Getting
up at 0600 was surprisingly easy considering the little sleep I had had on the
flight down. Also, apparently the entire bar tab issue had rustled my vacation
calm more than I was aware of as I hadn’t fallen asleep until after 0100. I
went down for breakfast and informed my bar company of what had happened which
resulted in a lot of surprised and offended reactions. Luckily the reactions
weren’t pointed at me so the matter was quickly settled.
We left
at 0730 and drove north towards Samburu NP. The drive was quite uneventful
except when crossing the equator. Here we were presented with the Coriolis Effect;
they had a bucket with a small hole in the bottom and a couple of matchsticks
which were laid on the water’s surface. 10m north of the equator the matches
and water streaming from the hole twisted clockwise, south they would go
counter-clockwise, and right on the equator the water would drain straight out
resulting in the matches not moving. I was surprised that the difference was so
obvious despite the three testing spots were so close to each other. I
suspected foul play, but even when trying to stop the matches with your finger
they would automatically start twisting again the correct direction when
letting them go.
We
arrive at the lodge in Samburu at 1430 where we had our lunch before departing
on our first game drive in the afternoon at 1600. Being an afternoon game drive
it was only 3 hours, but in that time we managed to see giraffes, impalas,
onyx, elephants, dik diks, lions, a caracal (my first sighting!) and several
other. Quite a successful start on the trip!
We
returned at 1900, and the rest of the evening was spent on dinner and
relaxation. Breakfast tomorrow at 0645 and departure for the morning game drive
at 0730.
We are
using the same drivers and vehicles for both transport and game drives. The
vehicles are Toyota Hiaces which have been refitted with a raisable roof so you
can stand up and look out without having to look through windows, strengthened
suspension, reinforced bottom and sturdy tires. Unfortunately the roof is just
5 cm too low for me when it’s raised so I’m not able to stand straight. It
makes it easier when alone in the vehicle so that I can lean up against a seat
decreasing my height enough to make it more comfortable. The drivers/guides are
local so they drive like any other Kenyan. None of this came as a surprise, but
what did come as a surprise was that they were willing to drive off the road in
the NP even though they are fully aware they are not allowed to do so. My shots
of the lions in the park could only be done because the driver went 20-30m off
the road, within 5 meters from the lions. But I honestly don’t really care; all
my previous safaris the drivers and guides have been very strict about staying
on the roads and not disturbing the animals so this new behavior surprised me a
little. I have asked him not to do this again and I think he fully understood
my intention. I know that they do it to give their customers a better service,
but I hope that he will stop doing it.
Equator.
Dragonfly minding it's own business on the lodge's pathway.
Common agama.
Reticulated giraffe.
Yellow-necked Spurfowl. A couple of these were crossing the road when we were looking for the lions.
Caracal.
The lion family with two large females and several young of different sizes.
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