Hi everyone, todays blog will be in at least 2 parts so I can describe everything to you. We left this morning at 6 am to board a 30 person bus with air conditioning. Very comfy. We traveled the long way ( 5 hours) to the safari because there had been problems with bandits the shorter way. We are heading to Tsavano National Park – the east side. Tourism is the 2nd means of income for this country with safaris being key to that. So they do it really well. Our next step was to board 8 person open sided range rovers and off we went. It is amazing the difference from Malindi where we were, which is near the ocean, t0 the park where the land is made of red clay. This is called Bush country because there are no trees and because they have had very little rain.
We went out on these very very small bumpy roads right into the park. As we drove along we saw groups of giraffes, antelopes, giselles, elephants, and zebras. As we were driving a group of wart hogs were running and we rode right beside them. After about 2 hours we got to our camp called Satou Camp. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this place!! It is like a 5 star tent. There was a huge tent with a double bed, full bathroom in a a little tent that connects with a toilet and real sink. Everything sits on cemented stone . There is an open porch with chairs and a table.
As I sit on the porch about 5 feet from me are these little white monkeys with black faces walking around. A male baboon and a female baboon are chasing each other( actually I think the male was chasing the female) about 3 feet from my porch. That made me a little nervous and I almost went back in my tent but the ranger scared him away. As I look out from my porch are 50 elephants under the trees about a football field away ( or less). There are babies and big ones, red ones from the clay and black ones from the dirt. Every so often you hear them roar. A monkey is now sitting on the far end of my porch, just sitting. I have the tent under neath the monkey tree. Lol I am not afraid cause if I yell they are more afraid of me. I am right in the middle of a discovery channel movie. I can hardlly believe my eyes. We are off on another safari- more later. Kwaheri!
I can picture you! I’m surprised that you are enjoying fine food and lodgings in the middle of a safari, and even more surprised how comfortable you have become holding hands with Mother Nature. What an awesome experience, Fran.
By: Carol on July 27, 2009
at 3:07 pm