HAKUNA MATATA!!!

Kenya travel

 

Nairobi - Samburu

Once in Nairobi us a lady of Rhino Safaris that after one stage to recover all'Hilton our traveling companions, we raise our 4x4 van and go! toward our first destination: Samburu.
The journey is long go from Karatina, the largest open market in Central Africa and from Nyeri and other tiny villages. The road soon turns from highway to ever more narrow and bumpy, until the last hours of travel, traveled on a track in the bush.
We arrive at Samburu Lodge at 15, tired, accaldati, hungry and dusty.
We throw it on buffet and then filiamo Room to make us a shower. Take away a little 'tired of the first to share for our first Kenyan safari. The public Samburu reserve owes its name to the tribe that populates the area are very similar to the Masai, women dress with multiple layers of necklaces and colored clothes made with fabrics predominantly red. The problem of safari, Samburu here is the massive and large presence of tourists, and the fact that the tracks through which the rangers can travel are limited. The result is a chaotic traffic around each animal sighted, reported by radio from the drivers. The impact of the comparison with Botswana is dramatic e. .. we hope very much that is not always the case! Given the confusion we saw few animals, and from far away. We saw the Grevy zebras who have a particularly beautiful and zebratura dense and giraffes, which also have their maculatura a special, very beautiful and different from the other giraffes. We have also seen 2 leopards perched, or better, mollemente lying on the branches of plants to nap. In fact, the first was sleeping so deeply asleep to be with a zampino suspended in a vacuum near the muzzle, as it was dormant while you wash. We saw a few elephants and a few impala, but nothing compared to the huge amount of animals I've seen in Botswana. Interesting small antelope-giraffe. Returned to the lodge we stopped to drink anything until dinner on the deck by the river, where they are fed up of kitchen scraps 3 fatty and big crocodiles. These large amphibians if they are all day (and night) lying on the shore of the river, waiting for the chef arrives with a tray full of bone fragments and swallow a few seconds. After dinner, spend some time outdoors on the veranda, but now the tiredness is really great and have 2 nights that I do not make a decent sleep. We then rintaniamo Room prestissimo, given that tomorrow the alarm will sound at 6.30, partly because they suffered for THE ARK, lodge built in the trees!
I almost forgot: today on the route between Nairobi and Samburu we stopped at the crossing of the line of: we did the experiment of water that runs north of the clockwise and counterclockwise in the south, while on the line falls perpendicularly with no rotation!

Aberdare Mountains

Alarm clock at 6 am and after a good breakfast we start our on board the bus towards Aberdare Mounts. But give us another view to Samburu game and this time is much more fruitful than the past: there is less people and a wonderful cheetah now we cross the street and elegant altero. Shortly after a group of lionesses pass in single file through the bush and the elderly at the head of the group lie nell'erba chasing un'antilope. This, however, soon becomes aware of his presence and escape. On the way we encounter a carcass of a small antelope
now devoured completely except for the head and front paws. The work probably started by a leopard is finished by a group of vultures that are in great cleaning throughout the body. And 'the food chain, here nothing is wasted or left to rot.
Our journey continues on the dirt tracks of Samburu up to Archer's Gate, the entrance of the reserve and beyond that, on the same roads we arrived.
Around the main street parade flocks often carried out to pasture by men, and I think this is perhaps the only activity that I have done to men so far. For the rest of the men lying down if they are thrown here and there to talk, or under the shade of a tree, but to do nothing. I see women who work in the world that passes by me. Work the land, bring the baskets with food or other things, combed the child in the garden behind the house. The children greeted us when we pass, do so by the passage of each bus. There are lots of kids and the most common sign on our path is one that indicates the presence of a school, elementary or medium, provided strictly for girls or for boys. " The majority of schools is dedicated to Our Lady, then go to the Catholic mission because it is very strong. But given that all, or nearly so, the schools are run by religious, I wonder what would have been of the school here if they had not reached the missionaries in these remote villages in the bush. Only one of the countries that we met, it was entirely populated by Muslims. Are isolated here, and creating their own town, with the mosque, the madrassas and the veiled women. This small village on the edge of the asphalt road and the principle of the track that leads to Samburu is the symbol of poverty seems to be in an old, huge landfill where the waste is gone, but they are still plastic bags. Hundreds, thousands of bags and pieces of plastic caught in the bushes, in the stones, svolazzanti in the sand ... a huge expanse of colorful and sad what lapovertà mixed progress, has brought here. Yet the kids still smile and say hello when we pass, with nothing to play and wander without a purpose, like the adults.
We pass through Isiolo, Nyeri at 12.30 and arrive all'Aberdare Country Club for lunch. The club is very beautiful, and in the park, partly used as a golf course, there are a lot of browsing a warthog, antelope, and colorful birds. At 14.30, after having loaded the bags read you need to spend the night, leaving for the shelter The Ark. Climb into the hills and the vegetation becomes more tropical. Today we have moved from Sabana arid and dry bush of Samburu, almost alpine landscape of the road that skirts Mount Kenya, until you get here, an isolated place with a cold and rainy climate and rich vegetation that makes us now come to mind as it should be Uganda, home of mountain gorillas.
We come to The Ark which is not, as we think and as described by our travel plans, built on the plants, but a large structure with many small rooms that overlook a natural pond where the animals come to drink.
At the reception we found that the Rhino Safaris has marked as "Honeymooners". In fact, the employee to the assignment of rooms continued to apologize to me for the fact that since the ark was the whole were no longer available rooms but only doubles. I have been told that there was no problem, as long as the room had a good view! In fact there is assigned the "cabin" B18 with a perfect view on the pool. Arriving at the house in the form of Ark of Noah (hence the name "The Ark") we put ourselves in the veranda to sip a cup of tea waiting animals. Soon we will provide the pool buffalo, gazelles and elephants. The head of the rangers told us that this night will be awakened by the bell placed in each cabin that notifies us of the presence of animals in the pool: 2 trills for an elephant, a rhinoceros 3, 4 for a leopard ... In the meantime started to rain and fell a dense fog, we discover the diary of the lodge that this applicant is the climate here and that is very cold. From a leaflet to capture the reception we discover that the pool is called Yabasara Waterhole and is the largest natural reservoir of the Aberdares mountains. Around 17 we go to our cabin to go to the window. A slight mist is falling on the Waterhole. There is a very particular because the animals are typically found in Africa, elephants, buffalo, gazelles, but the weather is what we would be in the mountains with us in October. It 's very quiet and relaxing, the perfect place to put their thoughts on paper. The weather is starting to slow down and this is a good thing after only 2 days of vacation! So the bell rings! Expect to arrive, however, that dark, then light the light to illuminate the square of the puddle.
This evening I read the diary and Cristiano is beautiful! Manages to capture what we are living, of the particular and special comments by an irony. I like how he writes!
At dinner we discovered that two other companions, are American and will remain with us for the trip to Kenya until Saturday. I realize that I have not written anything on the other hand, that will be with us in Tanzania, perhaps because there is not really much to say. 2 people are older and not very sociable with which I see very difficult to establish any kind of relationship, if not the normal kind of people traveling together. I believe this is primarily a journey of mine and Cristiano.
After dinner you warm before the fire because the temperature is more rigid and there is no heating, and we move on the veranda to watch the animals. Fortunately, the thick fog has thinned and the visibility is good. Are witnessing a strange scene: an elephant is the earth quietly Pappano, who is rich in mineral salts and for this reason attracts animals. Arriva a rhinoceros which he tries to split the land with her horn and then eat it. But has to deal with the elephant, which no one can bring. At least nod toward the great pachyderm tusks and trunk shake and ears and put on a flight the buffissima rino! Over time, the sleep takes over and go back to 23 in our room where I fall asleep.

Lake Nakuru

Dawn on The Ark is surrounded by a dense haze that alludes to rise just above the waterhole. E 'is very wet and cold. A pair of cranes on board the imperial run of the river. Everything is still wrapped in silence, when we leave our car and we are all still sleeping. We go on the terrace to see the lake. Everywhere is quiet and in silence and isolation in the forest, an elephant violently tears the leaves from the branches of trees. I dwell for a moment to savor so much peace as long as "sounds" an alarm clock as a keeper armed with a xylophone and soon throughout the ark back to life. Special purpose air and surreal.
Despite the hours of observation there is no trace of the elusive "Bongo", the most rare animal living in the area. Soon discover that this sighting of the zebra antelope curved horns is virtually impossible. So do not worry us! After breakfast, we return to the country club and start to board the bus to Lake Nakuru. We make a stop at Thompson Falls and the edge of the Rift Valley. The thing that always surprises me most is how, in the course of a few kilometers, the landscape changes constantly. Within minutes we went from the Aberdares mountains with mist, cold, cows at pasture and coniferous forests, a landscape in Switzerland if it were not for the warthog and the gazelles, the rift valley, a lush valley where the hot and coffee plantations will happen to those of the many crops and maize. Everywhere there are farms and herds to pasture. Let's make a couple of stops at various Curio Shop, which we now seem to have all the same and devoid of interest: have all the same junk for tourists: wooden statues which stand out among the usual giraffes, and objects in stone saponaria, batik and other nonsense that Japanese tourists thanks to a capital cost and not worth anything. We are asking for 50 USD a sugar bowl stone saponaria! Because here it is customary to begin taking a bargain $ 20, but looked away schifo ... Now are so sure of selling it at $ 50 the first Japanese fool who will not even try to continue bargaining with us. I am sorry but if the sugar bowl can hold!
Arrive at 13:30 at the entrance to the reserve of Lake Nakuru and Lake already looks like a blue lake edged with pink. Every inch of shore is invaded by millions of flamingos! We stop at the Lake Nakuru lodge for lunch before beginning the "activities" in the afternoon. A small note: on the road to Nakuru we stopped in a Curio usual stop for a pee where Samia, our driver, he stopped to greet his children, Ruth and Pauline. While we have tried to talk with these two girls who are already at 7 years parlottano English (!), I made it closer to these two beautiful girls of the other occupants of the buses to stop in order to give them pens, colored pencils, sweets, though they were strange animals that grows the food to see the reaction. In the end I think they did love to hear what they had, but I am ashamed I have for others, for the way they had been offered a gift. These people have little, maybe nothing, but we must not think that this one should bring with them superior and patronizing air with which "top" award.
The two new traveling companions Americans are cheerful and talkative, the other in the two Italians have already shown asocial and BRONTOLON. They spent a night of hell at The Ark: after having left behind the sweaters, we had to buy two horrors boutique not to die of cold. In their more room was an icebox (our not, indeed, in the morning we had the condensation on windows ..) and has also flooded the bathroom ... It 'really true that anyone who is negative attracts negativity, not to said ... sfiga!
Once in Nakuru we discover that the lake is a true spectacle rose, and the bus stop at the shore to walk about ten minutes and enjoy this show. The contrast of blue-pink color is unparalleled. Behind us, stopping on the lawn is a large group of rhinos among which draw our attention to a female with her pup. Even he is already a massive fine of Cicciano but it is very tender, and gait continuously spurred by her mother who punzecchia with the horn! I have never seen so many rhinos together. The thing that amazed leave here in Kenya is the number of animals. On the road we come across hundreds of herds of buffalo. We reach up to a high vantage point from which the spectacle is breathtaking: you see all over the lake with the pink stripe edges and all around the Kenyan savannah. I think the world there are few other events of incomparable beauty like this and we do not have to remain silent to enjoy every precious moment, because this emotion, and the memory of it remains indelible in our memory. Now it is evening when we arrive at Lake Elements Lodge. It 'very nice and nestled in a lush park-garden where bougainvillea, agave, and jojoba oil is wasted. Christian gives a dip in the pool while I wander around the garden. Then we prepare for dinner but as a "cocktail" we witness the story of the habits and customs of the Masai people, given by a Masai. Here we are already in this incredible population of people magrissime and dall'incedere altero. He explains the significance of the color red Masai give all their clothes and the fact that the same color are often tinged hair and skin: the origin has nothing to do with aesthetics but has meant a olfactory: the one who spread them has an odor so strong as to be unbearable for the lions to hundreds of meters. We wonder if human beings no ...
After a delicious dinner of meat grilled watered by a good wine with which we celebrate the birthday of Christian witnessing an exhibition of dance Masai. I believe that with the special day passed today, this was a birthday to remember!

Masai Mara Game Reserve

I am only 5 days that we travel and I have already lost their knowledge of time and I seem to be traveling a lifetime! The beauty of the African rhythms that make you completely lose the feeling of the passage of time. Here there is no hurry, stress, anxiety. Here not only is good, you're from god!
We start in the morning hours after a good breakfast and after having greeted the splendid panorama of the Lake Elementary. We start at the time of the Masai Mara reserve. The journey is long and we will destroy our poor backs. The roads are rough so improbable, and our van started to speed unthinkable jump continuously. The overtaking are increasingly frequent in view of the heavy vehicle traffic. We travel constantly immersed in a cloud of dust and soon all, including us, took a white-yellowish powder that enters. After 4 hours of road and 40 minutes as the track come in the reserve, exhausted, at the Mara Simba Lodge for lunch. We affamatissimi and tired, but everything goes into the second floor of our room at ... view on the subject that you can enjoy from the terrace is ... film! The lodge is surrounded by the vegetation of the park and on our terrace is a small river inhabited by hippos. I am really happy to spend 2 nights here, and I was wrong at the thought of retracing the path unhappy to return to Nairobi.
The large veranda restaurant overlooking the same stretch of water that we discover rich in birds and marabou ', this huge carnivore that cranes are standing on the branches of trees.
Immediately after lunch we leave for our first safari in the Mara reserve and have been impressed by the amount of animals. We are in the midst of migrating herds of gnu and zebra that every summer, at the beginning of the dry season, starting in the Serengeti and Mara to arrive here to spend 2 or 3 months of vacation, before returning to where they came. Our driver tells us that the rich and thick yellow grass that we now see will disappear within a month, many of these grazing herbivores, and it will take another 3 months to lush regrows. The herds are not simply move from one pasture to another until its collapse. We are around a few minutes and now we meet the king ... Simba! A beautiful adult lion that peace is consuming his meal-based gnu shade of a group of plants. E 'veramente majestic mane and has a dense and rich in shades ranging from yellow to dark brown. We continue our wander through the immense yellow when spotted a cheetah. We cross the road to climb a rock from which sniff the wind, but to us it seems that it would pose to be photographed! The clouds began to thicken on the horizon, it begins to flash. A surprising temporal and forces us to close the roof of the bus. Within minutes the storm passed, leaving the place to a beautiful rainbow. We enjoy the sunset back to the lodge, where we relax on the terrace of our room. Everything around us is peaceful and Nature. All is peace. Taste every moment of this idyll, until, by the river below, do the funny grunt of hippos and noise of their entry into the water.
A dinner again witnessing the dance of the Masai in reality rather than to dance this is an essay by Skip detentions reach incredible heights without thrust itself!

Masai Mara Game Reserve

Today the clock is at 5.45. Coffee and a quick way for the safari at dawn! The spectacle of the sun rising above the distant hills with the profiles of acacias on the horizon is truly exciting. Scattered here and there are the carcasses of zebras and gazelles killed during the night and in many cases not even eat. Probably some lioness is teaching their pups to the art of hunting. This means that a number of other animals can eat: vultures, jackals, hyenas. The sublime harmony of nature, where everything makes sense, continues to amaze me. Nothing is useless or happens by chance. Everything has a meaning and a purpose.
Our morning excursion takes us to observe the various nocturnal predators and Dine with the spoils of the hunt of the night or that satolli for scorpacciata, resting in the shade of trees. Meet, intent in this activity, bell'esemplare of a cheetah, a lion and a lioness and a couple of iene, as well as a large flock of vultures that funny fighting and leaping are the remains of a zebra. Then return to base for breakfast.
At 11 we start to turn a small Masai village to learn something more about the culture and customs of this special people. Already a lake Elements had heard the story of a Masai habits marriage or how to become warriors or how to hunt a lion, but now I hope to deepen.
The visit to the village began in the classical way: the host, pay $ 20 a head and the usual tribal dances off with a repetition of jumps. Then we finally entered the enclosure of the village, which today serves as protection for men and animals against felines. We were taught to turn the fire woods between 2 rubbing their support to a machete: you create a little brand of wood that is then placed on a piece of elephant dung, which is nothing but a ball of dry straw. Immediately catch fire, the straw ... and you're done. Then we have the facts get in one of their huts, small and dark, with no windows to keep the mold inside. Life during the day is done completely outside the huts serve as a shelter for the night. We explain that the Masai eat only meat, milk and blood of their cows. No fruit and no vegetables. They are polygamous and the number of wives depends on the wealth expressed by the number of cattle owned. Every wife should have their hut in which care for their children. The choice of the wife is made by the mother!
After visiting seek to enter into a marketplace where improvised try to sell us necklaces, bracelets and various knick-knacks, which I usually do not like, then, given that all our fellow travelers seem to be kidnapped this bazaar extemporaneous decide, having regard to short distance of the village from lodge to go back on foot. Not because we can hardly stay on the bus, we want to walk, but in the reserves and parks is not allowed to do so for security reasons! After a few minutes we see that there are 2 Masai "escorting" and expect them to speak with them. On the way we explain the use of various plants, their functions and tell us a lot of things about animals, the hunting of lions and their uses. We prohibitions, for a moment when we ask what wild animals live in our country ... say that there are wolves and bears. While explaining what the wolf, there are almost no problems, explain how a bear who does not know even remotely what it is really difficult! But we felt bad to tell them that in Italy for wild animals are not there!
The walk was really beautiful. In the end we see that they arrived at the lodge before our traveling companions who are probably buying necklaces with chili ... Cristiano and I stop and have lunch on the veranda overlooking the river, noting the beauty of the landscape that surrounds us and the positive vibrations of nature that we receive clear and strong with the breath of the savanna. All the senses are turned on, the smell of perfume smells wild herbs that flood the air, the view sees landscapes fascinating listening and hearing the sound of animals, the heart adapts its beat to the rhythm of nature.
Our afternoon safari is not as rich and exciting one in the morning, perhaps to the suffocating heat that makes the cats more bashful. There remain only the immense herds of gnu and zebra and small herds of impala, which run to the bush. Towards evening, the return, see dense clouds of smoke towards the south: a fire? Our driver tells us that the fire on the border with Tanzania and the Serengeti park are on the agenda are sticking to the rangers to take some 'of animals in the park for tourists .... Mah! To us it seems strange that the decidedly Guardiaparco try to stop a migration flow that lasted for ever ... It will be the usual explanation all'antagonismo due between Kenyans and Tanzanians? Thanks to my guide discover the mystery: the fires are sticking by the Masai, for making the most fertile pastures and rinfoltire grass for their herds!
Unfortunately, after dinner we have to prepare the bags, but above all our hearts we must prepare to leave this fantastic place to return to Nairobi.

Back To Nairobi

The morning runs quickly in the return to Nairobi. Again runs ahead of us all humanity on the move, but nothing authentic. The usual hovels made from villages with names like "New Graceland Hotel where the hotel was a 2 to 3m hut with one room for all the latrine in the garden! Or "School of fashion design to another bicocca where maybe someone who is fortunate to have a sewing machine to teach the tailor!
In Nairobi we all'Hilton, the room is anonymous and insignificant, but we are both so tired that we spend the afternoon resting. At dinner this evening we go to the Carnivore, a famous restaurant in the flesh! Entrance welcomes us a huge brazier on which sfrigolan dozens of different types of meat. We sit at our table, a couple of aperitifs and forth, starting to get various pieces of beef, pork, chicken, lamb and then the ostrich, the crocodile and camel. The crocodile does not impress me (sa fish-chicken that has the texture of the fish, but she knows chicken), while the camel is very good!
At 10.30 lowered the flag on our table, the stop signal to the continuous bustle of waiters armed with churrasco, and pass the sweet and coffee.
A small note on the Kenyan coffee: I'm not a big coffee bevitrice but I like that good and I must say that the Kenyan is very aromatic and distinctive!

We close our parenthesis Kenyan, tomorrow we start to Arusha Tanzania destination!