Big Adventure

We had arranged for a 7.30 pick up from Stewart's house. Simon, our host and driver for the next two days, arrived bang on time for our overland drive to Osero Lodge, a glamping resort within the game park.
The journey out of Nairobi was fascinating. If there are any rules of the road, nobody seems bothered about them, absolute mayhem, but it works.
Our journey to the park took 5 hours. We dropped down from the plateau into the Rift Valley, stopping off at the lookout for Simon to have a coffee and us to have a mooch in the curio shops. We successfully haggled for one item as a souvenir. We had been warned that start prices for items are ridiculously high and that the first given price is usually about 3 times the price expected. So we used that as our basis for haggling.
A rock hyrax was scrambling about below the lookout wall.
The drive took us through towns and villages, where we saw first hand the locals going about their daily business, tiny shop units selling all sorts of stuff, roadside markets and stalls, bars and tiny hotels in the most unlikely places. Cattle, goats, sheep being herded along the roadside, and wandering through the villages. Simon informed us that the number of goats and cows owned by a man is an indication of his wealth. It was so interesting to witness the general hustle and bustle of daily life - children rolling small barrels of water from the wells, sheep and goats being transported from the markets on motor bikes, motorcycles piled high with firewood, sacks of corn etc. In the wheat belt, within the rift valley, corn was being dried out on tarpaulin under the sun.
Arriving at the park, after the formalities at the gate, where we fended off the very persistent Maasai ladies flogging their beaded curios and carvings, we had a short drive through the bush to our Lodge.
On the way, we met up with eland, zebra, warthog, and gazelle.
The Lodge welcomed us as their only guests for the day, so we felt quite special. A big party had left to return to the city that morning.
We were served a 4 course lunch, which was very tasty and then settled down in our Lodge and had a rest by the pool prior to going out on an afternoon game drive.
Leaving at 3:30 Simon took us out into the park for a 3 hour drive. It was brilliant, Simon wanted us to see as many of the animals as possible, and he did a great job.
Zebra, wildebeest, eland, gazelle,impala, giraffe, buffalo, topi, lions, baboons,cheetah, beautiful birds, mongoose, jackal, elephants, antelope were all seen in their natural environment. Simon clearly knew the ins and outs of the reserve intimately, his knowledge of the animals extensive, and coupled with the radio links across the park, he was able to quickly take us to the hot sightings.
After a very tasty evening meal, we arranged with Simon for a 7.30 start for tomorrow's day drive where he hoped to fill in any blanks.Читать далее