Jambo Kenya/Tanzania
Nov 5th, 2006, 08:55 PM
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Jambo Kenya/Tanzania
Hello everyone! First of all I want to say thanks to everyone who helped up plan and execute our amazing trip to East Africa. We have now been home for a month and are still sorting through tons of pictures.
So who are we? There were five of us that went to Kenya and Tanzania. Me (Aaron) my best friend and travel buddy Tricia, her mom and two other friends Angel and Brian.
The four of us are all 29 years old, Tricia's mom slightly older, and are from California with Brian being from Colorado.
We all love to travel and Tricia and I had been talking about Africa for some time.
So after nine months of planning, scouring message boards, double checking, constant calls back and fourth... we finally got everything nailed down and had the best time in Africa.
THE TRIP:
I live in Bakersfield, about 100 miles north of Los Angeles. Trica lives near Sonoma, Angel and Tricia's mom live in LA and Brian works in London. So quite complicated to get everyone organized for this amazing trip. Tricia and I did all the planning, the others just sent money when we requested... what good friends!
I cashed in 150,000 American Airline miles for Tricia and myself, the others paid their way.
Sept. 23rd: This was the day we had been planning for for nine months! I woke up around 3 a.m. and drove down to Valencia. I picked up Tricia's mom there and continued on to LAX.
Tricia flew in from Oakland the night before and Angel picked her up.
The four of us met at American Airlines' terminal around 5:30 a.m. for our 7:30 a.m. flight to JFK. Being a platinum member, we all used the first class check-in lines, which saved a lot of time.
We got all our boarding passes all the way to Nairobi, except Angel and Tricia's mom who were told to check in for the Nairobi flight in London.
We proceeded to the gates and got a quick coffee and danish before waiting for the flights to be called.
Tricia, Angel and I would fly to JFK then Heathrow, while Tricia's mom would fly to BOS then to LHR. We would meet her in London and Brian would meet us in NBO.
The BOS flight left first and we followed about five minutes later.
An uneventful five hours later and we arrived, a little tired, but very excited into New York!
We got off the plane, Angel bought some sunglasses for $10 and we proceeded to our next gate.
Boarding was smooth and we high-fived each other as they closed the door and the last passenger stowed their luggage.
But then... trouble!
The pilot comes on the PA system and says there is a slight problem with the cargo door. The indicator light is on saying it is not closed, but they know it is closed.
So about 10 minutes later, all is fixed and we push back on our way to London!
We make it to the runway when we stop. No big deal, it's New york on a Saturday evening... there are lots of flights going all over the world. Well, five minutes turns into ten, then 15. Then the little ding comes through the cabin and next thing we hear is the captain's voice again.
This time the problem is much worse... he can't get the right engine to work! Tricia and I look at each other with a look of shock and then she whispers... "did you pack a screwdriver, nothing is going to keep us from getting to Kenya!"
The pilot says he will keep us informed. Well 30 minutes, turns into one hour, then two hours then two and a half hours. We only had a three hour lay-over so we are getting pretty nervous by this time.
Couple that with the fact that an annoying man behind us kept calling everyone he knows to tell them that he is stuck on the flight and will miss his connection to Toulouse, France. And once he got through calling all 150 people, he started over to inform them that he was still stuck. Annoying to say the least!
Well we get towed back to the gate, Tricia and I with heavy hearts, knowing what's going to happen next. But to the delight of our ears.. the pilot says the plane is fixed and we head back to the runway.
Tricia and I chant faster, faster and next thing we know we are airborne heading to England.
We arrive in London two and a half hours late. We hop on the transfer bus to the Ba terminal and then get stuck in a huge security line. We are still in line when they start boarding our flight. We finally get through security and Angel still has to check in for the flight. She gets her boarding pass and we all run as fast as possible to the gate, which is of course the last one. We hand over our tickets and there is a problem. The agent in LA did something wrong to the tickets. Will we ever make it to Kenya?
The BA agent gets on the phone, cursing American the whole time. 15 minutes later, the tickets are fixed and we board the plane, the last ones aboard!
An uneventful nine hours later we arrive in Kenya!! Hoorah!!!
So who are we? There were five of us that went to Kenya and Tanzania. Me (Aaron) my best friend and travel buddy Tricia, her mom and two other friends Angel and Brian.
The four of us are all 29 years old, Tricia's mom slightly older, and are from California with Brian being from Colorado.
We all love to travel and Tricia and I had been talking about Africa for some time.
So after nine months of planning, scouring message boards, double checking, constant calls back and fourth... we finally got everything nailed down and had the best time in Africa.
THE TRIP:
I live in Bakersfield, about 100 miles north of Los Angeles. Trica lives near Sonoma, Angel and Tricia's mom live in LA and Brian works in London. So quite complicated to get everyone organized for this amazing trip. Tricia and I did all the planning, the others just sent money when we requested... what good friends!
I cashed in 150,000 American Airline miles for Tricia and myself, the others paid their way.
Sept. 23rd: This was the day we had been planning for for nine months! I woke up around 3 a.m. and drove down to Valencia. I picked up Tricia's mom there and continued on to LAX.
Tricia flew in from Oakland the night before and Angel picked her up.
The four of us met at American Airlines' terminal around 5:30 a.m. for our 7:30 a.m. flight to JFK. Being a platinum member, we all used the first class check-in lines, which saved a lot of time.
We got all our boarding passes all the way to Nairobi, except Angel and Tricia's mom who were told to check in for the Nairobi flight in London.
We proceeded to the gates and got a quick coffee and danish before waiting for the flights to be called.
Tricia, Angel and I would fly to JFK then Heathrow, while Tricia's mom would fly to BOS then to LHR. We would meet her in London and Brian would meet us in NBO.
The BOS flight left first and we followed about five minutes later.
An uneventful five hours later and we arrived, a little tired, but very excited into New York!
We got off the plane, Angel bought some sunglasses for $10 and we proceeded to our next gate.
Boarding was smooth and we high-fived each other as they closed the door and the last passenger stowed their luggage.
But then... trouble!
The pilot comes on the PA system and says there is a slight problem with the cargo door. The indicator light is on saying it is not closed, but they know it is closed.
So about 10 minutes later, all is fixed and we push back on our way to London!
We make it to the runway when we stop. No big deal, it's New york on a Saturday evening... there are lots of flights going all over the world. Well, five minutes turns into ten, then 15. Then the little ding comes through the cabin and next thing we hear is the captain's voice again.
This time the problem is much worse... he can't get the right engine to work! Tricia and I look at each other with a look of shock and then she whispers... "did you pack a screwdriver, nothing is going to keep us from getting to Kenya!"
The pilot says he will keep us informed. Well 30 minutes, turns into one hour, then two hours then two and a half hours. We only had a three hour lay-over so we are getting pretty nervous by this time.
Couple that with the fact that an annoying man behind us kept calling everyone he knows to tell them that he is stuck on the flight and will miss his connection to Toulouse, France. And once he got through calling all 150 people, he started over to inform them that he was still stuck. Annoying to say the least!
Well we get towed back to the gate, Tricia and I with heavy hearts, knowing what's going to happen next. But to the delight of our ears.. the pilot says the plane is fixed and we head back to the runway.
Tricia and I chant faster, faster and next thing we know we are airborne heading to England.
We arrive in London two and a half hours late. We hop on the transfer bus to the Ba terminal and then get stuck in a huge security line. We are still in line when they start boarding our flight. We finally get through security and Angel still has to check in for the flight. She gets her boarding pass and we all run as fast as possible to the gate, which is of course the last one. We hand over our tickets and there is a problem. The agent in LA did something wrong to the tickets. Will we ever make it to Kenya?
The BA agent gets on the phone, cursing American the whole time. 15 minutes later, the tickets are fixed and we board the plane, the last ones aboard!
An uneventful nine hours later we arrive in Kenya!! Hoorah!!!
Nov 6th, 2006, 04:40 AM
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glad you made your connection in London. I leave with my husband Nov 23 on basically the same flights except leaving on AA out of San Diego to JFK.
Looking forward to hearing the rest of your trip report.
Looking forward to hearing the rest of your trip report.
Nov 6th, 2006, 11:20 PM
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Upon arriving in Nairobi, we exited the plane, exhausted but excited and proceeded to Immigration. We had already gotten our visas at the Los Angeles Consulate, so we were second in line at immigration to be processed into Kenya.
The young American couple in front of us seemed to be having some difficulty with the passport officer and the next thing we know, the woman slouches down and faints right at my feet!
Several of us helped her to her feet and a Kenyan official got her some water. They took the couple to another spot and we are called up next.
After getting our stamps, we went down the escalator and into the chaos of luggage land.
We see Brian waving to us and a few minutes later all of our luggage has arrived safely from LAX.
We grab our bags, find our driver and head out to the car.
The first night we stayed at the Silver Spring Hotel. It was a warm night and it was so exciting to be driving through the city.
We got to the hotel, checked in and went to our rooms.
They booked us a double for Brian and I and a triple for the ladies.
We said our goodnights and crashed into bed. The long journey to Africa was over and tomorrow we were going on safari!
Monday Sept. 25th.
We booked our safari through Africa Point and they did such a fantastic job. I highly recommend them.
That morning we went down to breakfast and at 8 a.m. we met our driver Peter.
Peter was awesome! He drove us through the city for a quick overview and then we headed out to Masai Mara.
We drove through the Great Rift Valley and stopped at a scenic overlook. There was a small gift shop there and we went inside for a quick look after taking pictures at the overlook.
What an expensive stop. We hadn't gotten the bargaining down yet and we walked out of that gift shop with much lighter wallets! Live and learn!
The drive to Masai Mara was amazing. Especially our first wild animal sighting. It was an impala and we all were thrilled at seeing it.
Slowly we saw more and more animals as we got further and further from Nairobi.
Then we saw the giraffe! Amazing!
Peter stopped whenever we asked him to so we could take pictures.
Little did we know then that we would be much closer to the animals in the parks... but hey, it was our first sightings. So what if they were 100 yards away!
We drove through Narok, which was very interesting. That is where the Masai come to sell things and it was a much bigger city than I imagined.
After five hours in the matutu, we finally arrived at Masai Mara.
We stayed at the Mara Simba lodge and loved it.
We checked in, had our welcome drink of passion fruit juice, the went to our rooms.
While in the rooms, we heard a strange noise. That's when Tricia yelled for Brian and I to come outside. Right across from our rooms was a river filled with hippos and crocs! We took pictures and then one of the lodge workers asked if we wanted to get closer. Of course we did!
So we hopped over the protective fence (one line of wire) and went down the embankment and got some close shots of the hippos.
We got back to the rooms, freshened up, had lunch, then headed back to the van for our first offical game drive.
Peter had already popped the roof and we were like five giddy kids all wide-eyed looking in every direction for that first official animal sighting.
It didn't take long.
About two minutes outside the lodge gates we saw a wildebeest. Then another, then another then hundreds more all crossing right in front of the vehicle.
The five of us were jostling for the best position to snap pictures of these creatures. All in good fun of course.
Peter turned off the van and we watched as dozens of wildebeest crossed right in front of us. Peter said we were there for the end of the Great Migration so we were excited to be so lucky.
After a few minutes, we continued our journey in search of more game. That's when we saw a group of elephants. More excitement, more jostling, a few elbows to the ribs and the click, click, click of our cameras.
We stayed and watched the ellies and then moved on.
It was such a great experience just riding around the open plains watching all these amazing animals.
Then the CB crackled over Peter's head and off we went, speeding along the dirt roads.
We all looked at each other, knowing something good was waiting for us just minutes ahead.
Then we spotted them... three cheetah brothers stalking a heard of wildebeest. By this time it had started to rain and it felt refreshing. Then it started to pour and the refreshing feeling turned into a soaking wet, cold feeling.
But we were watching cheetahs, who cares about wet clothes!
The cheetahs slowly stalked their prey, who it seemed knew that something dangerous was nearby.
A group of other vans had formed a semi-circle and we all watched breathless, hoping for a kill.
That's when an inexperienced driver came roaring up and spooked the wildebeest who took off running.
Everyone cursed the new guy as the cheetahs watched their dinner disappear.
By this time it was getting dark and the rain was coming down pretty hard so we decided to put the roof back on and head in.
Problem was, we couldn't get the roof down. Poor Peter had to get out in the rain and snap it back into place. For the entire length of the trip we never could get the roof in place. It became a running joke for us!
We arrived back at the lodge, changed and then went to dinner.
The food was fantastic! All Western style and the best soups I have ever tasted. After dinner Tricia's mom was pretty tired so she went to sleep but Tricia, Angel, Brian and I were wide awake.
So we broke out the deck of cards and taught each other card games. Then we switched to Texas Holdem. But we didn't have any chips.
So we improvised. We broke out our Mylanta tablets, bandages, Pepto tablets and created a "chips" system with our medicine.
We played for a few hours, Brian was the eventual winner, then went to sleep around 1 a.m.
An amazing first full day in the Mara.
More tomorrow
The young American couple in front of us seemed to be having some difficulty with the passport officer and the next thing we know, the woman slouches down and faints right at my feet!
Several of us helped her to her feet and a Kenyan official got her some water. They took the couple to another spot and we are called up next.
After getting our stamps, we went down the escalator and into the chaos of luggage land.
We see Brian waving to us and a few minutes later all of our luggage has arrived safely from LAX.
We grab our bags, find our driver and head out to the car.
The first night we stayed at the Silver Spring Hotel. It was a warm night and it was so exciting to be driving through the city.
We got to the hotel, checked in and went to our rooms.
They booked us a double for Brian and I and a triple for the ladies.
We said our goodnights and crashed into bed. The long journey to Africa was over and tomorrow we were going on safari!
Monday Sept. 25th.
We booked our safari through Africa Point and they did such a fantastic job. I highly recommend them.
That morning we went down to breakfast and at 8 a.m. we met our driver Peter.
Peter was awesome! He drove us through the city for a quick overview and then we headed out to Masai Mara.
We drove through the Great Rift Valley and stopped at a scenic overlook. There was a small gift shop there and we went inside for a quick look after taking pictures at the overlook.
What an expensive stop. We hadn't gotten the bargaining down yet and we walked out of that gift shop with much lighter wallets! Live and learn!
The drive to Masai Mara was amazing. Especially our first wild animal sighting. It was an impala and we all were thrilled at seeing it.
Slowly we saw more and more animals as we got further and further from Nairobi.
Then we saw the giraffe! Amazing!
Peter stopped whenever we asked him to so we could take pictures.
Little did we know then that we would be much closer to the animals in the parks... but hey, it was our first sightings. So what if they were 100 yards away!
We drove through Narok, which was very interesting. That is where the Masai come to sell things and it was a much bigger city than I imagined.
After five hours in the matutu, we finally arrived at Masai Mara.
We stayed at the Mara Simba lodge and loved it.
We checked in, had our welcome drink of passion fruit juice, the went to our rooms.
While in the rooms, we heard a strange noise. That's when Tricia yelled for Brian and I to come outside. Right across from our rooms was a river filled with hippos and crocs! We took pictures and then one of the lodge workers asked if we wanted to get closer. Of course we did!
So we hopped over the protective fence (one line of wire) and went down the embankment and got some close shots of the hippos.
We got back to the rooms, freshened up, had lunch, then headed back to the van for our first offical game drive.
Peter had already popped the roof and we were like five giddy kids all wide-eyed looking in every direction for that first official animal sighting.
It didn't take long.
About two minutes outside the lodge gates we saw a wildebeest. Then another, then another then hundreds more all crossing right in front of the vehicle.
The five of us were jostling for the best position to snap pictures of these creatures. All in good fun of course.
Peter turned off the van and we watched as dozens of wildebeest crossed right in front of us. Peter said we were there for the end of the Great Migration so we were excited to be so lucky.
After a few minutes, we continued our journey in search of more game. That's when we saw a group of elephants. More excitement, more jostling, a few elbows to the ribs and the click, click, click of our cameras.
We stayed and watched the ellies and then moved on.
It was such a great experience just riding around the open plains watching all these amazing animals.
Then the CB crackled over Peter's head and off we went, speeding along the dirt roads.
We all looked at each other, knowing something good was waiting for us just minutes ahead.
Then we spotted them... three cheetah brothers stalking a heard of wildebeest. By this time it had started to rain and it felt refreshing. Then it started to pour and the refreshing feeling turned into a soaking wet, cold feeling.
But we were watching cheetahs, who cares about wet clothes!
The cheetahs slowly stalked their prey, who it seemed knew that something dangerous was nearby.
A group of other vans had formed a semi-circle and we all watched breathless, hoping for a kill.
That's when an inexperienced driver came roaring up and spooked the wildebeest who took off running.
Everyone cursed the new guy as the cheetahs watched their dinner disappear.
By this time it was getting dark and the rain was coming down pretty hard so we decided to put the roof back on and head in.
Problem was, we couldn't get the roof down. Poor Peter had to get out in the rain and snap it back into place. For the entire length of the trip we never could get the roof in place. It became a running joke for us!
We arrived back at the lodge, changed and then went to dinner.
The food was fantastic! All Western style and the best soups I have ever tasted. After dinner Tricia's mom was pretty tired so she went to sleep but Tricia, Angel, Brian and I were wide awake.
So we broke out the deck of cards and taught each other card games. Then we switched to Texas Holdem. But we didn't have any chips.
So we improvised. We broke out our Mylanta tablets, bandages, Pepto tablets and created a "chips" system with our medicine.
We played for a few hours, Brian was the eventual winner, then went to sleep around 1 a.m.
An amazing first full day in the Mara.
More tomorrow
Cindy
Nov 7th, 2006, 01:33 PM
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Thanks everyone for the wonderful commments. It's my first time writing a trip report. Glad you are all enjoying it.
Travelynn, not sure what American did to the tickets. but I guess it is a frequent thing since the BA agent said they see this all the time on award tickets.
I will try and post another installment tonight. I work at a tv station and it is Election Day, so I may not be able to, but I will try.
Thanks for the kind words...
Aaron
Travelynn, not sure what American did to the tickets. but I guess it is a frequent thing since the BA agent said they see this all the time on award tickets.
I will try and post another installment tonight. I work at a tv station and it is Election Day, so I may not be able to, but I will try.
Thanks for the kind words...
Aaron
Nov 7th, 2006, 03:57 PM
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What luck with 3 cheetah brothers and the wildebeest crossing. I hope you did not need the contents of the medicine chest that were lost to gambling. You'll always remember that 1st impala no matter how many hundreds more you see.
Nov 7th, 2006, 11:10 PM
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Tues. Sept. 26th:
Up bright and early.
We were on the road in search of game by 6:30 a.m.
We saw a couple of hot air balloons in the distance. That was something we discussed doing, but being young professionals, our bank accounts could not sustain the hit at that point in time! Maybe next time.
We again saw hundreds of wildebeest and zebras and a group of elephants crossed right in front of our vehicle.
We were in search of simba today and we leisurely drove through the Mara in search of them.
The four of us were standing just looking out across the plains, enjoying the cool breezes on our face. Tricia and I laughed at the thought of our co-workers hard at work while we were hanging out in Kenya!
Then Peter gassed the matutu and we took off. Had a lion been spotted nearby?
Nope, even better... a rhino. We were told there were very few in the park and to find one was really lucky.
Unfortunately, there was a small gully and a grove of trees between us and the rhino.
Not to worry, Peter would get us closer!
We drove around the gully and next thing we know, we are within feet of this massive animal.
We were the only ones for several minutes until several other vans showed up.
The rhino slowly lumbered off, a couple birds on its back enjoying their breakfast.
After the rhino, the CB crackled again and away we went.
Peter looked back at the five us and said ... "Simba!!"
Yahoo... we all got up on our feet and scanned the horizon looking for it.
About ten minutes later, we came across a pride of lions... a mighty male with a full mane and a group of female lionesses.
They were all laying down relaxing in the shade.
The male lion and a female were about five feet from the rest of the females. We got pretty close to them and watched for about 30 minutes... slowly moving into a better spot as each van left for other game watching.
The sight was amazing... but when the male lion looked directly at you, it was kinda creepy, like he was looking at your soul!
After being mesmerized for a half hour, Peter asked if we were ready to go.
We were and off we went.
We cruised along the Mara hills and were busy talking amongst ourselves, watching the horizon when Peter nonchalantly says... Cheetah!
Where? Where?
Just ahead of us, a cheetah was perched on a rock sunning itself. We decided to eat our pre-packaged breakfast feet away.
This meal was quite interesting. Bread with jam, cookies, some smushed bananas, an unknown fruit and then the best part of all... tin foil surprise!
I unwrapped it, being the guinea pig of the group, and out plopped a long, brown thing.
What was it?
Well being in Africa and willing to try new things I took a bite.
Turns out, it was some kind of sauasage... but not one I wanted to enjoy eating.
So I took a picture of it, wrapped it back up and said goodbye to the tin foil surprise!
We then headed to a Masai Village. We went on a tour of their homes and they did a dance for us. Of course we tried jumping higher than them, but failed. Got some good photos though.
Then we bought a few of their goods and headed back to the van.
By this time it was around noon and we headed back to the Mara Simba lodge.
Not being tired, Tricia, her mom, Brian and I decided to go swimming in the pool.
We all changed and met down at the pool. There were a couple of other tourists there, a couple from Spain and a businessman from Switzerland.
We ordered drinks and Tricia and I jumped in. Very refreshing.
We swam around for about 15 minutes then got out when our drinks arrived.
As soon as we got out of the pool, the monkeys arrived.
They jumped down from the trees and scurried around the pool area. The workers scared them away, but they returned when the workers left.
We were told to watch our stuff cause they like to grab things.
We spent the next ten minutes watching the monkeys then left to have lunch.
Another awesome meal at the Mara Simba lodge. I love this place!
After lunch, we had about two hours before our next game drive.
At 3:30, we hopped back into the van and went out again into the Mara.
At one point we were surrounded by tens of thousands of wildebeest and zebras and were the only humans for as far as the eye could see. That was an amazing feeling! We saw more lions, elephants and impalas and just had a relaxing afternoon on safari.
It was almost dark by the time we headed back. As Peter roared across the roads to get us back to the lodge, wildebeest would jump in front of the van. This frightened Tricia's mom, who was afraid we would hit one. We told her the wildebeest weren't that stupid and would get out of the way.
We even asked Peter if he had ever hit a wildebeest on accident? He said no, never.
Not more than 30 seconds later... THUD!
We hit a wildebeest. The animal jumped back up and took off, unfazed! We laughed hysterically at Peter saying his perfect record had been shattered!
We got back to the lodge and were pretty tired.
We had dinner then went to sleep around 10 p.m.
A truly amazing second day in the Mara!
Tomorrow Amboseli
Up bright and early.
We were on the road in search of game by 6:30 a.m.
We saw a couple of hot air balloons in the distance. That was something we discussed doing, but being young professionals, our bank accounts could not sustain the hit at that point in time! Maybe next time.
We again saw hundreds of wildebeest and zebras and a group of elephants crossed right in front of our vehicle.
We were in search of simba today and we leisurely drove through the Mara in search of them.
The four of us were standing just looking out across the plains, enjoying the cool breezes on our face. Tricia and I laughed at the thought of our co-workers hard at work while we were hanging out in Kenya!
Then Peter gassed the matutu and we took off. Had a lion been spotted nearby?
Nope, even better... a rhino. We were told there were very few in the park and to find one was really lucky.
Unfortunately, there was a small gully and a grove of trees between us and the rhino.
Not to worry, Peter would get us closer!
We drove around the gully and next thing we know, we are within feet of this massive animal.
We were the only ones for several minutes until several other vans showed up.
The rhino slowly lumbered off, a couple birds on its back enjoying their breakfast.
After the rhino, the CB crackled again and away we went.
Peter looked back at the five us and said ... "Simba!!"
Yahoo... we all got up on our feet and scanned the horizon looking for it.
About ten minutes later, we came across a pride of lions... a mighty male with a full mane and a group of female lionesses.
They were all laying down relaxing in the shade.
The male lion and a female were about five feet from the rest of the females. We got pretty close to them and watched for about 30 minutes... slowly moving into a better spot as each van left for other game watching.
The sight was amazing... but when the male lion looked directly at you, it was kinda creepy, like he was looking at your soul!
After being mesmerized for a half hour, Peter asked if we were ready to go.
We were and off we went.
We cruised along the Mara hills and were busy talking amongst ourselves, watching the horizon when Peter nonchalantly says... Cheetah!
Where? Where?
Just ahead of us, a cheetah was perched on a rock sunning itself. We decided to eat our pre-packaged breakfast feet away.
This meal was quite interesting. Bread with jam, cookies, some smushed bananas, an unknown fruit and then the best part of all... tin foil surprise!
I unwrapped it, being the guinea pig of the group, and out plopped a long, brown thing.
What was it?
Well being in Africa and willing to try new things I took a bite.
Turns out, it was some kind of sauasage... but not one I wanted to enjoy eating.
So I took a picture of it, wrapped it back up and said goodbye to the tin foil surprise!
We then headed to a Masai Village. We went on a tour of their homes and they did a dance for us. Of course we tried jumping higher than them, but failed. Got some good photos though.
Then we bought a few of their goods and headed back to the van.
By this time it was around noon and we headed back to the Mara Simba lodge.
Not being tired, Tricia, her mom, Brian and I decided to go swimming in the pool.
We all changed and met down at the pool. There were a couple of other tourists there, a couple from Spain and a businessman from Switzerland.
We ordered drinks and Tricia and I jumped in. Very refreshing.
We swam around for about 15 minutes then got out when our drinks arrived.
As soon as we got out of the pool, the monkeys arrived.
They jumped down from the trees and scurried around the pool area. The workers scared them away, but they returned when the workers left.
We were told to watch our stuff cause they like to grab things.
We spent the next ten minutes watching the monkeys then left to have lunch.
Another awesome meal at the Mara Simba lodge. I love this place!
After lunch, we had about two hours before our next game drive.
At 3:30, we hopped back into the van and went out again into the Mara.
At one point we were surrounded by tens of thousands of wildebeest and zebras and were the only humans for as far as the eye could see. That was an amazing feeling! We saw more lions, elephants and impalas and just had a relaxing afternoon on safari.
It was almost dark by the time we headed back. As Peter roared across the roads to get us back to the lodge, wildebeest would jump in front of the van. This frightened Tricia's mom, who was afraid we would hit one. We told her the wildebeest weren't that stupid and would get out of the way.
We even asked Peter if he had ever hit a wildebeest on accident? He said no, never.
Not more than 30 seconds later... THUD!
We hit a wildebeest. The animal jumped back up and took off, unfazed! We laughed hysterically at Peter saying his perfect record had been shattered!
We got back to the lodge and were pretty tired.
We had dinner then went to sleep around 10 p.m.
A truly amazing second day in the Mara!
Tomorrow Amboseli
Nov 8th, 2006, 12:44 AM
#13
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producerkoof,
Thanks for sharing your trip report....which part of the Mara is the Mara simba located? Eastern Mara? Seemed like a good location for game, but, heavily congested with vehicles? Sad about the cheetah boys having to botch their hunt due to the traffic.....
The wildebeest hitting the vehicle is another strange occurance.......
Thanks,
Hari
Thanks for sharing your trip report....which part of the Mara is the Mara simba located? Eastern Mara? Seemed like a good location for game, but, heavily congested with vehicles? Sad about the cheetah boys having to botch their hunt due to the traffic.....
The wildebeest hitting the vehicle is another strange occurance.......
Thanks,
Hari
Nov 8th, 2006, 10:41 PM
#16
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Hello everyone,
Thanks again for your kind words.
Santharamhari- yes I believe mara simba is in the eastern part of the mara.
Weds. Sept. 27th
We checked out of Mara Simba, a little sad since we had such a great time there, hopped in the matutu and headed for Amboseli.
It was a long drive back to Nairobi, but we enjoyed the scenery and the occasional animals we saw from the windows.
We arrived back in Nairobi for lunch at the Flame Tree Restaurant at the Panafric Hotel.
By this time Angel and I had run out of memory space and batteries for our digital cameras. So we asked Peter to let us off at a photo place to download our pictures onto a cd.
So we found a place and dropped off our film. We also stopped at an ATM to get some much needed money.
Then off to the Flame Tree. We sat outside on the terrace overlooking the street.
We had been there about five minutes when we saw a HUGE demonstration right outside the hotel. Police showed up in riot gear and a crowd of several thousands were marching and carrying signs and chanting.
We were a bit nervous, since we weren't sure what was going on!
We asked the waitress and she said there was a demonstration against one of the cabinet members the population didn't like.
We watched the demonstration for about 20 minutes and wondered if we would be able to get out of the hotel, since the police had shut down the streets.
Well by the time we were through with lunch, the demonstrators had disbanded!
We did a quick check of our e-mails, bought some postcards and stamps in the gift shop and re-grouped with Peter for our trip to Amboseli.
We drove to Arusha and then onto Amboseli.
Peter stopped the matutu so we could get a good shot of the mighty Kili. It was surrounded in clouds, so you could barely make it out, but it was pretty amazing to see the mountain that Toto sings about!
By this time the sun was setting and we got some pretty cool shots of the sunset with the elephants.
The area around Kili was pretty barren and we wondered what the animals would eat. But I'm sure they found something.
We arrived at the Amboseli Sopa Lodge.
We checked in and dumped our stuff off at our rooms.
Then we went down to dinner. This was probably the best dinner of the trip. Not so much the food, but we were all in giddy moods, I think because it was such a long drive to get there.
We could not stop laughing through the entire dinner. I'm sure the bottle of wine we had contributed to our moods!
The porter took us back to our lodge, which was the very last one. It felt so remote, since many of the rooms around us were empty.
We considered asking for rooms closer to the main lodge, but thought nah!
As the porter dropped off our stuff, he told us the elephants go right past our rooms around midnight each night. He said he would come get us when they showed up.
It was around 10:45 p.m. so Tricia, Brian, Angel and I decided to stay up and watch for them.
We moved a bed from next door into Trica and Angel's room. Tricia's mom took the room Brian and I would share so the four of us "youngins" camped out like we were back in a college dorm!
Around midnight we all eagerly looked outside the window hoping to see the ellies. No luck.
By this time we were all pretty tired and it was getting harder to stay up and wait for them.
Angel fell asleep and the rest of us almost did too.
But we were determined to see these elephants.
So if they weren't going to come to us, we would go to them.
Tricia, Brian and I grabbed our jackets, flashlights and set out on an elephant hunt!
We walked outside our lodge and flashed out flashlights in a sweeping angle to see if we could see them. Nothing!
So we edged out of the room and started walking towards the main lodge in search of the watering hole.
We kept walking then Tricia whispered, "What's that?"
We turned the flashlights in that direction and saw a pair of eyes peering back at us! Instant fear!
Turns out it was an impala! But still pretty creepy seeing a pair of eyes!
We kept seeing different pairs of eyes, all impalas and deer-like creatures, but no elephants.
We came to a dead-end and decided maybe this isn't the best thing to be doing at 1:15 in the morning.
So we went back to our rooms and fell asleep.
Next morning Tricia tells us she saw the elephants pass by our room around 4 a.m.
So much for punctuality!
Our day in Amboseli next
Thanks again for your kind words.
Santharamhari- yes I believe mara simba is in the eastern part of the mara.
Weds. Sept. 27th
We checked out of Mara Simba, a little sad since we had such a great time there, hopped in the matutu and headed for Amboseli.
It was a long drive back to Nairobi, but we enjoyed the scenery and the occasional animals we saw from the windows.
We arrived back in Nairobi for lunch at the Flame Tree Restaurant at the Panafric Hotel.
By this time Angel and I had run out of memory space and batteries for our digital cameras. So we asked Peter to let us off at a photo place to download our pictures onto a cd.
So we found a place and dropped off our film. We also stopped at an ATM to get some much needed money.
Then off to the Flame Tree. We sat outside on the terrace overlooking the street.
We had been there about five minutes when we saw a HUGE demonstration right outside the hotel. Police showed up in riot gear and a crowd of several thousands were marching and carrying signs and chanting.
We were a bit nervous, since we weren't sure what was going on!
We asked the waitress and she said there was a demonstration against one of the cabinet members the population didn't like.
We watched the demonstration for about 20 minutes and wondered if we would be able to get out of the hotel, since the police had shut down the streets.
Well by the time we were through with lunch, the demonstrators had disbanded!
We did a quick check of our e-mails, bought some postcards and stamps in the gift shop and re-grouped with Peter for our trip to Amboseli.
We drove to Arusha and then onto Amboseli.
Peter stopped the matutu so we could get a good shot of the mighty Kili. It was surrounded in clouds, so you could barely make it out, but it was pretty amazing to see the mountain that Toto sings about!
By this time the sun was setting and we got some pretty cool shots of the sunset with the elephants.
The area around Kili was pretty barren and we wondered what the animals would eat. But I'm sure they found something.
We arrived at the Amboseli Sopa Lodge.
We checked in and dumped our stuff off at our rooms.
Then we went down to dinner. This was probably the best dinner of the trip. Not so much the food, but we were all in giddy moods, I think because it was such a long drive to get there.
We could not stop laughing through the entire dinner. I'm sure the bottle of wine we had contributed to our moods!
The porter took us back to our lodge, which was the very last one. It felt so remote, since many of the rooms around us were empty.
We considered asking for rooms closer to the main lodge, but thought nah!
As the porter dropped off our stuff, he told us the elephants go right past our rooms around midnight each night. He said he would come get us when they showed up.
It was around 10:45 p.m. so Tricia, Brian, Angel and I decided to stay up and watch for them.
We moved a bed from next door into Trica and Angel's room. Tricia's mom took the room Brian and I would share so the four of us "youngins" camped out like we were back in a college dorm!
Around midnight we all eagerly looked outside the window hoping to see the ellies. No luck.
By this time we were all pretty tired and it was getting harder to stay up and wait for them.
Angel fell asleep and the rest of us almost did too.
But we were determined to see these elephants.
So if they weren't going to come to us, we would go to them.
Tricia, Brian and I grabbed our jackets, flashlights and set out on an elephant hunt!
We walked outside our lodge and flashed out flashlights in a sweeping angle to see if we could see them. Nothing!
So we edged out of the room and started walking towards the main lodge in search of the watering hole.
We kept walking then Tricia whispered, "What's that?"
We turned the flashlights in that direction and saw a pair of eyes peering back at us! Instant fear!
Turns out it was an impala! But still pretty creepy seeing a pair of eyes!
We kept seeing different pairs of eyes, all impalas and deer-like creatures, but no elephants.
We came to a dead-end and decided maybe this isn't the best thing to be doing at 1:15 in the morning.
So we went back to our rooms and fell asleep.
Next morning Tricia tells us she saw the elephants pass by our room around 4 a.m.
So much for punctuality!
Our day in Amboseli next
Nov 9th, 2006, 07:26 AM
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What a good account of Amboseli Sopa. I recall previous questions about Amboseli accommodations.
You were outside on the grounds at night? Usually all guests are admonished to remain in their lodgings and not to go out during the night. Did you get this warning? Or were you in an enclosed area? Those eyes are scary in the night.
You were outside on the grounds at night? Usually all guests are admonished to remain in their lodgings and not to go out during the night. Did you get this warning? Or were you in an enclosed area? Those eyes are scary in the night.
Nov 9th, 2006, 01:08 PM
#18
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This is so much fun.
But please, please... you were in Africa, not in Disneyland, Bronx or Sand Diego Zoos. No walking alone at night. My heart jumped right into my throat. There are too many reports of terrible things happening when tourists do these kinds of things.
Waiting on more, but with sanity, please!
But please, please... you were in Africa, not in Disneyland, Bronx or Sand Diego Zoos. No walking alone at night. My heart jumped right into my throat. There are too many reports of terrible things happening when tourists do these kinds of things.
Waiting on more, but with sanity, please!
Nov 9th, 2006, 02:23 PM
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Hi Aaron,
Greetings from a "neighbor" a few hours north of you, near Sacramento. We returned a month ago from our first ever safari--to Zambia--and I'm thoroughly enjoying your report.
Re BA and going through Heathrow, I never thought I would be happy to have a 5-hour layover, but, even without the mechanical problems you encountered, we took nearly 3 hours getting through security--again-- transferring to another terminal by bus, and finding our way to our plane.
As for going out at night on your own, I also am surprised that you were not cautioned against it. We were told at every camp to absolutely do not go out at night, and were given walkie talkies, and even an emergency whistle to blow at one camp. From what we saw (eg see my pictures of lions on "Zambia--what an amazing journey!" tearing apart an antelope after dark) and from what I've read, those sleepy lions you saw during the day, transform into vicious killing machines at night. And, leopards are efficient and quiet night hunters. Elephants and buffalo can be dangerous, too. It would have been a tragedy if something had happened to any of you. It would also have been a tragedy to the animals.
Okay, no more lectures. Can't wait for your next installment, and pictures, too, I hope. Since I can't be back in Africa for awhile, I have to get my "fixes" from looking at photos and reading great reports like yours.
Finally, frequent Fodor contributer, Rocco Morelli, lives in Pasadena, and has hinted at a get-together for Fodorite safari-goers the end of December (his second one--he held the first one in Oct. He's on safari now, so we won't hear from him for a couple of weeks, but I expect he will have plenty to write about when he gets back.
Anyway, keep em coming!
Jim
Greetings from a "neighbor" a few hours north of you, near Sacramento. We returned a month ago from our first ever safari--to Zambia--and I'm thoroughly enjoying your report.
Re BA and going through Heathrow, I never thought I would be happy to have a 5-hour layover, but, even without the mechanical problems you encountered, we took nearly 3 hours getting through security--again-- transferring to another terminal by bus, and finding our way to our plane.
As for going out at night on your own, I also am surprised that you were not cautioned against it. We were told at every camp to absolutely do not go out at night, and were given walkie talkies, and even an emergency whistle to blow at one camp. From what we saw (eg see my pictures of lions on "Zambia--what an amazing journey!" tearing apart an antelope after dark) and from what I've read, those sleepy lions you saw during the day, transform into vicious killing machines at night. And, leopards are efficient and quiet night hunters. Elephants and buffalo can be dangerous, too. It would have been a tragedy if something had happened to any of you. It would also have been a tragedy to the animals.
Okay, no more lectures. Can't wait for your next installment, and pictures, too, I hope. Since I can't be back in Africa for awhile, I have to get my "fixes" from looking at photos and reading great reports like yours.
Finally, frequent Fodor contributer, Rocco Morelli, lives in Pasadena, and has hinted at a get-together for Fodorite safari-goers the end of December (his second one--he held the first one in Oct. He's on safari now, so we won't hear from him for a couple of weeks, but I expect he will have plenty to write about when he gets back.
Anyway, keep em coming!
Jim
