Day 9 ..Chris Gordon & Friends Expedition …Day 4 in Maasai Mara …Part 1 early morning Game drive

Patricia Awori

This morning dawned without the customary fanfare of a sunrise and we headed out at 0630 to see what we could find….in no time we found the 5 Cheetah brothers and we decided to stay with them and see whether they would have some success in finding food and surely we were not disappointed…..after a few half hearted attempts …a larger heard of wildebeest came running their way….ahhh just the chance they were waiting for and they began running towards them. In the ensuing melee when the wildebeest spotted the cheetah one of them was grabbed and quickly subdued and all the brothers got down on their haunches to tuck into their feast of wildebeest ! We were so happy that they were successful and that they have a chance at survival ..we left them enjoying their meal .Driving around the river produced elephants enjoying their own feast of leaves, small plants and assorted veg. All the antelope and gazelles mixed freely with one another enjoying grazing on the lovely green grass. What a beautiful morning …

Day 8 of the Chris Gordon & friends Expedition – Day 3 in the Maasai Mara

Patricia Awori
What a glorious day we have had had and how appropriate that it was a Sunday where we could not only reflect upon but gaze and be amazed by all the wonders of the natural world that abound this amazing ecosystem !! Chris & Kathy woke up at 0430 to go to do Hot Air Ballooning for the first time and they absolutely enjoyed…these days Balloons Pilots at least with this company are Kenyans!! Theresa and I had an early breakfast and then we headed out across the plains to meet Chris and Kathy and head out to see what we could find. We decided to go to Lookout Hill and see if there was any of the migration crossing and indeed some Zebra had gathered together at the river bank so we thought we would try our luck…what a scene unfolded for us….a few Zebra crossed and one of them was grabbed by the leg by a crocodile…he struggled for a while but the crocodile remoreslesly dragged him down until he was completely submerged and drowned…that crocodile was over 20 feet long …we were torn between hoping the zebra would escape the jaws of the crocodile and understanding and accepting nature to take its course but the whole drama that unfolded was quite a spectacle!! After the Mara River which has been so drastically reduced in depth as to be barely recognizable…we headed across the plain make our way slowly back to camp when looo and behold a male leopard up a tree …he was  very full and seemed to be also uncomfortably hot …he kept adjusting his position and panting all the while!! In the afternoon we came upon the 5 brothers …a group of Cheetah who have remained together since they were very small and it is too good to see that they have survived and hopefully will contribute meaningfully to the survival of Cheetah!!
It was a day for cats and particularly spotted cats and the suddenness of life and death on the Mara Plains…and even with this so many Topi about to give birth!!!
Another special day in paradise

Day 7 of Chris Gordon & friends Expedition, Day 2 Maasai Mara Early morning Game Drive

Patricia Awori

After an early morning wake up call and a hot beverage…it was time to shower dress and head out to see what we could find!! A most spectacular sunrise awaited us and from then onwards it became more and more magical….Migrating Wildebeest fell into formation and began running across the plains…elsewhere the cats were active this morning!! A pride of lions had feasted in the course of the night and so were leaving the carcass to find some shade , nice to see them looking healthy! A short distance away we found a lioness with very small cubs….Elephant mums were supervising calves eating and eventually we found the cheetah sisters who seemed content to conserve their energy dozing on and off in the shade of the Acacia!! A magical morning

Day 6 – Chris Gordon & friends Expedition – Day 2 afternoon in the Maasai Mara

Patricia Awori
This afternoon we did Yoga led by Chris on her verandah and after feeling invigorated we headed out on a game drive to see what we could see!! This afternoon we went in a slightly different area and WOW leopard had been spotted. A young male leopard sitting in the middle of a croton bush making it very difficult to see him well and photograph him and i am sure he knew this. This was our first encounter with very many vehicle and i must say it wasn’t pleasant!! We have to go the extra mile and ensure that training of driver guides and certification and national registration happens so that we avoid the scenario of harassing wildlife!! After a while we spotted the young males mother who came back in search of her son. It was wonderful to see her and she posed beautifully before heading into the bush!!! More searching produced 2 beautiful big Males. 
What an extraordinary day it has been …lovely weather and incredible vistas and good game sightings!!! Cant wait for tomorrow!!!

Day 5 of the Gordon & friends Expedition and Day 3 at Satao Camp in Tsavo East “The Theatre in the Wild”

Patricia Awori

Our third day in the Majestic Tsavo East dawned a little more brightly than the previous ones had and we began to have hope that we might be a little less wet than the previous couple of days. And that proved to be the case , after a short squall….and strong strong winds …the normal weather in Tsavo was restored again and we had a lovely game drive seeing the Dika plains and remains of a couple of elephants who were unable to withstand the drought…..the elephants that we did see looked thin but find food. family groups have split into smaller groups and are wandering further away each trying to find food and the new shoots that the rain brought were enjoyed by all the animals…unique animals were on display…the rare Hirola , Steinbok to name but a few. It was a lovely morning in this Theatre in the Wild and we capped it off with a lunch and briefing about Tsavo Trust and its varied work by Richard Moller!!! After lunch the ladies busied themselves with Massages by the amazing Doris , Yoga and brisk Walking!!! Our first real sunset and boy was it spectacular!  It has been a very nice stay at Satao Camp but time to pack up and prepare for our journey back to Nairobi and on to the Mara

Day 3 of Gordon Friends Expedition – Arrival in Tsavo East Tuesday 19th September, 2017

Patricia Awori

Goodmorning from Tsavo East,
This morning we woke up early in Nairobi and rushed to Wilson Airport to board our charter flight to Tsavo. We were trying something new and brought along a masseuse to give the ladies massage in the bush during down time . The Masseuse and one of the other ladies were a little anxious about flying in “small” aircraft so they comforted each other and then one of them lay down and slept…smooth uneventful flight above heavy cloud cover….news had reached us that 3 days of rain were going to fall on the Coast region and low lying regions inland and 10 minutes before landing the rain began. Thankfully before we landed it stopped giving us time to disembark with our luggage and get into the car and get to camp before it started again. What a welcome the elephants gave us upon arrival easily up to and over 50 elephants came to the waterhole and went.
After settling in and having some lunch the heavens opened again and we retired to our tents for “siesta” by 4pm the rain had subsided a little giving us time to go forth on a game drive. Wind, rain and a few elephants ..we were actually cold by the time we returned so it was nice to enjoy a welcome shower and a nice dinner before retiring for the night to rest up for our day tomorrow.

Day 1 of our Expedition….Nairobi

Patricia Awori

 

 

What a busy day we had today that started with an inspiring visit to Heshima Kenya where we heard about the refugees stories about what had happened to them and how being at Heshima Kenya truly has transformed their lives….these young women some as young as 16 had been raped repeatedly in their countries before finding sanctuary at Heshima Kenya some of them have babies and there is a cresh where they are being looked after and also educated. A sisterhood has developed and they are acquiring skills that give them a chance at life again!!
Then it was off to Lisa’s in Runda for retail therapy and lunch and then zoomed off to get on the bypass and on to Sheldrick Orphans that was a special visit where Prof Judi gave the guests a wonderful welcome…..after one more stop it was time to go back to the hotel with exhausted guests who fell asleep on the way back to the hotel!! A magical day indeed to start…..Now off to Tsavo East and heavy drought awaits

Day 4 of Gordon Friends Expedition – 2nd Day in Tsavo East – Wednesday 20th September, 2017

Patricia Awori

 

Goodmorning from a properly soaked Tsavo East Satao Camp!
After a goodnights rest with the prerequisite animal sounds in the morning tent steward delivered teas, coffees and hot waters on schedule and after a spot of breakfast we sallied forth to go and see what we could find. Our aim was to link up with Tsavo Trusts Tembo 2 Team who do surveillance on Big Tuskers . It was our very great hope that we would catch a glimpse of a big Tusker.
What a marvelous day we had with so many animals out and about this morning and many elephants to. Despite looking a bit thin most looked to be in good condition Even giraffe some of whom looked like a cross between reticulated and maasai giraffe graced us with their presence…..Lions sat or rather slept ontop of a small mound most obligingly make it possible for everyone to enjoying seeing them. By the time we caught up with  Joseph and his Tembo 2 team we had had very nice game viewing!! We searched and searched for a Tusker to no avail…spotting other small groups of elephants …eventually we threw in the towel…it was lunchtime and we were a long way from Satao Camp so we popped into Voi Wildlife Lodge for some lunch. Replete and finally dry after the intermittent rain…we drove back at a leisurely pace to the Camp !! What a great day!!
1 2 3 4 5 6