Blog | Patricia Awori

September 19, 2018

Bush Chronicles: Day 5 Part 2 Ol Pejeta – The Dogs

Patricia Awori

This day dawned brightly with clear blue sky and Kirinyaga(Mt Kenya) dominating the landscape in all of her glory clear and proudly showing a jagged peaks as the sun rose accross her shoulder….and a gentle but cool breeze invigorating us and encouraging us to keep moving to keep warm but with the promise of a warm and sunny day. Our destination after an early breakfast was to visit the tracker and attack dogs that have been specially trained for that purpose to combat illegal hunting/poaching and even stock theft. We met the lovely dogs who were boisterous and anxious to come out and play and run around but when we got out to the field where the demonstration of their skills was to take place they were all business!! We were divided into two groups …the trackers and those to be tracked….the trackers needed to be fleet of foot because once the dog picked up the scent they would take off running and so trackers need to run with them …so needless to say i was in the group to be tracked …only one of us to be tracked was to be the one the dog was after and it was completely impressive how that was mastered and although we were deep in the bush and separated and despite the fact that we had been together the tracking dog found the correct one immeadiately…..Ahh what a wonderful demonstration . The attack dog was equally impressive…all i can say is that i hope never to be the one the attack dog is after …after the demonstration they were playful and were shown much care and affection by the handlers. What tremendous work that they do

Safari

September 18, 2018

Bush Chronicles: Part 1

Patricia Awori

Monday morning and we arose early and after an early breakfast headed to the Amboseli Airstrip …enroute encountering some yellow baboons grooming themselves and making it clear who has right of way!! We drove onwards finding the old Amboseli lodge completely overrun by wildlife….Elephants browsing in the front and impalas in the back! We had been this side of the park on our game drives and the devastation of the rising waters was certainly on display …looks like many more trees will fall and Amboseli will need a massive seed bombing excursive to replant in sections trees to avoid becoming a dustbowl ..but even in the scenes of devastation soo much beauty …the huge lakes containing flamingoes and so many waterbirds is entrancing. We didnt have to wait long after “checking in” at Amboseli Airstrip when the Dash 8 landed…very exciting to be travelling in such a huge plane!! Our Captain was a lady and in the cabin a young man from Tanzania was being trained as cabin crew in anticipation of working on similar aircraft in Tanzania for Airkenyas sister company Regional Air…and he demonstrates great promise. Plane was full of Australins who seem to be having a marvellous time

25 minutes later we landed at Wilson Airport and after 45 minutes we boarded our Twin Otter flight to Nanyuki …besides us there was an interesting assortment of passengers…from Spain & Australia again and then a couple who were very excited and couldnt stop taking pictures of each other and an elderly lady on a walking stick and her daughter who had emigrated to Australia but had come to spend time with her Mum…as we landed in Nanyuki there was Mt Kenya in all her magnificence and George who had arrived safely and in time to collect us. Our plan this morning was to go and visit the Nanyuki Spinners and Weavers…a place that i have not visited in at least 15 years and i was truly amazed at what they have achieved in that time. It was a project of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa and Anne who founded this to help women with young children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to go to work. They started pre school for these young children and now the they build classrooms up to Standard Five.!! They have also built an entire High School….and they are working on completing the Primary School . They had just secured a bore hole and needed a pump for it …well my wonderful guests gave her the necessary funds to acquire the pump and a Roto Tank ….ohh Anne was completely overcome with joy to the extent she talked in Kikuyu trying to express her gratitude. The spinning wheels and the weaving looms are still of the ancient variety but wielded efficiently by these women who are producing lovely rugs even now…a truly inspiriting visit

We headed onward to Sweetwaters …by now the sun was really beating down on us and we finally arrived at the oasis that is Sweetwaters in time to check and have lunch!!! After a short break watching the wildlife that had gathered in turns at the waterhole including two very old Buffalo who at one point stood soo still they could be mistaken for statues. It was most interesting to see how all the different species took turns to come and drink water and the birdlife particularly the waterbirds was proliferent. After this appetiser we went out on a game drive to see what we could see….almost at once seeing giraffe , zebra . a variety of gazelles and then in the valley A BLACK RHINO…with a young calf…Joy!!!!! When they disappeared in the the bushes Jean thought she spotted a rhino on the ridge…we drove up to higher ground and found indeed it was 4 rhinos and this time White Rhino’s ….a nice herd of elephants one that came all the way up to the car and tapped us as if to say welcome and be respectful of all wildlife…The sun set on this magnificent scene and we headed back to camp well satisfied with our expedition .

Dinner was a hearty affair full of good food and much laughter!! Tired and happy we headed back to our tents for our first night of “glamping”

As i am typing this in the early morning of Tuesday in the distance Lions are roaring.

Safari

July 6, 2018

Friday 6th

Patricia Awori

This day dawned brightly once again another blue sky morning and the sunrise or what i could see of it was spectacular and although there is a chill to the wind just the perfect weather for a game drive. Alexa and Henry once again leapt out of bed in the early hours of the morning to try to go hot air ballooning once again and this time they were succesful. Meanwhile we had a very filling breakfast and then set off to follow them game viewing enroute before connecting with them at the conclusion of their breakfast. It was truly extraordinary today to be soo close to the elephants who are out to impress with lots and lots of babies….after we picked up Alexa and Henry we proceeded on our game drive seeing life and death on the Mara plains …poor hippo died of natural causes we hope and the vultures fought each other for their chance to eat even though there was plenty of space!! Endless plains that is the Mara yielded many wonderful things this afternoon…2 black Rhinos…a herd of elephants that numbered over 150 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Spending so much time with the elephants was the highlight of the day …the spectacular sunset changing the colors of the grasslands that look like Rainbow coloured Savanna

Safari

July 5, 2018

Day 3 in the Mara Triangle

Patricia Awori

This morning was a beautiful blue sky morning and the sun rose beyond the ridge change the colors in the river until even the hippos that had recently returned to the river with mighty splashes “laughed” in a loud honking way!! Alexa and Henry set off in the early hours for a balloon ride and whilst in the basket the pilot determined the winds were not heading in the right direction and would have resulted in them headed over the escarpment toward Lake Victoria and since that was not in the plan the balloon ride was aborted to be tried again the following morning. Back they came and we all had breakfast before sallying forth to see what we could find and ohhhh what a morning it was ….a rhino cow striding briskly accross the plains heading toward shade and her rest, elephant babies playing in the lugga and struggling to get out of it and take the opportunity to eat some grass while they were at it…..4 lioness hunting in the long grass in search of food for the pride…and then a leopard enjoying breakfast of ” pork chops and sausages” …he had successfully taken down a warthog and by the time we found him was having a rest in between in his meal…he had come down off his tree and then he picked up the warthog and hauled it off into the long grass where the aroma would be obscured by the vegetation and he could enjoy at his leisure. Next we went in search of two cheetah who had been seen on the boundary of the Mara and Serengeti it was a long way but we got there only to find the long grass of the Mara was even longer here and despite our best efforts the cheetah were no where to be seen….enjoying a nice ride along the boundary of the two countries and eco systems we headed back for some sustinance tired but happy it had been a glorious morning

This afternoon we headed out in search of the lions that we had seen earlier and lo and behold they had been succesful in taken down warthogs and the young cubs strutted past in front of our vehicle looking well fed as they went to try and nurse from their mothers who were enjoy what remained of the kill …the sunset on us enjoying the sight of these lions and it was time to return to the camp….what a glorious day…cant wait to see what we can find tomorrow.

Safari

July 4, 2018

Day 2 in the Maasai Mara …4th of July USA Independence Day

Patricia Awori

“This morning i actually managed to get out of bed soon after 0500 in order to get ready for the day…..the sunrise was spectacular and we enjoyed the colors for a while before setting off on horrifyingly bumpy roads…this county has surely decided that roads are not a priority!!! after bumping along for about 40 minutes we finally arrived in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve Musiara Gate….th

Cheetah successfully killing and eating an Impala, powerful young male Leopard made an appearance and after our bush breakfast eaten a short distance away the mother of this leopard who had since gone on to have another litter of cubs arrived on the scene and then disappeared into the brush…judging by the numbers of Impala a short distance away we felt sure that there purpose was to get some breakfast and so we left them to it!! We came upon a very injured male lion who clearly had been in the wars with other lions over territory…although his general health looked good he was very scarred and one eye completely shut and judging by the way he moved i suspect a pelvic or lower back injury! Managed to get the number of a vet and an alert was sent out so hopefully help will be at hand for him soon. Our afternoon was spent in the Conservancy with the most wonderful herd of elephants that had a baby that was possibly no more than 6 months old…..a huge Bull ambled over and checked out the females to see if any of them were in oestrus , thereafter he wandered off to join some other bulls who were in the swamp. 4th of July is Independence Day for the USA and so it was quite a day to remember and it was rounded off with champagne and singing and cake . We tottered off to our cabins tired, fully satiated and happy….a wonderful day”

Safari

July 3, 2018

Tuesday 3rd July, Mt. Kenya to Mara….

Patricia Awori

The remainder of our sojourn passed uneventfully….in the early morning as the sun rose it revealed Mt Kenya in all of her glory and what a sight she was , from my window peacocks frolicked and Maribou Stork strutted and the beautiful gardens of the Club relatively unscathed with all the changes and “modernisation”..it was good to be back after two years to see changes and some iimprovements….prayerful that more are on the way!! After some sustenance it was time to head to the Nanyuki “Airport” and board our flight to the Maasai Mara and what a flight it was …our route took us over the majestic Aberdares and into the Great Rift Valley ..onward between Lake Elementaita and Lake Nakuru ..over the Mau Escarpment and then descending into the endless plains that is the Maasai Mara…finally we landed at Kichwa Tembo Airstrip after a couple of stops and found a much changed airstrip because of the Great Rains that fell this year. Nelson our driver guide was waiting and off we went towards Olonana which is to be our home for the next 4 days.

Our Afternoon Game drive was about Lions in the long grass, giraffe who were keeping a careful eye on them and then Black Rhino…5 OF THEM …astonishing to see that many together , by then the skies and darkened and as we headed back to the camp the heavens opened and blessed us with some rain!!! What an amazing day!!! Olonana our home away from home was completely transformed….tents removed and levelled and new cabins built in their stead …completely transformed…i have to think about this for a bit …but what a joy to be reunited with old friends at the Camp…..

Safari

July 2, 2018

Mon. 2nd July Meru National Park onto Mt Kenya Safari Club

Patricia Awori

Daybreak the colors changed in the sky once again not as vividly as the previous mornings but enough so that i felt compelled to break into the song “Morning Has Broken” We were going to have one more game drive in this magical place and it did not disappoint…drinking in the beautifully lush scenery we came upon the honeymooning lions a wonderful herd of Elephants , Giraffe and beautiful birdlife….we even came upon a mobile vet unit who were preparing to take samples from Giraffe (not to sure why) Back for breakfast and it was time to pack up say our goodbyes and head for the airstrip ….what a wonderful stay with warm hospitality and i survived all the stairs…!!!!!

As we climbed out of Meru NP and flew of Meru farmland very lush and Green …the Mountain was completely covered in shroud and no time at all we were landing ! Stepping out of the aircraft we were greeted by a chilly stiff breeze reminding us that we were in the mountains!!! A short drive past the wildlife sanctuary brought us to the Mt Kenya Safari Club….what memories it brings from days gone by and how it looks currently…i had alot of memorable moments here …now it has been taken of by ACCOR Hotels under Fairmont and there is a French GM who has been brought in to improve standards. I must say the culinary cuisine was wonderful

In the morning we head to the Maasai Mara

Safari

July 1, 2018

Day 4 in Meru National Park with the Rooney/Kapples Family expedition

Patricia Awori

As always it seems the day dawns far too quicly and all too soon it is time to wake up!!!!! The singing of the birds signify the need to move faster or risk being late. Soon the sun like a fireball rose in the sky and then it was time to get ready after a spot of herbal tea brought by Martin!! Its Sunday and it is the 1^st of the month and being surrounded by nature we feel that we are in Church!

We drove in a different direction today heading to the Mulika River and its swamp but before we got there we encountered to young male lions looking quite interested in eating although judging by their lack of actual efforts and the fullness of their bellies…perhaps they were looking for something for dessert!! Hippos played and honked in the pond beyond and waterbuck blissfully oblivious wandered about ..when a bull elephant emerged from the palm trees the lions were lying lower than the proverbial envelope,, the morning produced more lioness and a mother who clearly was nursing her cubs!! what a glorious morning it was …after lunch we sallied forth and lovely bull elephants in the river practising challenging one another and quenching their thirst after the heat of the day .what a magnificent park this is and its ecology is splendid

As the sun goes down on another day we feel happy and fortunate to be in Meru National Park and Elsa’s Kopje’s

Elewana who own Elsas’s Kopje have started a wonderful foundation….it involves participation from the guests….they support a school and health centre and they also create pods that contain seeds so guests can acquire these and scatter them about …not needing to dig holes!! Now imagine if all hoteliers were socially and environmentally conscious!!!

Safari

June 30, 2018

Day 3 in Meru National Park

Patricia Awori

Meru was a special place when I came here as a child to stay at Meru Mulika and it is still a special place now with its 14 rivers rising out of the Nyambene’s and criss crossing the park and the raw wilderness and dense vegetation that supports quite a diverse amount of wildlife!!

This morning i was able to drag myself out of bed before 530 and watching the changes of the colors in the sky was liking watching a Master Artist swooshing a paintbrush accross the sky from dark to light and various colors of pink and orange and red , by the time the sun was up the drama of the colors had finished and Martin my trusty room steward arrived with my hot water for my herbal tea to get me going and it was time to head out while air was still cool and pleasant. Our mission today was to find rhinos so we headed northwards to the Rhino Sanctuary that is well fortified but otherwise looks very much like the rest of the park, lush and bushy and lots of gorgeous flowering trees….finally we encountered a mother and her calf and soon after that another two and then another two interspersed with sightings of a wide array of other animals and a school bus of young children who looked very excited to be here!!!! Today probably should be called “ LOVE IN THE AFRICAN BUSH” as we encountered two lions mating and not too long later giraffes trying to do the same thing!! In no time at all it was time to have breakfast and we rounded a corner and found a bush breakfast beautifully set up for us which we enjoyed with an Australian family !! Good food, wonderful atmosphere under the trees and convivial company …reluctantly we “saddled up” and start our drive back to the lodge, feeling hot but happily replete

After a siesta and lunch not necessarily in that order we headed out for our afternoon game drive!! It was a scenic drive complete with a herd of elephants that ran accross the road in front of us and some Bulls that checked us out thoroughly before running after the herd!! Every evening we have enjoyed sundowners at different locations and this evening the lodge set up sundowners in a lovely location close to a herd of Buffalo and that afforded us a great opportunity to watch the sun descend behind the Nyambene Mountains ….it was indeed another great day in Meru National Park and as we retire for the night tired but content , we look forward to exploring more of Meru NP in the morning

Safari

June 29, 2018

Day 2 in Meru National Park & Day 3 of our Expedition

Patricia Awori

Time to wake up came far to early, it felt like i had just put my head on my pillow and it was time to wake up….the process of getting up is always tough but once i am up and about I am so glad that i did!!! A beautiful sunrise precipitated our early morning game drive and after tracking footprints for a while we came upon a lioness who was calling to members of her pride who seemed not to here her…after staying with her as she called and called to the others we set off to see what else we could find…presently we came upon a lovely spot on the Rujewero River …one of the 14th Rivers that Bisect this beautiful wilderness and we decided to have our breakfast here!! After story telling , much laughter and eating we packed up the remains of our breakfast and set off …lo and behold a huge herd of over 200 elephants!!!!! Bulls fighting each other for the chance to mate with a female and when mating happened the noise was stupendous!!! They all looked to be in excellent health and a good amount of babies were everywhere. I was delighted to see that after a year they are a little less skittish and perhaps with time they will be completely relaxed around GameDriving Vehicles. What a magical morning …the afternoon produced our lioness and other members of her pride known as Elsas pride!! They too looked robust and sleepy!! As the sun set on us the silhouette of the elephant passing by made us appreciate just what a wonderful day it has been!!!

Goodnight from Magical Meru and Elsa’s Kopje

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