[Wednesday, August 2, 2023]
It was an early start to the day today as we were looking to leave by 8:00 AM which meant that Laureen was up at her usual 5:20 AM and me about a half hour later. Quick, hot shower (in some of the places we’ve stayed it took a long time to get hot water to the room), which was a bit of a surprise given this was the most rustic room we have had since we have been here. The water is hard, so it feels like you constantly must rinse off. We packed our bags and decided to leave them in the room while we went for breakfast so that we could come back, use the facilities and then head to the rendezvous point with Hamisi. I took a few pictures of the grounds of this beautiful spot.
I took a couple of pictures of the shore of the lake just before we left to head over there. What you see as a light pink hue that almost appears as sand, is actually Pink Flamingos who come to the lake to feed on the algae. Lake Nakuru is a saltwater lake (salty due to the soil conditions in the area) which is what is attractive to the Flamingos. Apparently, the area flooded a little while ago and made the salt content less which in turn, made it less attractive to the Flamingos. Hamisi had indicated there were many more Flamingos before so they must be moving to a different location.
This morning we were going to switch things up a little and Laureen and I sit in the back of the Land Cruiser. Up until now, our friends from the Toronto area were occupying that location given how small it was. We chatted about switching things up a little as I wanted them to have the ability to sit in the front as well. So, this morning, Laureen and I jumped in the back. I was surprised to find that the seat itself was much higher and I could sit quite comfortably in this location. There is even a bit of room to put my backpack through the hole into luggage compartment, freeing up even more room. I think I’m going to like it back here.
As we were putting bags in the back of the vehicle, I noticed our driver putting in a backpack that I had not seen before. I thought it was strange at first but didn’t think any more of it. Once we were all packed, we left for the shore of the lake. Just before we got to the shore, there was another small body of water where a group of White Pelicans had taken up residence.
There was also a small group of warthogs feeding nearby. Hamisi noted that warthogs were the most religious animal because they prayed while they ate.
Just a short drive away were the Flamingos. We were told that Flamingos were not naturally pink, but they turned that color as a result of the things that they ate. Apparently, the algae here affects the color of the Flamingos, turning them pink. We just sat and watched them for a while. enjoying both the sights and sounds.
While we were here, Hamisi got a call on the radio from the lodge indicating that they thought we had a bag that did not belong to us. Remember that backpack that I noticed earlier? It turns out it belonged to someone else at the hotel. A van met us at on the shore of the lake and a very happy lady retrieved her belongings.
We drove on a little further after enjoying the Flamingos and came across some of the other wildlife that we saw the day before.
I also was a bit captivated this morning by how beautiful the park itself is, even without wildlife in the photos. I remember as a kid watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom on Saturdays – and this was the landscape I remember. Now I’m here seeing it for myself. I tried to capture a few images of this amazing scenery (which may end up as my background on my computers).
I also took a safari family selfie (well kind of), from my vantage point from the back of the vehicle.
Next, we began the journey to Lake Naivasha. At one-point Hamisi took a “short-cut” on a very bumpy dirt road. This seemed to go on for quite a while, maybe because we were sitting in the back of the vehicle. I still find the back quite comfortable. Not sure Laureen is enjoying it as much. We finally made it to some pavement and drove a while longer until we turned into a place for a pit-stop. I like looking through all the wood carvings they have and already have my eye on some small masks of the animals we have been seeing. Back into the vehicle and then down the road to the shore of the lake.
The first part of this stop was a ride on a small fiber glass boat out on the lake to see more wildlife. The most anticipated was the Hippos.
After the boat ride, which was about an hour long, we came back to shore and did a short hour walking safari on this private conservation land amongst the wildlife that is present. Yes, walking with the animals (if we start talking to the animals, that is an entirely different movie ;-).
When we were done, we jumped back into the vehicle and headed for the hotel where we will be spending the night – The Muthu Lake Naivasha Country Club for lunch and the rest of the afternoon was for us to explore the area, go for a swim or rest until dinner. Quite honestly, it seems as though all we do is move from meal-to-meal on this trip. The food has been amazing everywhere we have gone thus far.
We were also warned not to walk on the grounds after dinner (or when it was dark) as the hippos come up on shore and graze on the grounds. Hippos can be very aggressive, so stumbling across one in the dark might not bode so well. We have been told stories of tourists thinking that the hippos look cute and trying to take selfies with them, being stomped or bitten such that they have not survived. We'll be steering clear of the hippos for sure.
Looking forward to the Masai Mara tomorrow!
G'night all
Curt & Laureen
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