Samburu Simba Lodge (Buffalo Springs) July 13-14

Safari Essentials:
1. Extra wide rear end to cushion all the bumps.
2. The ability to sleep in an upright position sans bobblehead.
3. A bandana to cover your nose & mouth, and goggles to protect your eyes from the massive amount of dust.
4. A double supply of Q-tips and Kleenex for dust accumulation in appropriate orifices.
5. Extra Kleenex and/or small roll of TP and/or pilfered paper napkins from the buffet table for emergency bathroom stops.
6. The ability to get up before the crack of dawn on a daily basis.
7. The ability to wake, pack and ship out in 15 minutes or less.
8. The ability to consume massive amounts of food & drink beyond your capacity.
9. Adult diapers or Depends for extended pit stops - because there is no getting out of the vehicle when wild animals could be lurking anywhere.
10. The ability to withstand bodily trauma, especially bruising, whenever angling for that perfect Kodak moment.

This morning we met our driver/safari guide, Njoka, at 8:30 AM and headed north toward the equator through the central highlands. We decided to name our group and each individual since we were going to be together for the entire Kenyan adventure. Because of our respective ages of 56-70, we dubbed ourselves Team Post Menopausal (TPM). Our motto was, "Been there; done that." Code names include: Iris, age 56 (alias SCUD - what can we say, she works at Raytheon. She wanted to be Silent but Deadly, but we all voted that that was way too much to remember); Barb, age 58 (alias Tusker - named for her favorite Kenyan beer so far); Terry, age 65 (alias Titanium - you guessed it, she had a knee replacement); Bonnie, age 68 (alias No Head - story of that one later in this post); and Judy, who turned 70 on July 14th (alias Chili Pepper - because she likes them - hey, she's 70, cut her some slack). Njoka, by far the youngest of our group at age 38, was named General Tracker, because he was the master when it came to spotting game.





General Tracker in action.









SCUD, Titanium, Tusker, Chili Pepper and No Head.







I prepare myself to do battle with the wildlife.







We passed several small towns, lots of outdoor flea markets, numerous public and private schools, lots of walkers (there are no obese Kenyans), 2 separate car accidents + 1 overturned truck, a huge DelMonte pineapple farm, quite a few rose greenhouses (roses are exported to Europe in almost greater volume than coffee & tea). We continue to be amazed by the amount of clothing Kenyans wear. I'm guessing it was 75-80 degrees - we had on shorts & T-shirts; they had winter coats, wool stocking caps and heavy sweaters!



Motorcycle taxis wait for their fares outside a flea market stall.





We could see Mt. Kenya on our right for many miles. Our first stop was a Curio Shoppe filled to overflowing with souvenirs - wood carvings, batiks, masks, coasters, etc. We wanted to buy to support the community cooperative, but they were too intent on ripping us off. The young men working there were hard sell, engaging you in conversation then following behind you with a shopping basket at the ready. I felt like I had an attached twin trailing behind me as I wound my way through each aisle. Almost everyone in our group left without purchasing anything because the shop owners refused to bargain that much.

Our second stop was at a trout farm for an incredible lunch in a giant tree house. We enjoyed fresh avocado slices, fresh trout right from the farm's many ponds - served with spinach, potatoes & fruit salad. When asked if she wanted her trout served with or without its head, Bonnie emphatically stated, "NO HEAD!" Of course we all started laughing, and hence she assumed that nickname. I tried Pilsner - very light compared to Tusker, but also served in a large bottle holding the equivalent of 2 beers.


The tree house bar. Don't know why there were stirrups hanging from the ceiling above the bar stools - they must have some wild parties there!
After lunch, we drove to Samburu National Reserve in Kenya's semi-desert, rugged northern frontier. We had our first game drive on the way to our next lodging, Samburu Simba Lodge. What a thrill!!! Team Post Menopausal and General Tracker popped the van top up; stood up & went hunting for those Kodak moments, which were numerous.


The first animal we spotted was the elephant (1 of the Big 5); followed by the reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, guinea fowl (or guinea hen), oryx, impala, lions, baboons, zebras, ostrich, dik-dik (we loved saying this name). Simply AWESOME!!!
The gerenuks belong to the antelope family. I love the way they raise up on their hind legs to eat from the acacia trees. Njoka said you can recognize them because they wear black G-strings! (check out the 2 on the far right)



Guinea fowl(L).


The majestic Beisa oryx.

Impalas. How do you tell impalas from gazelles? Impalas have the McDonald's M on their rear ends(according to our Tanzanian guide, Maulidi). The males usually are the ones with horns.

The lion (our 2nd animal from the big 5)-hard to spot because they are camoflauged so well by the savannah grasses.

A baby baboon attempts to clear the protective circle of its elders - heading to the grasses on the left. Another baby waves to us with an outstretched hand - barely visible from inside the adult circle (below).


The first of many Grevy zebra spottings.


Our zebra entrance to the Samburu Simba Lodge.




Our rooms, the pool and the lounge areas of Simba Lodge - in the middle of the reserve and just opened for about one year. Modern, luxurious rooms and absolutely delicious breakfast, lunch & dinner buffets served by incredibly warm and friendly staff. I tried White Cap beer since they were out of Tusker - excellent, and less calories.


I have to hurry and finish this journal entry since the lodge shuts off their generator from midnight until 5:45 AM. No hot showers during that time period, and all guests are provided with flashlights on their bedstands. Incredible starry sky, and the only sound one can hear is that of the crickets chirping.

The male Somali ostrich (above).

Iris' unwelcome shower visitor (left). I promised to report that she handled the situation bravely and no one, including the spider, was harmed in the outcome.






Up early and away at 6:30 AM the next morning for our early morning game drive. Can you say AWESOME!!!? It's worth dragging yourself out of bed early to catch the animals before it gets too warm outside. Plus you get to experience a breathtaking sunrise!




General Tracker is in rare form this morning with some noteworthy witticisms:
1. Pilsner stands for: people in love should not entertain rumors.
2. White Cap stands for: when the hangover is terrible, eat chicken & pepper.
3. Tusker stands for: have the best sex and tell your best friend tomorrow. (This is the English translation. Apparently in Swahili it's not for mixed company).
4. When we asked him if one of the giraffes was male or female, he replied, "Isn't it obvious?"
5. When we asked him the same question about the zebras, he said, "The males are black with white stripes, and the females are white with black stripes." (He actually had us going for a minute or two with that one. I will attribute that delayed response and follow-up laughter to his accent).
6. When I asked him why one of the vervet monkeys had such bright blue balls, he said, "We call those blue buttons." Later he referred to them as batteries!
7. He also pointed out the black g-strings on the gerenuks.
8. Then there was a discussion about whether the plural for oryx was oryx or oryxes -that one never was resolved.
9. We spotted a female elephant which obviously recently had a baby - and mentioned that she was in serious need of at least a 42D cup bra.



See, these sort of discussions prevail when there is a lack of sleep...(Just take a look at the baboon on the right and you can see he is NOT a morning animal).






Two little ones hanging onto the acacia tree for dear life.



Here he is...the vervet monkey with the blue buttons! Looks like he's being ostracized by the rest of his community.















It's the infamous dik-dik!




The stunning male impala.






The superb starling, red-billed hornbill and the palm golden weaver (below).




















We celebrated Judy's big 70th birthday with extra wine after dinner. And, as a result, we crashed earlier than usual (about 10 PM) - hey, we are getting older after all! (Funny how it's always the 5 of us who seem to be closing the lounge every night). On our way to Mt. Kenya in the morning - about a 5 hour drive, north of the equator.