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Kenya January 2017

Diane Holliday and John Hinton We left our flat at 11am on Friday 6th January to find the taxi waiting for us. The driver was at a guess, an eastern European with little chat, so the drive to Heathrow was swift and unremarkable. The weather was cold with a little sun behind light clouds and we were looking forward to being back at Royal Reserve, our second home…! Our travel was familiar; long and sometimes a little tedious. We had a young French lady in the seat by the window on our set of three on the plane, who was pleasant but had very little English, so conversation was limited but friendly, especially when John talked in French! She was on her way from Brittany, via Paris, via Heathrow, via Nairobi to an island in the Indian ocean....and we thought our journey was long! We arrived in Nairobi International to find the terminal was newly built, still no air conditioning or notices to show us where to go, but shiny and bright, including the baggage reclaim which was so much better. As we had arrived at silly o-clock i.e. 5.30 am we had a walk in the dark to Kenya Internal Domestic departures after collecting our luggage. This was a trek across a car park; so no change there then, but we did get the assistance of local chap, touting for business and it was good to have the help. We take one large case each and flight bags plus our small hand bags for paperwork tickets etc. and although we had been sitting in the aircraft for over 8 hours we were tired and I was a bit under the weather due to my total inability to sleep sitting upright! We had time to get a coffee in the departures lounge before take-off, but it was getting hot. It was good to know that the longest part of the journey was done, and after a safe landing at Mombasa, Moi Airport the next bit was easy. Our taxi was good, a nice drive with a quick stop at local super market for bread and bare necessities, only to find we were too early, they only open at 9am, fortunately our driver knew the management and they opened up a few minutes early, so John got some goods to tide us over until we got to do a big shopping trip. Feeling quite fragile on arrival at Royal Reserve, Beach and Safari Club (RR) at about 9.30am, as the constant movement sticks with us a day at least.... like being at sea, we need to get our ‘land legs’ before we start to feel comfortable again. Simon our tour fixer and old friend, was there to greet us; mainly to explain that we would have to use another apartment for three days before we would be moved into our

Our home for three weeks

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permanent one, number 92 like last year. Then followed protracted discussions on the merits of one safari trip over another... he is very keen to get in first, in case we decide to use the beach boys to arrange our trips. Everyone need the money as commission in safaris is quite good. We ordered a late breakfast from Emily the restaurant manager, which was duly delivered to us in the apartment. Generally sitting about for a while, not able to unpack fully, we took in the surroundings, met up the beach boys, Moses and Sampson and started to feel more at home. About 5.30 we took ourselves to the pool bar and Edward, the bar man that evening was grateful for our company, not much of that about, and we caught up on the local gossip. Our evening meal was from the restaurant and ordered via Edward; we said we would like it delivered at 7pm and as there was no one else eating, we sort of expected it at the right time....no.....this is Africa. In the end, we got fed up with waiting and John had to go and chivvy them along...seemed like there was a row going on in the kitchen. Our first course of tempura prawns was inedible, rock hard and no taste, but we got a salad which was lovely. The main course was our favourite, mixed seafood grill and that was very good. Oh, but we were so very tired........... Sunday 8th We slept for eleven hours and felt much better for it. Strange not to unpack due to the impeding move on Tuesday, with a three week stay and lots going on, living out of a suitcase is not my thing. We had an unexpected visitor, a young lady called Sarah arrived to see us; she remembered that John and Ave had been a great help to her and her family some years ago, and wished to see John again. It was quite emotional, she told us that she was working for RR again after several years away and said that she would be looking after us and cleaning our apartment. Royal Reserve was very quiet, the last of the Christmas and New year holiday makers, mostly from Nairobi, had left or were going soon and as last year, it’s hard for staff and beach boys to make a living. The resort was closed for two months in 2016, October and November so no one would have been paid.

The local fishing boat, festooned with birds

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Very much a day to chill out and watch the lagoon, the birds land on the fishing boat waiting for the tide to go out.

We did have the company of some very large, but non-threatening, bees who seemed to live in the timbers of our balcony roof. Since our arrival back in the UK, it has been confirmed that they were carpenter bees. Amazing creatures, their lava live in the timbers excavated by the adults. Though the view from that apartment was not that great. John erected the scope when we moved across the landing to number 92.

Monday 9th John had arranged that we got a taxi to Nakumatt, the large supermarket near Mombasa. Getting food from the restaurant was not such a good idea, at least daily and the kitchen in the apartment was functional though basic. I had great fun lighting the gas burners, they would explode into life and unless I held down the knob they would just go out…. a little practise, less hair on my hands and I developed a technique that worked every time. We arrived at reception at 9.30 am as arranged to be informed by the girl behind the desk that the driver would be late, accident or something...up to an hour. She said she had been up to the apartment to tell us but we did not hear her, maybe we were in the shower or something. Anyway, we had decided to hang around and wait, then as we were just about to get a coffee at the restaurant, courtesy of Edward the bar steward, when Rama arrived with a nice car with aircon, very welcome. Rama had driven us last year on a couple of occasions and was happy to see us again. We had lunch at the Café Patisserie as we were running later than usual, this time joined by Rama and a very good lunch it was. Good shopping trip but the supermarket, in its wisdom had changed some of the locations, including the wine store.... but we got it all done and filled the fridge on our return, then the afternoon was free until 4pm when Simon was due to come and see us. I got my first swim; I love the small pool on our side of the road (the complex being in two halves with a local thoroughfare between) this is the only time I swim now, getting to our local swimming pool at home is complicated but of course the Saltdean Lido will

Cafe Patisserie

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be opening this summer....no excuse then! John went for a walk with the Beach Boys and firmed up on arrangements, already discussed and quoted for, for our day trip to the Gedi ruins and Wasamu Bay. Strange day, so many people to see and noting the changes for the better along the main road. Many of the half-completed buildings were done, new areas marked out for more apartments and hotels so there seems to be a good trade in building industry goods. Shame the tourist industry is not keeping pace. Tuesday 10th We had an adventure.... first time on a Tuk-Tuk; just from RR to the local town of Kikambala on the main road, and the minor suburb of Majango where Moses lives. The purpose of the trip being a search for beach sandals for John to wear on the long walk through the lagoon to the reef, which we have been unable to do before and we hoped that this year it would be possible. We had been unsuccessful in obtaining any suitable footwear the UK and even the ‘jelly’s’ that I had purchased for me to use proved too painful and stiff. The walk to the reef had to be at low tide, when we would see the fish and molluscs in the little pools left behind, then onto the reef to see the corals in the Indian Ocean. Moses and the tuk-tuk were ready at 9.30am and with John in the middle, we set off. It was surprisingly roomy and enough head room for John which was amazing! After a very bumpy ride down the track we arrived at the main road and our driver went off to find more work, promising to collect us for the return trip later in the day. Back from the main road, Moses took us through a maze of little shops, we had no idea they were even there; we walked in sand and the detritus of life on the edge. The shops sold a strange array of goods, fruit and vegetables, a butchers, coal, wood and oil vendors and many shops with shoes, clothes and household plastics. Moses was convinced that Johns foot size was not a problem and if all failed he would have a pair made; after four or five possible shops, we gave up, but the best shop was

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the first one so we returned.

Wearing sunglasses, it takes a while to adjust to g gloomy unlit interiors and this shop was amazing. A large TV in corner belted out the local soap, with a young lady, possibly a family member, glued to the screen. Clothes for sale, hanging all around the walls and in front of us in the middle of the shop a heap of new shoes...not all in pairs and no sizes to be seen, until we got a closer

examination. Moses talked in Swahili to the owner who he obviously knew and she tried so hard to find the right style in the right size, but was defeated. This is where I got my shoes and I forgot to haggle......Moses was quite upset as outside the shop he said “It is our culture to haggle and bargain, never say yes at the first price, say you have no more money or something and they will come down” .... slap on wrist! Several small babies and very young children sat in the sand outside their parent’s shops; sandy, grubby, happy and smiling. Their toys were empty cartons and bottles; I watched one child, maybe a year old, fill his bottle with sand and then he emptied it, only to repeat the action again and again. The dirty environment and what could be ingested from mucky fingers, would make many a European mother sick with anxiety.

Moses and I waiting for shoes to be tried on

The 'We sell Everything' shop

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We eventually exhausted all the options that Moses could find and drew a blank, they just don’t make shoes that large...! By contrast I had found a pair for me that were ideal. By then we were getting hot and tired so Moses took us to a large airy bar where a small beer was shared by John and I and Moses had his favourite Fanta. Moses shared a story about his family which bears repeating here. He is working very hard on a new business as the beach trade is no longer supporting him, his wife and two boys. He does have some income from a benefactor in England though, who pays the boys private school fees, for which he is extremely grateful. A ‘good’ school is a major start for these boys, private rather that government schools have a better record until senior school; but even then, they are still quite academically poor. Anyway, the story goes that William aged 10 had asked for a bicycle as most of his friends at school had them, so off they go to the department store to look for a bike. Whilst they were there, they passed though the TV department and William was mesmerised by the cartoons playing on the screens. Daddy, he said, I no longer want a bike, can we have a TV instead? After due consideration, a second-hand TV was found and for a short while each week the whole family watch cartoons...!! They do however need a roof for their house, preferably before the rainy season or the TV will be ruined! We then debated as to whether we should go home, or go to a local cafe for a Kenyan lunch. The latter idea won, so we crossed the busy main road, entered the cafe which was populated with locals and several girls, serving and cleaning tables. Cleaning was done with a piece of damp towel, a quick wipe over the plastic table cloths and all spillages swept onto the floor, then a sprinkle of salt onto the tables, to keep the flies away we were told. Obviously, lots of well-fed mice in the vicinity and the flies too no notice of the salt…. The menu looked interesting and with Moses doing the translation we ordered Kukuk Choma (chopped roasted chicken) greens and salad for us. Moses had rice, vegetables, beef and salad with a hot sauce. We ate the meat with our fingers as is customary, but were given forks and spoons for the vegetables and salad. It’s always a bit of a culture shock eating with the locals; but even having been in community style cafes before, the heat, dust, insects and overall ‘African-nes’ must be experienced to be believed.

John with Sampson and Moses

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We enjoyed the trip, a real Kenyan experience, but were happy to get back and I planned to have another swim. Eventually we both got into the pool and cooled off, and I got some much-needed exercise.

Jenny, the lady who sells scarves on the beach, recognised me as I was drying off from my swim and talked me into getting another cotton wrap. We must barter … so we ended up with a price of ks750 and my unused white beach sandals into the bargain, which she will sell on. John got caught for a fresh coconut drink by one of the boys, which he said was lovely and refreshing,

he also booked some squid for delivery Saturday. Once again Simon was due, money dealing for our trips, at 2.30 so afternoon tea was a little early. One good thing though, he agreed to get us a taxi for shopping again, this was the only chance we would get, as the next two weeks were then booked with safaris. Later in the afternoon, Beatrice, the lady in charge of housekeeping, came to tell us that the apartment 92 was almost ready and her people would help us move. I was feeling unsettled and once I knew the cleaners had finished we started to pack and move ourselves. We got some help from one young man from housekeeping, as it was not just our clothes but a fridge full of food, all our fruit and the goods bought at the supermarket. We finished and got settled in by about 5pm and were happy to sit on the balcony, feeling the breeze (which was lacking at the other apartment) and had a well-earned glass of wine. NB. We never did get to do the walk to the reef; the increase in temperature this year made us think it was unwise. A risk not worth taking; maybe next year! Wednesday 11th We sit on the balcony for our first cups of tea and coffee each morning when we are not going out anywhere. This day the sun was full in the sky and the tide was returning, John had heard a very high tide in the night and I think it was because we were coming up to a full moon. After a leisurely breakfast of mango and watermelon, plus toast for John we found our taxi at 9.30am and once again off to Nakumatt. Our driver on this occasion was

Jenny, selling scarves on the beach

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Mahmoud, a cheerful chap who stopped to have a coffee with us at the Café Patisserie before we did the supermarket shopping. A satisfying shop done and back home by 1pm, by then the heat was mounting and a retreat to the cool of the apartment was called for. After lunch of salad, cold meat, hard boiled eggs and avocado.... we do eat well.... we sat on the balcony for a short rest. No visitors and quite a relief. An early dinner of fresh chicken and spinach followed by cheese, and another look though the DVD’s we brought with us. There are only to TV channels on our complex, both in Swahili and one local sport… This night we had some David Attenborough on Africa, we have already had some Jack Dee’s Lead Balloon (thanks Simon) and Rick Stein on the Canal du Midi, on his French Odyssey, thanks to John, a Christmas present for me. We are both enthusiasts of Rick Stein and his views on food, drink and eating in general. He is a great proponent of keeping things fresh, local, in season and cooked simply. A view I have been advocating for years, he is also a Francophile, so fits with Johns love of that region. Thursday 12th The sun was up very early and after a very high tide again during the night the beach was covered in bright green seaweed. Each day as the tide recedes, birds come down and populate the local fishing boat. This year it was moored very close to RR and in our apartment, we had a great view. It’s mostly sooty gulls and terns that settle on the boat and egrets, large and small that we see on the lagoon. This day there was a Goliath heron in full view, along with smaller herons that we could not name. The car and Sampson arrived at 9am for our trip the Gedi Ruins and Watamu Turtle Sanctuary near Watamu Bay. We had not travelled far North up the main road, when we met an accident; it looked like a lorry and bulldozer had had an argument. It blocked the whole road both sides but fortunately our driver Aston (we nicknamed him ‘Bling’ due to amount of silver about his person) knew the back road, through a small village and back onto the highway further up, in just a few minutes. Away from the main towns there were small hamlets all along the road, at times almost surrounded by sisal plantations. Sisal is the raw material that makes mats, roofing and other necessities and grows as far as the eye can see. After the sisal fields the country became very pastoral; cattle, and goats helped along with egrets who act rather like ox-

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peckers and keep the animals clean from ticks and flies. Gently rolling landscape, rather dry this year but enough grass for the cattle; baobab trees dot the area and provide focal points alongside the dingy huts, made from branches and mud. They are someone’s home, but strange to us.

We stopped at Kilifi Town on route for a coffee; well that was the idea. Aston took us to a local Kenyan restaurant, we asked for coffee and were met with blank stares. Sampson ordered tea, Aston cola and both orders materialised. Our coffee however would take about 15 minutes.... eventually we were told that local people don’t drink coffee so the proprietor had sent out for two sachets of Nescafe which was provided with two large mugs of boiling water! Hot and wet but not much like the coffee we have at home. Then onward to Malindi the next town on the route.

We then had a debate as to which order our visits would take place, so as it was getting on for midday we decided to take lunch first. Off to the Marina Restaurant at Watamu Blue Bay Village. Run by Italians they offered seafood and pizza, plus the normal Kenyan delicacies of ugali and meat sauce. Ugali is maize meal made into a stiff, sticky porridge, our guys just love it; it is also cheap and filling. The area around the restaurant was flanked by bushes in flower, amazing colours and a very pleasant place to be. We had calamari and chips, substantial enough, with two glasses of Collumbourg white wine...as ever the boys had ugali and meat sauce! It was then we took our trip to The Turtle rescue centre, only to find that it didn’t open until 2.30, so off we went in search of the Collumbourg wine, that so took our fancy, directed to the wholesaler by the restaurant manager. Our patient driver eventually found the shop, but they would not open until 3 or 4pm....that’s Kenya. Eventually we gave up and waited until 2.30 to see the turtles. Another big disappointment, as we started to talk through the project with Ruth one of the staff, she had to admit that they no turtles at that time.... no turtles, none...! We had a look around the empty tanks and heard about the work they do rescuing and getting them back to health. Some have been caught in fishing nets, some have ingested

Sampson at La Marina

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plastics and some have been caught and damaged by boat propellers. They stay in the sanctuary until fit for release back into the sea. The volunteers also carry out the egg watch; this happens each year when the turtles, mostly green and hawksbill species. Come back to land to lay eggs, the sites are watched until the eggs hatch and the baby turtles find their way to the sea. There are many babies, there have to be, as not that many survive the adulthood. They become adult at about the age of 40 so many are much older than that. We met a couple in interns, as volunteers are now called, and were making our way back to the car when the manager ran out...” We have a large leather-back coming in on a truck right now, please wait a few more minutes”. Sure enough, it was only a few moments later and the truck arrived with a rather stroppy turtle in the back. She was well packed in a plastic padded case to stop movement in the vehicle, but this being a very large one had to fit in, corner to corner! She was gently lifted from the back of the truck by four strong men, laid on a cloth with straps for the eventual weighing. First though, measurement was taken, she was tagged on the two front flippers and then lifted with the straps onto a hook on the scale to weigh her. She was 92 kilograms, a big girl!

The only thing that was wrong with her was a rather small left back flipper, maybe an accident some time before as there was no obvious injury or anything to hold her back. After the staff had given her a check-up, and decided not to keep her for further examination, they pronounced her fit to go back to the sea. The senior man was asked how old this turtle was and said as she was full grown she must be over

40 years...I dowsed for her age and made her 55 years old. It was incredible that we could see, and so closely, this amazing, largest turtle in the world. She was then lifted back into the truck and taken back to Turtle Bay for release; it was suggested that went to watch her go but time was pressing and we needed to get to the Gedi ruins before they closed.

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It was only another fifteen minutes to Gedi which was quite a large village with shops and schools, then along the track to the National Monument. Aston parked the car just inside the main gate and Sampson paid our entry fees. We were allotted a guide, call BamBam, a slight, small man who knew much about the history and was happy to answer our questions. We were grateful that as the time was now about 4pm, the heat of the day was dissipating but it was still very hot, so we stayed in the shade a much as possible as we were escorted around the ruins. Gedi was a Swahili walled settlement during the 13th to 17th centuries, then with incoming Arabs is become prosperous, even trading with China and Venice as the artefacts show. They sank huge wells to support the town but fighting with local towns, disease and eventually the water becoming brackish, meant that the settlement died out and the buildings were abandoned to the jungle. My dowsing revealed that there had been locals, Swahili people on that site many years before the ‘township’ was built. It was a good site, high and away from the sea which may have been where danger came from, but with good grazing for goats.

BamBam took us into the wooded area surrounding the ruins and asking us to be very quiet he said...” Look there is a golden rumped elephant shrew” .... something I have never seen and it was many years since John had seen one. They are the size of a domestic cat but very secretive, with a long trunk like nose and long tail. We got some pictures and then looking up he pointed out two large owls, turned out they were juvenile African Wood Owls, sitting the top branches above us. Just as we were taking pictures, a short rain of owl poo hit John on his shirt... we were so pleased to see these creatures I don’t think we cared too much. It was an interesting excursion but I was happy to know that in one and half hours in the car we would be home again.

John and I at the entrance to the Palace

Golden rumped elephant shrew

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Friday 13th Not feeling so great as the sun came up over the Indian Ocean. Maybe just extra tired from the journey and not sleeping too well. The air-con in the bedroom was too cold for me so had to fiddle around to get it more temperate. A lovely lazy day, swimming and watching life go by. Saturday 14th Feeling much better and ready for a nice day of people watching, swimming and cooking the squid which turned up as ordered, though more large octopus than small squid! The high tides were producing a great amount of weed and the bird life is good to watch. We occasionally saw a black heron which we had not seen on the lagoon before. I booked myself in at Nora’s Beauty Salon for a much-needed pedicure, the total, including a tip was about £8.00. She took ages and great care then turned my then lovely feet over the one of her assistants to apply the nail polish. Beauty Therapy Training is very expensive, so Nora trains her girls free of charge and provides them with a letter of recommendation as she can’t give out certificates. She has tuned out some very gifted young ladies who work in hotels all down the coast. We sat out on the loungers for a while in the afternoon and Simon called in again to sort out the balance of fees for our safari’s. Sunday 15th

Day to see the beach boys, for Johns Masai beach shoes which were being hand made…. and Abdul to organise a shopping trip. The Masai shoes are made from old tyres with the addition of straps; we have seen the Masai men wearing them to perform their dances, which entail jumping up and down on the spot......John will need to be careful when he demonstrates for the family.

Monday 16th

We were getting some very high tides and our local fishing boat was regularly swung about; sometimes facing the other way and showing its full silhouette. It’s fascinating to watch the birds vying for position in the boat, then waiting for the tide to turn when they can feed.

Another trip to Nakumatt, but much later in the morning so we had lunch out as well, and much needed swim to cool off afterwards when we got back to RR

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Whist we were using the loungers, Sarah came to tell me the laundry was done and she would take it up to apartment for me. The laundry service is great for a three-week holiday, going on safari can be dusty, in fact we get quite dirty and we take the same clothes each trip, so it’s good and inexpensive.

We are now alone in the resort, the last of weekend Indian families departed on Sunday night, a great shortage of tourists. Kenya is suffering at this time; doctors on strike now for 45 days, teachers trade unions threatening to take strike action very soon and as ever it’s all about money. They were promised pay increases over a year ago, and still nothing forthcoming. There is a general election due in august this year, maybe that will help things settle down. Tuesday 17th

A very quiet start to the day; no one around, hardly any passers-by on the beach, just the occasional handyman or a guard doing the rounds, and of course the birds for company and a lovely long day ahead. I got swim in early so that my gear would be dry to take with me to the Masai Mara on Wednesday. John had an appointment with Nora for a pedicure with which he was very pleased.

John has a regular meeting with the beach boys at around 4pm each day we on the resort; he is presented with a fresh coconut, for which he pays KS100 (80p) and they love to watch as he “takes his milk”.

We got ourselves ready for the early start on the morrow as the car was booked for 5.45am to get us the airport for our single engine Mombasa Safaris aircraft to take us to the Mara.

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Wednesday 18th Masai Mara – take three

The weather was hot and humid, our young driver, Esher, Swahili for Isaac was rapid and we were very grateful for the air-con car. We were through check-in in no time, then we had to wait the for pilots, one of which was late, so take off had a ten-minute delay. The craft had a new navigation system made by Garmin, a familiar name and as we the only passengers at the start of the trip, we got the seats behind the pilots as usual. Diani Beach for the first pick up of three Austrians, then an unusual diversion to Nairobi - Wilson airport to collect more passengers. This made the journey much longer and was totally unexpected. As we gained height, the clouds increased and only glimpses of the narrow roads and settlements slid by. Then Kilimanjaro came into sight, it is always a high point in the flight as it uses to signal that we were about halfway. There was much less snow on the mountain this year, the whole area is in drought conditions and it shows; everywhere was brown and dusty. Many dry riverbeds and the small lakes were gone. We read in the newspapers that people were calling on the Kenyan Government to declare a State of Emergency, many people and their livestock were dying.

Eventually we could see Nairobi coming into view; lots of tower blocks, lovely homes with swimming pools and ...but yes, lots of shanty towns for the poor, dotted along the railway and main roads.

Last year I commented on the new railway from Mombasa to Nairobi, being built be the Chinese. Well it looks like it’s almost done! It’s built on an embankment mostly, with elevated sections with large underpasses for both farmers, livestock and wild life to pass unhindered. Great views from the air.

Mombasa Highway at Nairobi

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We touched down at Nairobi-Wilson at 10am; a small airport for small craft and helicopters. Picked up two more passengers and changed the co-pilot. Many of the planes on the tarmac were privately owned; if you had a farm or a vineyard you would need your personal transport and an airstrip is easy to construct in the dust. Rising above the city, the urban sprawl met rural living; a line of shiny new pylons take the power from a new wind farm back to the people, shame there is no sign of solar panels anywhere. We had a couple of stops when we reached the Mara to let passengers off near their lodges and at 11.30 we reached Olkiombo air strip where our driver was waiting to take us to Ashnils Mara Lodge, Musa was to meet up with us later that evening. We had noticed lots of animal herds from the air, though the water was low in the river Mara, the crocodiles were plenty full and well-fed. At our first small river crossing in the safari vehicle, we were lucky to see a large group of Eland, normally quite elusive, they were more interested in the water than us, so we got some great close-up photos.

Then not more than another kilometre farther on we were surprised by a large heard of wildebeest, running along the road as far as we could see. Looked like we were witnessing the migration. We had never seen so many, so close, for so long.......

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On our arrival at Ashnils, Edwin the Manager came to greet us; so did Vincent our waiter of last year (now working in the bar) many of the staff remembered us and so hands shakes all round. This time we were in Tent 29, a little further away from the main lodge but with a view of the river and more shading from the shrubs and small trees that are common on the park. For this we were grateful as the heat was quite intense during the day. We got ourselves settled into the tent and it was only when we heard the hippos snorting in the river below us we knew we were back on the Mara. After a lovely, leisurely lunch we sat on the main balcony overlooking the Mara river with our coffee, I like to mention here, that the food at Ashnils is amazing, great choice at every meal; no matter what nationality or diet, you would have no problems having a decent meal. We had never seen the river so low, where they had been hippos all along the river, this year there were only a couple to see and the rest must have been under the bank where

what little water there was, was deep enough. There was a female nile crocodile, basking on the bank. She was there for many hours in the sun. At four o’clock

Musa turned up to greet and take us on our first game drive. It was good to see him again and he looked fit and well. A great three hours of sightings; all the usual

suspects and herds, plus a cheetah with a kill, a gazelle Musa thought, then a lioness walking towards us looking for water. She disturbed a Serval (another but smaller cat) on the same mission and then we lost sight of them both.

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A little later on in the drive we saw a posse of safari vehicles closing in on a leopard, sleeping off a large meal in the shade, on the bank of a small stream. Too dark to get a picture.

The drive was rounded off by witnessing a large family of lions, under a tree finishing off a buffalo kill. It was fascinating to see the cubs being helped by the lionesses to get a meal of the leftovers, then chaperoned as they walked back to the shade to rest.

Well, we had a great start to our time on the Mara; we were hot and tired by then so after a shower and change of clothes we happily went to get dinner and a drink.

Thursday 19th

As is usual the day starts very early, alarm at 5.30, coffee at 6am and are on the reserve by 6.30. It’s good to see the sunrise over the Gamma Hills and watch the hot-air balloons on the ascent.

Elephants seemed to be coping well even in the drought, but they must travel great distances finding food and then to find water. We watched a large herd, including some quite young ones, walking in line to the nearest water.

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Musa had spotted vultures congregating in the distance, this could mean a fresh kill. We found it quite quickly, and watched a pack of hyenas already on the case! It was most probably a lion kill during the night, and the scavengers keep the place tidy. Vultures and hyenas have a distinct ‘pecking order’ - vultures last but they all do a great clear up job and prevent diseases spreading.

On top of a tall tree, Musa spotted and large bird; at first glance it looked like a Martial Eagle, then an owl and in the end, we decided on it being a Black Chested Snake Eagle. We all learn something new every day. After breakfast, we sat overlooking the river from the hotel balcony; there is always something going on worth watching. A family of mongoose came down to drink, a hippo hauled herself out of the water to bask on the bank in the sun and John saw a Fish Eagle. The 10.30 drive was hot; Musa took us along the Mara River to see the main congregation of hippo’s and crocodiles and we found one of the crossing points used by zebra and wildebeest on the annual migration. We looked across the river and there were herds of Zebra on the Serengeti side, looking as if the grass was greener in Kenya and maybe they should cross back! Musa thought it was because they could smell rain the air and would want to be where the best grass was growing.

Martial Eagle

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Back to Ashnils for lunch and a rest on the balcony, only to see a very rare sight of a large family of elephants crossing the shallow river in front of us, mainly for water but they also grazed the greener vegetation at the edges of the water. They then proceed to walk up the steep bank and moved on the other side out of sight. Edwin the Manager came to watch with us and explained what a remarkable and unusual thing it was.

On the 4pm drive we had company in the vehicle; a young Italian couple on their first Safari. The girl was very interested in everything, whilst her man was most fixated by his hand-held device. We did see a lot of that about! They had very limited English and our Italian is rubbish, so we got by with sign language and lots of pointing..... We were lucky to see some sleeping lions, very close by and for us two rare sightings; a Bohor Reedbuck and two Saddle Billed Storks. Friday 20th - President Trump Day Another good early morning drive; three female lions and five cubs getting through a wildebeest or Gnu and the Italians know them. We could hear the cubs getting to grips with bone.... crunching sounds from little teeth. There was a large hippo out on the bank, late getting back to the river, so quite unusual even at that time of day. They graze all night and sleep in the water all day to keep cool.

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We also saw the largest Nile Crocodile on the Mara, a huge male basking near the river margin. We drove passed a large troop of baboons, the ones with strange bottoms, which caused much mirth from our companions.

The time after breakfast and before the 10.30 drive each morning is short but necessary to rest, it also gave us time to view the river and the changes of light, fauna and flora. The birds around the lodges are plentiful and we had assistance from the staff, who were all from the local Masai village, in identification of the small ones. Six large white storks had flown in and stayed a while and kept company with the family of Egyptian geese with their six goslings’. More storks came to join them later in the day, quite a sight. Musa drove right across the top of the Mara on the next drive; it is high and supports the large herds of zebra, wildebeest and topi everywhere, never seen so many. Just we thought that there was not much of interest, Musa took us to a waterhole. This was the remnant of a dried-up river, with just enough water to attract animals and birds.

We watched skittish zebra going into the water up to their belly’s, before jumping out for safety; they were accompanied by a heron, Marabou stork and a couple of white storks. Lots to see in a very small drop of water….. We decided not go on the 4pm drive, both of us tired out, but I got a nice swim in the Ashnils pool instead.

Topi herd with young

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Back at the main hotel the TV was on showing CNN and President Trump’s Inauguration, very long winded so we watched the sun go down over the river instead.

Saturday 21st

Our early morning drive gave us a family of jackals playing near the road, we got some great pictures. Also, a family of bat eared foxes, new to us and very photogenic.

Lots of elephant about, including a family with a very new baby, Musa thought about three weeks old. He or she, spent most of the time under mum’s tummy, how it wasn't trampled on was remarkable.

At 8.30 on our way back for breakfast, the car stopped and Musa grumbled something under his breath. “Not good news, we have a flat tyre”. He made a call on his mobile and told us that a car was coming out for us, Ashnils was only about 6 miles away and they would not be long. They would send out a new wheel for his vehicle and help him to change it.

Bat eared foxes

View of the setting sun over the Mara River

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We waited, took pictures of the stricken car and another safari vehicle came by. They had three passengers, so room for the four of us, very helpful as we got back in time for breakfast.

It was out last morning and as we were packing up, a pair of bush-buck wandered though ‘our garden’ by the tent. They are permanent residents on the Ashnils area and are not as shy as in the wild so I managed to get some close-up pictures.

Our itinerary for the day was an early lunch at 12 noon, car to the airstrip at 12.30 and a flight home to Mombasa so after our coffee we packed up our stuff and waited on the balcony. Lucky for us we saw the return of the elephant family who had crossed the river on Thursday. A hammercop was sharing the river with the goslings and gave us a fly past before we left. Flight home was punctuated with another two stops on the Mara and one at Amboseli, with Kilimanjaro in the background and then Diani Beach and Mombasa, on time at 4.30 to be met by our RR driver Isser. Amboseli did not look good from the air, many elephants but all struggling to find water, food and shade. We just hope that rain comes soon but another wonderful time on the Mara… Species list from The Masai Mara Topi Zebra Wildebeest Elephant Warthog Giraffe Cheetah Leopard Lions Serval Baboons

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Bohar Reedbuck Nile crocodile Spotted hyena Banded mongoose Slender mongoose Black mongoose Grants gazelle Thompson’s gazelle Hearty beast Water buck Eland Bush buck Bat eared fox Jackals Birds list

Terns - lagoon Sooty gulls - lagoon African pied wagtail- lagoon Long tailed cormorant-lagoon Ibis- lagoon grey heron - lagoon Black Heron - lagoon Swifts and swallows - and lagoon Tawny eagle Snake eagle Hammercop White stork Swallow Martins Pied kingfisher Egyptian goose grey doves Ringed necked dove Fish eagle Black shouldered kite Gryphon vulture Lapit faced vulture Crown plover Lilac breasted roller Black bellied bustard Hooded vulture

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White backed vulture Superb starling Black chested snake eagle Ground horn-bill Yellow throated long-claw Yellow necked spur-fowl Fiscal shrike Secretary bird Canary White browed cuckoo Common baubau

Sunday 22nd and Monday 23rd Lazy days and nothing going on at the resort. Maintenance, in their wisdom had erected a replacement lamp for security, on the beach side directly in front of our apartment. A lamp is nothing new but this one is a strip light, just you would have in your kitchen and was erected vertically on the post that held the original light. The wind had a way of whistling through the gap in the fittings and the light, when switched on in the evening, was so bright that we had to close the curtains. Strange things happen here, but as we are away for another three days, it is hardly worth complaining about.

Tuesday 24th - Tsavo East and Salt Lick

Car at 5.45 am to drive us to Tsavo East; our driver was Isser, from Kenya Smiles Safari and Travel Company, Mr Simon’s business, people John had used many times. The drive to Buchuma Gate, the most southerly entrance to the National Park, took over four hours. The usual stop at a Curio shop and cafe for a comfort break and suffering the

nine kilometres of, as yet, unmade up road, dodging the heavy trucks and matatus made it seem longer! The road drops about four feet from the main tarmac and lorries who misjudge on overtaking…fall off the road…. The Mombasa Highway to Nairobi is nearly completed, the road building machinery is visible all along the new road to Voi, vying for attention with the

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massive railway running in parallel for most of the way. This is being built by the Chinese which, in theory should take some of the transport issues on the rail and off the road. The changes from a year ago are many, the track sides are impressive and now many large imposing stations every so many kilometres apart, some for no reason that one could see other than a road junction. Our driver said that it should be in use some time this year.

NB. On our return to RR John noticed that the engines and rolling stock were being delivered to Mombasa Port by the Chinese that week.

On arrival at the Park Gate, it seemed that Isser took a very long time to get the paperwork sorted out, and by then it was getting very hot. It is important though, that each vehicle and passenger numbers are recorded and paid for, it helps the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) maintain the park, keep track of tourists and keep out poachers. Once in the park we started our game drive; binoculars and cameras at the ready, Isser on the radio communication, that all the drivers use to keep in touch and share sightings. Lots of elephant, buffalo, zebra and the unusual Oryx plus more herds on the way to Ashnils Aruba Lodge, at Aruba Dam, our stop for the night. We like the Ashnils group, they provide an amazing service, with good food and happy staff. The Aruba dam was purely for retention of water for animals and nothing like a hydroelectric dam, which of course is the image that comes to mind. In fact, seeing the area surrounded with banks and low ‘walk in’ places for animals, it was heart-breaking to find that there was very little water at all, just a small waterhole left. We arrived at the hotel at 12noon and were shown to our room only to find it was just too far away from the main building for us; just mention that we wanted to change and it was done.... our room was number 201 and suited us fine, only there was no air-con and a floor standing fan that did little to cool us down in the night. We had time for a decent lunch and a rest in the grounds watching the local bird population whilst partaking of the fine Kenya coffee that Ashnils provide. Superb starlings, African grey hornbill and what seemed to be a woodland kingfisher in the grounds and grey and black headed herons around the waterhole.

Oryx with spiral horns like barley sugar

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We had arranged with Isser to go on the 4pm drive as normal, so before that we went back to our room to get ready and we had a lovely surprise. We had a good view of, what was left, of the waterhole from our little balcony and a large family of elephants with several young, walked straight past us into the water, took long drinks and then ambled back to graze. We took afternoon tea before the drive and obtained lots of bottled water to take with us, as

ever. The heat on the flat plains, which is Tsarvo East, can be oppressive and relentless and drinking water is survival. This trip was very eventful; more elephants at small water hole, a couple of normally shy and reclusive dik-dik which provided our first sighting of the year for this species. Isser was not the best communicator in the business and would do things without telling us why. On this occasion, he had obviously heard something interesting on the radio and took off at rate of knots. When asked where or what of interest was in the offing, he said “it’s a surprise” and belted onward.

We stopped eventually and lying on a large branch high up on a tree was a leopard. It looked like it was full, after a meal and we could see through binoculars the length of the animal, then it sat up, looking away from us with the tail dropped down, just so beautiful. By then most of the tourists in the area had met up to see it too, so we moved on and found a lion, sleeping under a bush, on reflection there were two, possibly three but not moving much, so quite difficult to make them out.

Back at the lodge we met up with Grace the Manager who knew Edwin at the Mara lodge very well and ran the place so well. We quickly made friends with Samuel the barman. He was a delightful man, jovial and kind, he eyes twinkled when he smiled. He was also very professional and iced our glasses for rose or white wine, just like all the Ashnils bar staff are trained to do. A good meal and chat at the bar with Isser ended our day but it was a sticky and hot night.

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Wednesday 25th

We decided not to go on an early drive so took a decent time over breakfast and started out at 8.30 having packed up and paid the bill; this day was the trip to the Taita Hills, fresher and cooler air and mountains all around. Isser seemed to rather preoccupied with one of the wheels.... not again we thought! Seemed like a slow puncture so we would have to stop in Voi to get it mended. The trip through the reserve was good in the cool of the morning; giraffe, baboons and the ever-present elephants. We got to the Voi Gate at 9.30 and proceeded to the town in search of the tyre repair. This was quick and painless, even to us, as we stayed in the vehicle even when it was jacked up...a simple plug and glue did the job, the offending screw being taken out. No mention of ‘new tyre required sir ‘....as always happens to us in the UK. The drive to the hills was lovely; a new road again to smooth our passage until we arrived at the Sanctuary and Sarova Taita Lodge for lunch. We checked in just after 11am and got our key number for Sarova Salt Lick Lodge where we would spend the night. It was quiet when we arrived and became steadily more populated as noon got closer. We occupied our time before lunch drinking iced tea, having had to insist that we did not require sugar or honey. Sugar is high on the list of foods in Kenya and every beverage is sweet enough to rot your teeth in a week.

The distance between the two Lodges is not great, in fact the drivers return to Taita Loge to sleep in their own roundhouse lodges between game drives. So even though Isser took us on a short tour we got to Salt Lick Lodge quite quickly. The pods on sticks look like mushrooms, with all the animals you could want to see, visiting the waterhole underneath. We walked into the lobby and reception, and the first thing to hit the senses was the noise, sight

and smell of elephants. There were so many, counting was impossible; they were travelling in and out of the area in all directions and vying for space at the continuously filled artificial moat type of construction under the lowest balcony. This was a real necessity as the waterhole was almost all dried up and because of the drought was attracting far more animals than normal.

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Elephants, even babies, could reach the water with their trunks, but buffalo and antelopes of all sorts were having a problem. Necks stretched as far as possible and then the issue of overreaching, possibly falling in and not being able to get out. Later on, I did see some water buck actually in the moat when all the large animals had moved on to graze.

Some of the elephant matriarchs would make their presence felt and some shoving and bellowing would move others on and in one instance it was to allow some of the young to get to the water. Our room was at the top of one of the mushrooms, with a tricky circular staircase, but it was cool with a fan and great views over the sanctuary. There is a novel viewing platform or dugout at Salt Lick; a tunnel stretches under the ground from the main hotel area right to the edge of the waterhole. When you get to the end there is a sort of low turret with windows so you can see the animals at very close quarters and we got some amazing pictures. We did the afternoon drive from 4pm until about 6.30pm and were very hot and tired when we got back to the lodge. Our evening started up at the top level in the bar, watching the last of the last of the light disappear behind the hills.

Buffalo at close quarters! accompanied by an Ibis

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Thursday 26th

No rush to get back, so we packed up after breakfast and decided on the route home. We did the short drive out of the park; found some Reticulated Giraffes, not Rothchild’s as I had thought, many huge herds of buffalo and the ever-present elephants and on to Voi where we stopped in the town to find a supermarket. Voi is a busy town with an everyday market and lots of shops; there were two supermarkets next to each other so we were able to get the few bits

required to tide us over until we returned to UK.

The drive back to RR was as long as ever; even using the new road it was quite a trip. We did stop in Maisimais, a town at the crossing from the Mombasa Highway and the new road, for a comfort break; tea, coffee and some freshly made chips. Isser was known there, as he seemed to be everywhere.... Passing shanty towns, growing up along the new road.

We reached RR at 4pm and had a very welcome shower. Later we paid a visit to the bar on the other side of the road and had a long chat with Charles who we know from each of our visits. He is a very intelligent man, interested in the politics of Kenya and is always a great source of local information. Back in the apartment dinner time was near and the electric went off! We took head torches with us this year and this was the first time they got used. Thank god we had them, dinner was whole taffi fish which I take off the bone, not easy in the dark.... Species List from Tsavo East and Taita Hills Quella - Mombasa highway Martial Eagle Vultures - various Bee eater

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Crown plover Weaver birds Batelour eagle Secretary bird Cori bustard Kite Superb starlings Roller Swallows Grey heron - Aruba dam African Grey Hornbill Black headed heron Elephant Buffalo Warthogs leopard Impala Waterbuck Giraffe Baboon Zebra Lion Oryx Haretbeest Dik-dik Lizards

Saturday 28th

With no air-conditioning on we had a very hot and sticky night; still no electricity in the morning so it was boiled water in a pan for tea and coffee and toast for John made in a dry frying pan. You can tell I was a Girl Guide! On our way, car booked for 4pm and leftovers for lunch and then the long trek home. John had got us good seats but by chance a front row of three became available and he jumped at the chance of more leg room so moved. That way I had his vacant seat so was able to spread out as well. I had a lovely young lady next to me in the window seat and she managed to sleep the whole journey with her head supported. Must get my inflatable neck support out for next year. Nothing significant until we had to break our journey in Paris. Neither of us had been to Charles de Gaulle Airport in many years and my goodness it’s huge. After we had been through yet another security check, we followed signs to Terminal 2. At the gate a very

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officious man was getting people onto busses; we looked at the plan and we needed the blue bus and it was to take 22 minutes to get to our departure gate! Good job we were not in a rush. Sunday 29th We eventually got to Heathrow and Simon Hett who was collecting us, was not far away. We did start to notice the drop-in temperature by then; from 33 degrees to 5 is a quite a drop and we were still wearing hot weather clothes…… It was a relief to be home at about 1pm, not sure what day of the week it was or when to have a meal. We had something to eat and fell asleep on the settee. It takes about a week to get back to feeling normal again, but wow what an amazing trip……...!