I’m writing this in a tent, in a nature conservancy, in Kenya. I’m cozy in my sleeping bag capturing these fresh thoughts on my phone. I can hear birds and some quiet chatter by the fire. At lunch an elephant wandered by, bathed itself in mud with its trunk, then chomped on grass for quite some time. So many ‘wow moments’ and we’re two days into a two plus week guided journey in Kenya. We landed in Nairobi and quickly left the urban chaos behind.
We’re heading to Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. Our journey is a loop. Technically it’s a lollipop :) with the stick being the to/from leg to Nairobi. We are traveling by safari-modified Toyota Land cruiser. The map reveals what we have been told: it is sparsely populated and wildly remote. At the beginning and end we’ll visit nature conservancies and wildlife reserves which are home to amazing African flora and fauna.
We’re camping most nights. It’s so great to be living outdoors as part of an experience that is all about the outdoors. We are completely alone at our campsite, with our team :) We are sleeping where these animals roam. No barrier, fence, nada. Zebras have wandered by our camp. Buffaloes. Elephants. We have a night guard the conservancy has loaned to us for two nights, Patrick, who carries a big gun. He was very excited our last morning because a lot of animals had visited in the night (!!). Jean is our guide. Muya drives the second Toyota Land cruiser full of food and gear. David is the cook. It’s a bit like river rafting: we’re camping, heavily supported, not traveling light and the food is great!! The food is actually better than rafting, way better. Jean, Muya and David are all about my age and have guided the remotest regions and highest peaks of Africa all their lives. Jean is the only white guy. French. He lived abroad a lot when he was a kid. As a young boy living in Algeria he decided he wanted to be a guide in Africa. He has lived in Kenya for decades, married to a Kenyan woman, and everyone seems to know him. He feels like our bridge into another world.
Middle top photo below is firewood delivery for our campfire :) and bottom right is sunrise over Mt Kenya. Being on the Equator the sun rises (and sets) fast!!
The past two days we have spent in Ol Pejeta Nature Conservancy. There have been many take-your-breath-away moments as we see these wild animals for the first time in the wild. Rhinos, zebras, hyenas, gazelles, giraffes, elephants, warthogs, buffaloes. Big spiders in the outhouse!! Each of them stunning in their own way.

There are Black and White Rhinos here. We saw both. Turns out they are both Grey. Some guy a long time ago called them “Wide Rhinos” because of their wide mouths, but everybody heard “White” not “Wide” and there you go. Rhino tusks are big business for Chinese Medicine. Millions of dollars are spent annually to protect them from poachers. No poaches or kills in seven years. Heartbreaking to imagine humans killing any of these animals. Yet they do. We visited a rhino called Baraka that gets extra TLC because he lost an eye.
Zebras are a real wonder. Feels like art. Call me weird but their butts are gorgeous. All those lines radiating outwards. Kids think I’m ridiculous.
Giraffes are everything you would hope them to be. Seeing twenty giraffes spread across the plateau was not a sight I had anticipated. What a wonder.
Elephants are the stuff of my childhood dreams. I read so many Barbar books, and still do. Their ears, their tusks, their trunks. There is a sweetness about them.
Warthogs are so funny to me. Those little horns on their nose!! They drop down to their knees and then kind of crawl about to scavenge. The funniest sight! And so many gazelles, hyenas and more.
The landscape is stunning too.

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