great fun!

Years late, please accept my belated thanks.

Tom K.

The wealth of knowledge on this forum is amazing. I've only scratched the surface. It's almost too much to absorb.

 

Thanks, they were great fun and I need to return too!

[Sangeeta]

Thanks to Tom for topping this up! Lovely report, Patty, and the nice laid-back rhythm of your days made for very seductive reading

 

I really do think we should plan a 7-10 day getaway to Ithumba & Umani Springs - this is the sort of focused trip that might work for a group of ST diehards. Otherwise, it's alwsys hard to find takers for a Kenya safari that does not include the Mara.

[graceland]

Thanks to Tom for topping this up! Lovely report, Patty, and the nice laid-back rhythm of your days made for very seductive reading

 

I really do think we should plan a 7-10 day getaway to Ithumba & Umani Springs - this is the sort of focused trip that might work for a group of ST diehards. Otherwise, it's alwsys hard to find takers for a Kenya safari that does not include the Mara.

@@Sangeeta don't you have a client heading that way?

 

I tried to go on first Kenya safari, but a charter flight was way out of our range at that time. Kenya really does have SO many areas to see; one needs weeks!

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@graceland, @@Sangeeta, @Patty:

 

Beijing is not exactly a neighbor to Nairobi. Yet I'm finding that going to Kenya is a surprisingly convenient getaway, even given the long haul flight to a Persian Gulf airport and then a connecting flight across the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf of Aden down to Kenya.

In 2014 the Chinese university calendar had two brief mid-semester vacations, respectively in late April and in early October. On both occasions I slipped away from Beijing to enjoy mini-safaris which were highly satisfying. No crowds, superb weather, birds galore and big cats. Those mini-safaris were in Samburu and Meru.

Now that I've learned about the Emakoko in Nairobi from Safaritalk reviews, that may add yet another game drive to any given mini-safari program.

My experience has been that something is better than nothing. Through taking those mini-safaris, in addition to substantially longer safaris in January and August of 2014, I was able to enjoy Kenya in all four seasons in one single calendar year.

As one might imagine, I sit at my work desk in Beijing, ploughing through graduate student papers, my heart pining for the fresh air nights I've loved while on safari.

I might mention to @@Sangeeta that the 11 day/10 night Kenya safari I had in January of this year pointedly did not include either Lake Nakuru or Masai Mara. I'm delighted to visit either location, but the wind seemed to blow in other directions, which resulted in day after day of easygoing, action-packed game drives, punctuated by mid-day swims in lodge pools.

Four weeks from this Friday another mini-safari begins. After arriving in Nairobi, I'll find out where I'm going. As it's up to the guide's discretion, I need do no more than show up with a camera bag and minimal travel necessities and let life happen.

In late July and early August it's almost certain that another, longer safari will occur. While in Nairobi I'll kick around ideas, which may include a stop at Kakamega Forest National Reserve, as the prospect of insect observation there is enticing. A longer stay at the Emakoko might also be in order.

It's all been good in Kenya. I'm strongly disinclined to complain much, although I empathize with those who have cause to do so. For me, the wonder of each new day on safari is so refreshing that whatever petty inconveniences or inequities occur are but bumps in the slipstream of existence.

Thanks again, Patty, for your reporting and photos, which are keeping us actively talking several years later.

Tom K.