My blogs stopped halfway through our trip! Sorry about that. Several of you sent me emails asking whether they missed something. Nope, the delay is on me. Arriving back home from the African trip, we immersed in a frenzy of project management activities to complete the remodeling of our new home in Redmond, Washington. Painting, finishing floors, replacing doors, etc. We did get relief when friends and family visited… visits scheduled AFTER the work should have been completed. Well, that didn’t happen. Our guests had to endure hammering, sawing, dust, plastic sheets in place of windows, no fireplace, a crippled Video/Audio system, and plywood siding in place of a few doors. Fortunately, everyone took it in stride and had fun with the workers. So now, it’s time to get back to my notes and bullet-lists of memory-snapshots and weave them into a narrative, supported by photos we all took.
Breakfast awaits us!
Leaving early in the morning, we headed off in a different section of the park to enjoy an abundance of wildlife…some new…many we’ve seen before, while still searching for that elusive rhino. Of particular note was a considerable pride of lions including a couple of females, some teenagers, and several cubs. It looked like a gold-fur mound. The intertwined cats were taking a nap while one of the females was on the lookout. The need for that next meal would be later in the day. Watching them made us sleepy as we enjoyed the warm calm of the African savannah.
A mound of sleepy cats!
Guide explaining the Serengeti ecosystem.
Driving on, we endured another dusty rattle-n-row ride to the Serengeti Visitor Center which seemed to pop up out of the horizon like an oasis. It has a rest area that includes a welcome, shaded-table picnic area, and an open-air exhibit with an interpretive walkway and panels to explain some of the more exciting details of the ecosystem. It was staffed with young men (yup, no women) who are in school learning to become guides. Working at this center is part of their curriculum. Once they discovered we spoke English, two guides stepped up to lead us on an exclusive tour. Practicing and learning English earned extra credits towards their guide license. One stop displayed an array of bones and skulls. Could we identify the animal each came from? We tried but only guessed about a quarter of them. They asked us as many questions about America as we had about the Serengeti. Their enthusiasm was energizing, as each was eager to visit America. Neither had traveled outside Tanzania, so that’s quite an ambition. A wonderful aspiration.
A Hyaena…doesn’t look so menacing.
Momma taking care of one of her pups.
Continuing our game hunt, we began to circle back towards camp. We discovered a pack of spotted Hyenas affording us the best view yet of this unattractive, menacing looking animal. I’m sure that watching Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed in the Lion King movie, biased my feelings about this species. My ominous opinion was tempered by watched how lovingly a female treated one of her pups.
We chanced on more elephants, giraffes, and lions during our two-hour ride back to camp. These sightings added more detail to the mosaic of African but did not present a new experience or behavior. Our stops to observe and study became less frequent, yet we remained vigilant to find that evasive rhino. The final leg back to camp was highlighted with an African sunset. The lavender and pink-hued sky served as yet another canvas for the silhouette of wildlife and trees. It was stunning.
Another beautiful sunset!
The traditional Sundowner ritual in the camp’s open-air lounge gave us a chance to relax and nurse our bottoms from the long day of jostling in the trucks. A two-foot-long, colorful Agama Lizard perched on a massive boulder halfway down the hill, was scanning his domain for intruders. As dark settled in and the temperature dropped we huddled around the warm campfire to enjoy our last evening meal at Pioneer Camp. Daniel announced an update on the location of the wildebeest herds: a couple of small herds had crossed the Mara River earlier this afternoon.
It was now time to pack and prepare for tomorrow’s long and complicated day of travel.
“Good Morning! Hello! Good Morning!” boomed a voice outside our tent. It’s still dark. It’s our wakeup call.
As we left our tent, groggy and not fully awake, several porters collected our luggage. Today’s destination is the Masai Mara, the Kenyan section and northernmost section of the Serengeti ecosystem. It will be an all-day, multi-segment journey. Our goal over the next couple of days is to witness the Great Migration of the wildebeests crossing the Mara River. Still looking for that rhino!
Finishing breakfast as dawn broke, we joined our luggage in the safari trucks. It is a beautiful morning. The air is clear and still, the sky a deep blue with no clouds in sight. After fording the river for the last time, we had but a short ride to the Serengeti Airstrip. The terminal is a single, empty building except for a small work crew. Yes, our luggage had to pass through a security checkpoint. A few scanned items triggered beeps and flashing red lights but were treated as mere background sounds by the lone attendant. I headed out to the airfield, scanning the sky but there were no airplanes in sight…only a fuel truck and a fire truck. Where is our plane? There are no flight boards listing flights or times. Daniel is in contact with the pilot hoping to get an arrival time.
Luxury lounge at the airstrip terminal.
After a while, a plane landed on the grass runway, taxied up, and dropped off two people. No, this is not our flight. Within a few minutes, the plane turned around and took off. Scanning the horizon again, I spotted another aircraft making a slow turn to line up with the runway. One of the ground crewmen hurried out and asked me to return to the terminal for safety reasons as he pointed at the incoming plane.
After pulling up and stilling the props, the pilot deplaned to come around and opened the hatch which deployed the integrated, folding steps. Only two people disembarked. It was time to thank and say goodbye to our driver-guides, Eli and Nicholas, who encouraged us to return so they could show us more of the wonders of their park.
Ready to leave the Serengeti
The pilot, wearing his uniform of a light blue V-neck sweater welcomed each and helped us get on board. He is South African and had been flying in Tanzania for the last 7 years. His contract terminates at the end of this year, and he’s looking forward to returning to South Africa and work for a larger airline. He explained that he is not allowed to fly into Kenya. He will take us to Tarime on the Tanzanian side of the border with Kenya. There, cars will meet and shuttle us to the border crossing at Isebania. To pass into Kenya, we’ll need to leave our Tanzanian registered vehicles and walk through the passport control hauling our luggage. Once cleared, we will be met by Kenyan registered vans and guides to drive us to the small Kenyan airstrip outside Migori, a town of about 100,000 people, for the short, 100 KM flight to Mara Serena Airport. That’s the sequence plan. The timing of each leg will be ad hoc, with Daniel making arrangements as we go along.
All on board!
Squeezing into this small 16-seat Cessna 208 aircraft, the pilot gave us a short safety briefing, affixed his kneeboard, and went through his flight checklist. Once airborne, we flew at 3,500 feet over the vast, barren landscape with an occasional hill or small settlement adjacent to a river. As we began to descent, our pilot pointed at a 500-foot high riser, marking the boundary of the plains, and reaching to a geological, fertile green terrace – the site of a village, planted fields, and our landing destination.
Yup! Everyone, claim your luggage.
The arrival lounge at the Tarime Airstrip.
Having landed on the private, grass airfield, we pulled up to the “outdoor terminal” which is but a collection of wood tables and chairs, set up for local people to sell their craft goods plus a couple of brick huts. The two brick structures were merely comfort stations and storage. Exiting the ‘airport,’ we drove to the center of Migori…on a paved road! What luxury! The first paved road in more than a week. What a smooth ride on upholstered, soft seats without the constant bumping and rattling. Daniel contacted the pilot re our flight to Mara Serena Airport. The plane would not arrive for another couple of hours but will notify us once it is a half-hour out. He needs to make a couple of previously unplanned stops before reaching us. We would have plenty of time to get through customs.
The border crossing gate between Tanzania and Kenya.
As explained by our pilot earlier this morning, we were dropped off with our luggage at the border crossing. Exiting passport control, we were in Kenya. While waiting for our luggage to get cleared and loaded into the Kenyan registered vans, we had a chance to walk around and to peer through the barred gates in the wall separating the two countries, to watch life going on in the Kenyan side. Roselie decided to take some photos of the border wall and our entrance into Kenya. As she panned the scene with her video camera, one of the security officers looking very official and crisp in his white shirt uniform, hurried over and admonished her for taking pictures of officers. It is not allowed without permission. “Sorry! How do I get permission?” she asked. “You need to ask me,” he responded. “Ok, may I take photos?” “Yes, you may.” Pushing it further, “Can I take a photo of you?” “Yes, of course,” he smiled. Quite different from the USA’s border patrol officers I’ve encountered, who, I’m convinced are trained to present a surly, serious look…while packing a serious sidearm.
The ‘authorized’ photo of the border guard.
Boarding in Migori for our final leg to Masa Mari
Once we entered Kenya we had to find a place to hang out for a couple of hours as we waited for our flight to arrive. The Migori airstrip has no terminal or waiting area. Daniel located a small, local hotel with a lounge where we might expect and enjoy a cup of coffee or a beer. The road to the hotel was lined with a full spectrum of stores, services, and even churches. People seemed happy, in a climate of vibrancy. The economy seemed healthy. The hotel Daniel had selected, was inside a gated compound and appeared all but abandoned, but home to an austere lounge, furnished with burnt-orange colored, Naugahyde upholstered chairs and couches. It was the low tourist season; hence the staffing was at a minimum. The ‘chef’ came out of the kitchen to take and deliver our orders. No food was available, only drinks.
Our ‘Lyft’ ride to the Karen Blixen camp.
About an hour later, the pilot called Daniel to let him know he was a half hour out. The Migori airfield was much busier, with a procession of planes landing and taking off every few minutes. After what seemed like an hour, our plane landed. As soon as we finished boarding, we took off. Following the short flight, we landed at the Mara Serena Airport where safari vehicles from the Karen Blixen Camp were ready to take us on the final leg of today’s travel. The Camp would be our home for the next 4 days. It is named after Karen Blixen (author of Out of Africa), even though she has never been here, nor authorized the use of her name. Oh well, this is Africa. The camp overlooks the Mara River, downstream from where the wildebeests normally cross. It is a beautiful setting with private, luxury canvas guest tents, each with a shoreline view of the river. Across the river, on the sandy bank, we could see what appeared to be large, dark gray boulders but were in fact Hippos resting on the beach. The cabin-tent verandah afforded a serene place to enjoy the surroundings with the sounds of the river’s flow. We could but imagine spending a couple of hours sitting in one of the lounge chairs, reading a book, and lulled asleep by the gentle sounds of the river. It was not to be! Too much on our busy itinerary.
View of the Mari River from our tent.
Glamping at it’s best.
A bloat of hippos resting on the warm river bank helps us to relax and enjoy the quiet our camp.
Tomorrow will be another day of wildlife safari. The Rhino is waiting!
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