In part one we were in Tanzania and we had had a wonderful time; our guide, Moses took us to the Kenya border to meet our Kenyan guide. Once again I’m not sure I remember his name correctly but it was something like Joshua or Completely-Miserable-Sod-for-Two-Days-and-Then-Fine.
First though we had to cross the border which involved a palaver and some Shillings passing in Masonic handshake ways. When in Rome and all that…
Once across, the roads, which up to that point had been baked and rutted mud and which, Moses informed us, were only comfortable if we travelled at 57 miles an hour – he was right – became the smoothest of tarmac… for ten miles. Once away from the border and the chance of a bit of National Braggadocio, it reverted to the packed red dirt that was ubiquitous in this part of the world.
It took a day to find out why Joshua had the grumps. He thought we were all related to royalty and had been gifted the wealth needed to visit Kenya. We dissembled which made it worse. In the end we accepted that, for him, it was easier if he thought we were Empire scrounging free loaders, with a penchant for silly jewelled headgear and a dodgy German ancestry – which I guess in a sense we were (not the German bit, of course). Once we had our roles clear, it was all smiles.
Joshua knew his stuff. We were soon in the Serengeti and whereas Moses let the images do the talking, Joshua explained the habits, the life cycles, the threats – poaching then was a great problem that, sadly hasn’t gone a way – and the personal stories of a number of the main creatures.
For instance did you know that this:
The Rock Hydrax, is the Closest relative to this:
The African Elephant? Sounds like bollocks but I did check that on Wiki and, yippee, my brain isn’t yet total mush.
We did have to spend some time visiting the indigenous people, the Masai, who were lovely but I have yet to participate in one of these visits and not felt totally intrusive. That and I just can’t pogo like the Masai men; and I’ve pogoed to the Clash, been showered with the Stranglers’ bodily fluids while doing the up and down jumping bit and, well, you get the picture.
See the guy on the right? Amazing. I was in awe.
Cue music btw…
Anyway, Joshua led us on some fabulous game drives. And I learnt one thing very quickly. If there was one creature that stunned me here, it was the cheetah.
We saw many, mostly dozing in the partial shade.
They slinked, they stretched in ways that would make an Olympic standard Yogi split himself with jealousy and they were the fastest things I’d seen until the Vet stood on an eviscerated mouse, left as a gift by one of our cats: once she realised the gloop oozing between her toes was intestinal, she really moved. What particularly blew my mind was the camouflage.
This has to be the best photo we took all holiday. Can you see the cheetah?
Here’s a close up.
Yep, the Textiliste nailed this one, damn and blast her.
Two other memories stand out from this point on the trip.
The first was the sheer vastness of the migration we saw – we managed this picture of the meander of thousands of wildebeests, zebra and buffalo but nothing prepares you for seeing it live.
You could watch it for hours, unfolding across the plains.
The second was the scent of the frangipani blossom.
We were staying by a lake where the hippos came out at night to graze on the grass by the river banks. We were told, under no circumstances to leave the path back to our hut after dinner.
Getting between a hippo and the water was a recipe for disaster. Needless to say, we stuck close in the pitch dark as we clutched each other and the feeble torch we were given. Half way back, a thunderous roar rent the air, much like a jumbo jet warming up. This was followed shortly by a smell that can only be described – well, I would if I had the adjectives to do justice to something so rotten and putrescent. A Hippo fart is like a Trump press conference: incredible, unpleasant and gargantuan in the way it leaves you gasping for oxygen.
But really there was so much wildlife…
Oh I forgot the Stranglers…
Now they were wild… Where was I?
In the Serengeti we saw so much; talk about spoilt. Hunting dogs
and ostrich
exotic giraffes; apparently these guys are also bankers being related to the Rothschild scion (Giraffa camelopardis rothschildi) – who knew?
more lions
various antelopes and deer
and elephants and birds and a monkey and a croc and…!
To say it felt a wrench to drag ourselves away would be an understatement but we were off to see Nairobi and, from there the Aberdare Mountains and Treetops. Next time…
TanGental 
An amazing journey…so jealous. And the pics are wonderful. No, I did not see that cheetah…kudos to the photographer !!
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She’s very talented and modest. Drives me mad…!
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That’s the way it’s supposed to be !
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OMG! That was so amazing. Thank you for sharing it with us, Geoff. Have a thriving Thursday! Mega hugs 🙂
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It was just yesterday or so it seems
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Amazing. I’m green with envy. The cheetah photos are wonderful – they all are.
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Thanks. It was a real treat to do this
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You’re making me remember my childhood holidays!!!! Great photos His Geoffleship! Look forward to the next installment!
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Treetops
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Stop it!!!
Did you see any of the lakes? Victoria,Nakuru, Naivasha, Baringo, or Turkhana?
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What a neat trip. I am hoping to one day do the same, but it seems one of those trips that feels so manageable, and yet eternally out of reach.
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Ah keep aspiring Allie
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Wow! What an amazing trip. Great photos 🙂
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It was. My daughter has just come back from Kenya which prompted this
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How wonderful! Btw, my aches and pains are much better so we can perhaps arrange that meet up to talk about your book, if you’d still like to 🙂
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yes that’s good. Do you want to link up via email
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Great. Send me an email with what works best for you.
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Will do
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A hippo’s fart is like a Trump press conference – hahahahaha! I might have to steal that one.
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Magnificent pictures. Wonderful to see all the animals in such number and so close.
The sun seems hot and bright. Was it hot and blinding? Thank you for sharing, Geoff. Sounds a superb holiday. 🙂
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I don’t remember it being too hot – early 30s maybe and dry mostly. But the best was up in the mountains (next instalment!)
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I second all the other wows! That Massai on the right in full pogo looks like he’s levitating! The shots of all the animals, so awesome.
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it was special… and yes, gravity defying. If they played basketball….
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Fantastic photos. Thanks for sharing.
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pleasure I’d forgotten how lovely it was until I stumbled on them the other day and thought I needed to scan and post!
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And out of all of those amazing images, the one that sticks in my mind is the one I conjured up in my head. You pogo-ing. Did the Textilist get any pictures of that?
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i suppose i’m grateful cameras weren’t so ubiquitous then!!
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This was a trip down memory lane, Geoff. We spent three weeks in Kenya with our kids on a tour – the cheetahs we saw were hanging out in a tree (!), and we got the same advice about hippos. Spent a night at Tree Tops. Our two biggest adventures were being chased by baboons and taking a hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti. The migration was on and it was awesome – gnus, lions and zebras. Thanks! Great pictures!
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treetops next!
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Woo hoo! We spent part of a day parked on the Serengeti watching a family of hyenas. It was fascinating – they are such interesting animals!
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yes they were brilliant and so bright
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What an amazing trip, sorry but OMGGGGGGGGGGGG THE CHEATER PHOTO!!! I was like what effing cheater…. jaw HITS THE FLOOR. She 100% nailed it. Best photo EVER.
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It’s amazing. In those of course we had to wait for the film to be processed so had no idea what we had for weeks. My favourite of the trip
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Ha! Of course but what a surprise when it arrived I bet u wondered what the hell you had taken till u spotted it!
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Exactly do. Why did we photo the scrub?
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You really see the meaning of camouflage and how amazing that nature has created that. SErious… my mind is blown.
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They are awesome aren’t they
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It’s never ending, the parade of life, isn’t it? I still like the giraffe best 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
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Ah well for me it’s that cheetah
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I know 🙂 He’s very handsome but I wouldn’t want to be his prey 🙂
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