December 31, 1982: Nairobi, Kenya
Started the day by calling home! I only spoke with Phil (my brother) to give him the info to call me in the morning, but it sure was a thrill! My family, do I ever miss them!!! ...It is absolutely amazing that I can talk with my family from half way around the world. Right after talking to Phil, our van left for Nairobi Game Park. What an incredible day!
We saw Thompson's and Grant's gazelles, hartebeests, impala, waterbucks, buffalo, giraffe, cheetahs!!! Warthogs, dassies, crocs, a hippo, secretary birds, ostrich, white-backed vultures, bee eaters, pied kingfisher, guinea fowl, black-shouldered kite, red-collared widowbird, Hildebrandt's starling, vervets, baboons...
Dassie, or Rock Hyrax. It's closest living relative is the elephant! (my very own photo)
When we came around a corner and saw 3 cheetah at a waterhole next to the road, we were crazy and hopped out of the van to take pictures. (
don't know what our guide was thinking!!!) As we were snapping pictures, we suddenly heard a growl right behind us, and we scrambled frantically into the van just as 2 more cheetah walk out of the brush right where we we'd been standing. (
I have yet to see that many cheetah in one place again) As we drove up we saw the antelope they had been eating right behind where we had stood. THIS IS AFRICA! We were more cautious after that. In a tree right next to us were about 30 huge white-backed vultures waiting for their turn, and thirty or so more circled over head.
At another waterhole we found Grant's gazelles, hartebeests, and impala all together. Suddenly the impala started running around and kicking up their heels, apparently just for the joy of it. I can not begin to describe the grace, the music with which they moved.
Later we saw a herd of antelope with a whole troop of warthogs, adults and little ones. D. and I opened the van door and stood in it. The male warthog nearest us did not like this at all, and he started snorting and dancing around. That was enough warning for us!
We stopped and got out at a lookout point (
where walking was allowed), and turned to see two baboons standing near the edge, checking us out. We went over to watch them as they were leaving, and sure enough, the whole troop was hanging out in the trees and brush. One female walked by with her little one riding on her back. They were very curious and not very afraid at all.
We stopped at a nature trail along the river to search for crocs and hippos. We'd barely started down the trail when T. and I saw a vervet with her baby clinging to her chest, walking towards us. We both motioned for silence, hoping not to scare her. But she kept coming, walked right up to T. and looked as if she would go right up T.'s legs to get her orange. A second of this was more than T. could bare and she threw her orange at the monkey and ran. A few other monkeys quickly surrounded us, and shortly every person with an orange offered it up in hopes of escape, which we did manage. (
OK, we were mostly in our very early twenties, and as stupid as you can be at that age.) Needless to say, our many experiences of the day had finally convinced us we were in Africa and not Disneyland. The trail wound along the riverbank, and there were hippo tracks in the trail. This made us a bit nervous. Sure enough, soon we had spotted a huge croc on the
other bank, for which we were thankful. Just past him we came upon a hippo snoozing in the water. She came up for air with a snort that sent us all into the air! We were very happy to return to the safety of our "cage."
Three giraffe walked right up to the road to greet us. I kept thinking of Mom as I snapped countless pictures. We finally got close enough and one turned and loped off a short distance. What a sight! So huge, but so incredibly graceful. He seemed to move in slow motion, but the distance he covered in just a breath was amazing.
At one point as we walked on the nature trail, we turned around with the feeling we were being watched. We
were being watched from all sides by various creatures. Some, like the croc, may have considered the amount of effort involved in making a meal of one of us. Here, we are the ones kept in cages, and observed, quite an unnerving sensation.
Some of the most incredible sights of the day had the Nairobi skyline in the background. Talk of contrasts! Ten minutes out of the park found us in traffic in downtown traffic. Is it possible the past several hours were actually reality? What is reality here? I have so much to learn!
For me the most spectacular sight of the day was driving around a corner to find a huge secretary bird standing right in the road. It was
so big, and so purposeful as it strode through the long grass looking for snakes, crest feathers raised and spread. We later spotted two more off in the distance, and stopped just to watch them hunt. This is a place where death is a daily necessity. It is easy to see life as a cycle here. There is a different perspective here of life's purpose, and we people are included in this if we only emerge from our cages for a moment! I know it is deadly to emerge from the van, but the feeling of belonging to the reality of the savannah is hypnotic...my dearest childhood dream at last realized...
I feel I must add a caveat: I have since lived and worked in Kenya over many years, leading many trips. I would never let any of my people behave as we did. It is a bit embarrassing to share my first safari with you all. I will say that most people feel a bit as if they are in Disneyland on that old river trip. You are so amazed that you feel no fear and do not realize that even an arm outside the van can suddenly catch the attention of a lion. The first experience is amazing, but hopefully you are with a guide who will help you learn appropriate behavior, both on safari and in cultural situations.
