10-1 Water, water everywhere

Lemaron let us sleep late today, so we arose at 6:00 instead of 5:30. Packed again, off to

Breakfast, then a short game drive. We stopped to watch zebras grazing and spotted two

juveniles play fighting. We watched a herd of buffalos running across a field then a lone

hyena whose head was sticking up through the grass. We watched for awhile, but we didn’t

spot any more hyenas, nor was there a chase.

We saw some Marabou storks on the shore. They're fascinating birds. The have a sack on the front of their neck that holds a compound that can break down their prey, bones and all. When they are attacked and are about to die, this same compound is released into their bloodstream so that the predator can't eat its corpse. Wow.

We watched two secretary birds building a nest. Lemaron told us they’re called secretary birds because when they walk they look like a secretary in high heels. Sexist anyone?

A bit further on we got a very quick glimpse of a black rhino and baby. As my friend Christine pointed out, their mouths are shaped very differently from the white rhinos. Their

temperament is also completely different. The white rhino is very laid back, the black rhino is very shy and quite volatile. They made a quick exit before I could snap a photo. We ran into yet another vehicle stuck in the mud, but after a short conversation, left them because there were three other vehicles from the same company in the park and they would help.

We left Lake Nakuru National Park and were off to Lake Naivasha, a couple of hours away. There was smooth road all the way until we got to the entrance to the lake area when our friends the road ruts were back. Lemaron handed us off to a guide who handed us off to another guide who handed us off to our “captain” aka

the guy who operates the outboard motor on the dinghy. His name was Steve. He was a bit long in the tooth and possessed of only 4, teeth that is. We got our life jackets, climbed aboard and Steve pushed us offshore into the lake. He pointed out the cormorants, the Egyptian geese, then said, “Over here are hippos.” There were three with their noses and ears just breaking the water. He reminded us that they were the second most dangerous animal in Africa, after the buffalo. I would add man to that list, at the top, in fact.

We rounded another “bend in the lake” and encountered a group of ten hippos. We got as close as was safe, but still only saw their ears and noses.

Then Steve brought out his big trick. He pointed out a water eagle and said, “watch him.” He blew some kind of decoy whistle and threw a fish up in the air into the water. Nada. He explained that the eagle must not be hungry. He retrieved his fish. We went a little further and and he repeated the process, again with no success. He looked a bit crestfallen. We made it to the island which was actually just a continuation of the land that curved around like Cape Cod. It must be fairly treacherous sailing though since, like Lake Nakuru, the water level has risen and there is a forest of submerged trees around which to navigate. We made it to the landing point where we were handed off to a guide named Desmond who took us for a walk around the island.

The animals in this area must be very accustomed to people, because we were able to get within about 20 feet of a group of zebras. So cool! We went a bit farther and walked up to a

group if impalas. There was a tiny baby and as we approached, both she and her mama started running. The little one was only a couple of months old, but she could already run as fast as her mother.

We saw some water bucks from 20 feet away, then walked on until we came to a little clearing.

There was a giraffe eating acacia leaves. Around the corner from

him, there were three more, including a baby. We were able to get within 10 feet of her. Awesome! These are Masai giraffes. You can identify them by their elaborate patterns.

We walked back to the boat slip and waited for Captain Steve to retrieve us. On the way back we spotted 2 more water eagles on a tree and Steve did his trick again. (Third time’s charm, right?) This time we watched as the eagle flew the 300 feet or so from the tree and glided over the water, grabbing the fish in his talons and taking it away. Yay Steve!

Back on shore Lemaron met us and we drove a short distance to a restaurant he knows to have lunch. Back in the car, we headed across the rift valley. Lemaron pointed out an area where they generate geothermal power, and another place where Africa is “splitting open along a fault line."

It was a long drive to the Masai Mara over very bumpy roads (I’m seeing a pattern here). There were a couple of slowdowns along the way as the Masai were herding their cattle back to their villages for the night.

At one point we had to cross a small river. There were two vehicles already stuck but Lemaron took it all in stride and we got down the muddy bank on one side, across the river, and up the muddy bank on the other side. We arrived at the Maisha Mara Resort quite late, but were greeted in the typical warm Kenyan manner. After checking in we were led to our “tent.” It was so large and opulent that “tent” doesn’t really describe it. The room attendants zipped up our tent flaps, set up our mosquito netting and departed.

Off to the beautiful lobby bar for a cocktail before meeting Lemaron for dinner. All of the hotels have a buffet for all meals, but the food is remarkably good. There are always a few stations where chefs are preparing something fresh. I had to laugh, though, because on one side there was a chef making pizzas using a big brick oven. Pizza? Really? In the middle of Kenya? Whatever.

Toward the end of dinner, the lights dimmed and a group of waiters and waitresses, including one in a giraffe costume, sang and danced around the room with a birthday cake. That done, they sang and danced some more and delivered another cake. And a third. They sang traditional Kenyan songs, then “Happy Birthday to You”, covering all the bases. It’s a lovely resort. We made it back to the room, got in bed, and listened to the crickets and the hyenas serenade us.