My Porch

Safari: Kenya November 2008

2008-12-02T18:47:00.005-05:00

John and I in two different hemispheres--literally!

We had the great opportunity to go on the trip of lifetime a few weeks ago. We joined a group of of 7 travel agents (like me) and their companions (like John) for a week long safari with Abercrombie & Kent. We saw and experienced so much in a week it was unbelievable. We had wonderful weather and a great time with our group.

If you plan to go on a safari, take my advice, don't economize. This is one trip that has enough bumps (literal and figurative) that you should do everything you can to smooth them out. If you have to cut corners on your next 10 vacations to do your African safari the right way, I say do it. A&K did a fantastic job and was worth every penny.

Instead of being in a hotel or run of the mill lodge, we were in permanent tented camps that combined a great deal of comfort with the feeling of being out in the wilderness. The hot water bottle in the bed at night, comfy beds and linens, hot showers and flush toilets, and wake up calls that consisted of coffee and hot chocolate delivered to our tent was a great way to see Kenya.

As you will see from the following pictures, we also saw lots and lots of wildlife. This is just a fraction of the 1500 or so pictures we took.

Safari: Samburu National Park

2008-12-02T18:40:00.002-05:00

Kenya had gotten a lot of rain right before our arrival and through our first day of the trip. The weather was predominantly dry after that, but the landscape remained pretty lush and green. The usually dry Samburu was no exception.

Safari: Supersize Moment

2008-12-02T18:37:00.003-05:00

CLICK on the picture to get a larger view.

Safari: Elephants!

2008-12-02T18:35:00.002-05:00

Safari: Baboons

2008-12-02T18:30:00.002-05:00

Safari: Cheetah!

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The fastest land mammal. Some of these came so close to our Land Cruiser we could have reached out and pet them.

Safari: Reticulated Giraffe!

2008-12-02T18:20:00.002-05:00

The reticulated giraffe was the first of the two types of giraffe we saw.

Safari: Masai Giraffe!

2008-12-02T18:13:00.002-05:00

This is the Masai giraffe, the second type of giraffe we saw on our safari.

Safari: Birds

2008-12-02T18:09:00.002-05:00

I am no good at bird photography so there isn't a good representative of all of the amazing birds we saw on the trip. But here are a few.

Safari: This and That

2008-12-02T17:44:00.002-05:00

We saw so many things on this trip that it was hard to get pictures of all of them. In addition to the myriad gazelles, topi, oryx, impala, etc., we saw mongoose, warthog, bushbabies, genet cats, ostrich, dik dik, gerenuk, and on and on...

Safari: Rhinos and Buffalo!

2008-12-02T17:40:00.002-05:00

Safari: The Illusive Leopard!

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The Leopard is one of the more illusive animals to spot (no pun intended) on a safari. We got very lucky and managed to see this beauty on a rare daytime walk about. Normally they hunt at night and sleep during the day.

Safari: Cat Food

2008-12-02T17:20:00.004-05:00

Some of the many things the big cats will eat.

Safari: Samburu Village

2008-12-02T17:12:00.002-05:00

We had the opportunity to visit a Samburu village and get to know the locals and some of their customs. The Samburu eat only meat, blood, and milk, are polygamous and practice female circumcision.

Safari: St. Louis Cardinal

2008-12-02T12:31:00.003-05:00

Here is a female St. Louis Cardinal seen far from her natural habitat. Notice the camera-like appendage growing from her talons and her distinctive Obama plumage. This variety, called Delores Splendida, can be found most of the year along the banks of the Mississippi feasting on artisanal cheeses. Although any fermented beverage will slake this hardy bird's thirst, the Delores Splendida prefers a Gimlet or Bloody Mary, depending mainly on the time of the day. Despite her stunning looks this bird means business and fears no predator.

Safari: Lions!

2008-12-02T12:24:00.003-05:00

Safari: Yawning Lion

2008-12-02T12:19:00.004-05:00

Safari: Modes of Transportation

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Safari: Breakfast in the Bush

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Safari: Supersize Moment

2008-12-02T11:23:00.004-05:00

CLICK on the photo for a larger view. This small version doesn't do it justice.

Safari: The Mara

2008-12-02T11:14:00.006-05:00

We saw many different landscapes in the Mara, but the area near Olonana (perhaps toward the West, I am not sure) was perhaps the most breathtaking. The Mara National Park in Kenya is separated by only its border with Tanzania from the Serengeti. You can come close to the border but I don't think you are allowed to cross it. So the Serengeti will have to be another Safari.

We also saw many giraffe along the way in various settings, but I think these pictures really show how awe-inspiring the Mara is.

Safari: Olonana

2008-12-02T10:54:00.004-05:00

Our final stay was at Abercrombie & Kent's beautiful Olonona tented camp. This wonderfully gracious property right on the banks of the Mara River. The main lodge is beautiful and comfortable, the food is great (a delicious Carbonara in the middle of the African wilderness) and the staff is very attentive and professional. And our tent was beautiful as well with two double beds and Molton Brown products in the bathroom.

Safari: Hippos!

2008-12-02T10:37:00.004-05:00

Nothing like watching Hippos play while you enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. Hearing their crazy noises early in the morning (like giant amplified tubas) I pulled myself out my cozy bed to go see for myself. Since our tent was right on the river we could sit on our deck and watch the Hippos. Even though it was only 6:30 AM, there was already a group in the water so I feared that they might already be in the water for the day and that we wouldn't get any good sightings or pictures. Just heads coming out of the water. (Hippos go out and graze at night and stay in the water during the day to keep cool.)

However, as I focused on the group in the water a large adult silently came into sight along the opposite bank of the river. Then a little later a group of three young hippos took their playing out of the water, running around and grazing a bit on the slopes of the bank.

Senate Round-up

2008-11-25T07:04:00.004-05:00

Alaska.
A big sigh of relief that Mark Begich won his Senate race against indicted Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. Not just because it increases the Democratic majority in the Senate, and not just because Ted Stevens is the ultimate grumpy old man out of touch with just about everything other than his pork barrel proclivities, but because it means that we won't have to worry about a Senator Palin. If Stevens had won the race he probably would have been expelled from the Senate, leaving the seat open to the possibility of a Palin candidacy. Listening to her on the floor of the Senate for the next six years would definitely be a trying expereince.

Connecticut.
I really, really wanted Joe Lieberman to pay for his disloyalty. First because he tossed aside the will of Democratic voters in Connecticut when he decided to run as an independent after losing the primary. And second of course for his active role in not only promoting John McCain, but also disparaging Barack Obama. However, time after time Obama has shown that he has superior judgement. He showed it in his campaign, in the debates, and now in his conciliatory attitude toward Lieberman. I know there are a lot of Dems out there who would like to see Unholy Joe punished. But President-elect Obama no doubt has taken the correct route in this matter. Encouraging all of us to be a little more adult, a little less petty, and to steer Washington (hopefully) to a more civil place.

Georgia.
Not sure that this runoff election will favor the Democrat Jim Martin over Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss, but one can hope. In this race I care much less about the seat going Dem (altough that would be great) than I am about seeing Chambliss get his comeuppence. Remember this was the guy who mercilessly attacked Senator Max Cleland to unseat him in 2002. Apparently Chambliss and his Rovian henchmen didn't think that Cleland had left enough of his limbs in Vietnam to make him appropriately patriotic.

Minnesota.
Ah, my natal land is in the political headlines again. Despite what the right and many in the center fear, I think that jokester Franken would make an outstanding Senator. More than anything, however, I am glad that he did not waive his right to a recount. Senator Coleman's post-election call for Franken to waive that right to heal the wounds of the negative campaign had all the hallmarks of the Bush tactics in Florida in 2000. I have looked at some of the challenged ballots on Minnesota Public Radio's website and both sides are acting like idiots in terms of some of the ballots they challenge and the reasons for the challenge. But I do think that the officials in Minnesota will conduct a fair recount. Perhaps it is naitvete or just home-state pride, but I trust that the Minnesota recount in 2008 will not be the shambolic mess that Florida was in 2000.

Out of Africa

2008-11-25T06:49:00.002-05:00

We are back from our week-long safari in Kenya. I have always hated the phrase "a once in a lifetime trip" preferring to think that I would somehow make it back to a favorite destination at some future time. And while I think that I will go on a safari again one day--whether it be Kenya or elsewhere in Africa--there was definitely a once in a lifetime feel to our trip. Perhaps because most of us spend our lives seeing these animals on TV, in cartoons, and in zoos, that it seems more than a little surreal to actually see them in their natural habitat. I would say that although I was plenty interested in going on safari it has not been one of life long dreams. But the experience itself is so amazing that it is hard not to get a serious groove exploring the wilds of Kenya. In the days to come I will be posting all kinds of photos from our trip, so stay tuned.