After a yummy breakky of criossants and lime-drenched paw paw Rob packed a picinic and off we went, bound for Nairobi National Park. At the gate to the park was a big meeting area where families casually lounged on the grass amoungst the... warthogs! A funny sight indeed, made all the funnier by a big sign that read: "Warthogs and Children Have Right of Way"! As we entered the park we were told there were six lions with a fresh kill at area 17 and so we had our destination.
Barely 2 minutes in and we stumbled on a herd of Zebra - about 100 of them. I couldn't believe the sheer numbers. Wendy is an invaluable source of information and commentated everything we saw. Apparently there are many theories as to why Zebras have their black & white coats (none of which is camouflage like so many other African animals) and one includes that a herd of zebra create a confusing optical illusion for predators who are unable to distinguish vulnerable individuals from the herd.
After unsuccessfully willing the nearby ostriche to do a mating dance, we moved on. Just round the corner and straight into a trio of giraffe! Wendy explained that the Acacia trees, to prevent the Giraffe eating all their leaves and killing them, emit tannins when the Giraffe starts to feast. After about 20 minutes the leaves become too bitter and Harold & friends must move on to the next tree. Amazing.
We stopped by a watering hole to eat our lunch & enjoyed the smaller animals at play. A turtle-like creature sunning on the rocks, a bird devouring a catfish half the size of itself. Major heartburn!
As the sun fought through the clouds we opened the top of the truck and I spent the rest of the day with a birds eye view and the wind in my hair, admiring everything Rob & Wendy pointed out (they have eyes like eagles!)
Those lions proved very elusive until finally we noticed a few cars gathered by a spot we'd only just passed. Sure enough, barely visible under a bush, was the head of a young female. Panting with contentment of a recent feed. As we watched, slight movement indicated another one a few feet away. And then another, and then another! We were barely 5 metres away yet they were almost impossible to spot. They had definitely spotted us though!
The national park is incredible and Wendy was pleased to see how many African families were out enjoying their backyard. The circling vultures brought land and sky together and made it a bit easier to spot where the lions might be.
We had a beautiful buzzy dinner at an Indian restaurant with Wendys lovely Aussie doctor friend Lou, and her stepdaughter. Was great to see the far reaches of good old Aussie banter.
Another deep sleep and it was up today for a day of rest. Well, till this afternoon when we'll visit the baby giraffes!
Flick Harvey a hair elastic for me...
Xxx
Elastic has been dutifully flicked... and retrieved...
ReplyDelete