24 September 2016
Because we arrived so late, Joel changes the program for a 9:00am departure, instead of 6:30am, though there probably would have been a revolt if we had had to go at 6:30am. And because everyone else went out at 6:30, we have the place to ourselves for the morning breakfast. Omelets made to order, many pastries, fruits, various juices and meats, plus Mbazzi beans in coconut milk, which are delicious. We hear the a young elephant got through the electric perimeter fence last night and could not get out, so just busted through another part of the fence.
Heading out, Joel points out the rocks, which are igneous rocks from a long-ago eruption at Kilimanjaro, which we see now from the Kenya side. The landscape here is very flat, only Kilimanjaro rising above in the distance. We pass the camp of Cynthia Moss, who runs a major elephant research program near where we are staying, and works with the Zoo. Very quickly we see a family of elephants in the distance, and then some wildebeests, one of whom looks pregnant. They have fluffy beards and long thick tails with wavy black hair. A herd of zebra are on other side, and a Black-Backed Jackal is on the prowl. Suddenly we see a large bull elephant, all alone, and a pair of cheetahs in the shade. The cheetahs are eating their kill, and we can see the blood in their faces. Every so often they raise their heads or get up to move to a new area. Joel says the kill is probably a prong-horn antelope. On the photo, the cheetah is a tiny raised head just below the large clump of vegetation. Around the area are large number of palm trees, because this is water from from the Kilimanjaro snow melt.
We turn around, and see a large family of elephants crossing the road, matriarch and many mothers and babies and aunts. A lovely vista includes the elephants, zebras, cattle egrets, and wildebeests, all together, with the cheetahs still occupied with breakfast. More Thompson’s gazelles and Grant’s gazelles, and then we see two ostriches crossing the road, a male (black) and female (gray). Up close we can see how truly large the ostrich are, they can run about 45 mph. The male’s tail is ridiculously elaborate. A large herd of wildebeests are headed for the water, as all the animals seem to be headed in that direction. We come upon a huge herd of zebra, at least 100 or more, and they pose for us … I could watch zebras all day. Their tails constantly switch back and forth.
We’re now in the marshy area, a sea of green, where a small group of elephants are in the water, submerged almost to their bellies. Many have white cattle egrets on their backs. In the distance, a large bull elephant with only one tusk approaches across the plains, and even from a long ways away he is huge. Some of the elephants are now in the water up past their bellies. This vast expanse of green is the water all the animals are seeking, and because there are no crocodiles here, the animals feel safe in the water. In the distance are more elephants, submerged almost up to their eyes. The big bull is much closer now, but still keeping a distance from us. The contrast of the white tusks against the dark gray of the elephants’ skin is stunning, enhanced by the white egrets perched on their backs. Another large bull approaches from the other side at some speed, as a large dust cloud is stirred up behind him. I count 144 elephants visible here, from one side to the other, quite a crowd. A big male Cape buffalo approaches alone in the distance, eyeballing us. The underside of the Cape buffalo’s ears has a lovely light gray pattern, almost like a butterfly’s wings, unexpectedly delicate for such a huge animal. We see group of three hippos also enjoying being partly in the water.
I can see seven dust devils in the distance along the of the plains. We come to an area with 14 giraffes in front of a watery area, with a herd of wildebeest nearby, as a group of five warthogs (pumba) march by in a line. A line hyena lopes by, covering a lot of ground quickly in his swinging gait. Hyenas generally scavenge what is left after a lion or cheetah is finished, although they will actually kill animals, but only smaller ones. There are several dust devils in the background, tan-colored tornadoes, some that seem to twist all the way to the clouds like Jack and the Beanstalk. A herd of Olive baboons cross the road, with the big male loping in front, the mothers and babies and youngsters behind, a few babies on their mothers’ backs or hanging on their bellies. Occasionally we see a lone wildebeest, which our guide Sammy says is either old or ill; it is a hard life. We’ve come in a large circle around the lake. We see some bush bucks, like brown deer, near a group of wildebeests and some Egyptian geese.
We are seeing large groups of animals here, some more likely to be dinner than others (elephants vs. Thomson’s gazelles) but all seeming to be quite harmonious together. Perhaps there a fewer predators here than in the Serengeti. We see more elephants submerged, one group with three hippos, also submerged. Soon we come upon a bull elephant making tracks; he will cross the road right behind us, so I could get a video of him moving, quite graceful at that speed.
Some Kiswahili words we have learned:
Jambo = greetings, hello
Jambo sana = hello, I’m fine (response)
Asante = thank you
Asante sana = thank you very much
Poleh poleh = slow down, wait wait
Tafazali = please
Apana = no
Ndyo = yes
Pumba = warthog
Twig a = giraffe
Simba = lion
Rafiki = friend
Chuii = leopard
Juma = cheetah
Tumda Mulia = zebra
Baba = man, father
Mama = woman, mother
Joto = hot
Pikipiki = motorbike
Back at the lodge, after lunch, we have time for a swim, which feels wonderful.
After a tasty lunch, we take a dip in the lovely pool, in some very cold water, like Sierra Nevada lakes. But this pool comes with a view of nearby zebras and gazelles, feeding in the distance, and Vervet monkeys that seem to be everywhere here. After A refreshing nap, we head out at 4:00 for another viewing ride, and I hear we’ll have a short hike. The wind has come up strongly, and it is much hotter than it was at noon. We see gazelles, zebras, elephants, and wildebeests gathered on the green edge of the water. Most of the wildebeests are laying down now, with just one standing watch; Sammy says once they have had enough to eat they relax, as they are awake all night on the watch for predator s.. It is nap time in Amboseli.
We’re approaching a large lake, Lake Amboseli, fed by melting snow from
Kilimanjaro. It is very blue, the first lake we’ve seen in Africa, and the large amount of water in one place seems somehow startling in this climate. The afternoon sun glints off the surface of the water, and we see a trio of hippos, partly submerged, and a long-legged Maribou stork. We spot a building on top of a hill next to the lake, which is what ew’ll be hiking up to. The afternoon wind is raising a lot of dust, limiting visibility at times. We see some Golden Crowned Cranes, red and back and white heads, topped by a dark mustard colored fan of feathers.We see two young male zebras fighting, one keeps poking at the other, who responds with a kick or a bite, they tussle a bit, then a somewhat larger, probably older, zebra walks between them to break it up. Reminds me of my father saying “stop it or I’ll come over there.” The two young guys walk in opposite directions, and some other zebras walk between them.
Now we have water on both sides of us, and there are many birds nearby, gray herons, sacred ibis, and white egrets. In the distance is a line of pink flamingoes on the far side of the water that seems a half-mile long. The sacred ibis are simply stunning, with their long curved black beaks, black heads and feet, and white bodies with black tipped wings. I can see how the ancient Egyptians were inspired to use the head of the ibis for the head of Thoth, the God of judgment.
We’re on our way to the lookout, where Joel says we’ll have a wonderful view. We speed along a road as corrugated as the metal roofs on houses here. And when we arrive, it is indeed a spectacular 360 degree view of Lake Amboseli and the sea of grass beyond. The wind is quite strong, and there are actual whitecaps on the water. In the distance we know lurksKilimanjaro, but it is too cloudy to see clearly. One of the interpretive signs notes that the snow cover on Kilimanjaro has shrunk by 80% since 1912, due in large part to climate change.Then suddenly, on our way down, the clouds break and we see the peak of Kilimanjaro, massive and looming, and in a few minutes, it is covered again. Back at the vans, we turn to see a spectacular sunset with clouds striking across the orange sun.Truly a wonderful ending to the day.
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