Orca goes on safari, oodles of flamingos and the African disco experience (Nakuru)

It was an unpleasant experience this morning. “Amy! Amy Wake up! I think it’s 5:45!” Ali anxiously yelped in the darkness. We were supposed to have been up, packed, and downstairs by quarter to six, but Ali’s alarm didn’t go off properly.  As she managed to find the light, I managed to find my watch: 5:39 am. Two people have never moved so quickly.  With Thomson gazelle-like manoeuvers we miraculously made it downstairs in six minutes, looking like, well, I didn’t want to know.  Actually, I did know.  Being the day of our big game safari drive, I decided to wear my borrowed safari vest. My huge borrowed safari vest. It would probably be big on Emilio, the 6’4″ firefighter. But at least it was better than my purple pants I had brought without trying on first.  They made my vest look petite; a local air balloon safari company asked me if they could use them as back up. Of course I couldn’t resist topping it off with a Tilley hat borrowed from my mother. It was no wonder Ali kept sending e-mails home about my wardrobe.  Not only did I look ridiculous, but I had mild panic when I couldn’t find my Malarone (malaria) pills.  My outfit had so many pockets that it took ten minutes just to confirm that I hadn’t left them in the room.

Dressed like the Crocodile Hunter, I ventured into the “land of animals that may cause me serious pain if I’m not in a car” Africa. We went to Lake Nakuru National Park, a 1500 km square protected reserve which is Kenya’s second-most popular wildlife destination after the Masai Mara. It was fabulous!!  We saw buffalo, waterbuck, impala, flamingo, gazelle, baboon, giraffe, zebra, eagles, pelicans, warthogs, white rhinos, eland (large antelope), and oryx, to drop a few names. The flamingos were especially spectacular.  Nakuru is a soda lake, full of minerals, and draws literally millions of flamingos to its shores, like big purring undulating ribbons. Every time we tried to get closer to take pictures they would, as one unit, back up at the same pace, thereby keeping an equal distance between us regardless of our position. I liked the noise, too — like a giant humming engine. We also had the pleasure of seeing, and smelling, a dead waterbuck and its

Revenge of the lawn ornaments

surrounding flies.  Open windows were frantically slammed shut as the smell clawed its way up our nostrils.  Imagine if there had been vultures — they defend against predators by throwing up on attackers. Therefore I suppose it was better to experience the painfully potent pungency of the waterbuck than violent vociferous vivid vulture vomit (this is how Sherry and I entertained ourselves on the bus, much to the discomfort of Alison and Emilio.)

We picnicked, with guess who thinking it was a good idea to feed the hyrax – yep, Nanopod.  Her tomato tossing attracted an agama, a beautiful lizard with an orange head and blue body.

Nanopod helpfully feeds the wildlife

After lunch we went to yet another pool (!) which Nano greeted with a hearty “now that’s my kind of Africa!”  My absolutely favourite part of the day was the drive back through the park.  By this time we were all fairly jaded (ho hum, another baboon, yawn), so everyone was relaxing, not paying much heed to the surroundings. Outside my window, in the dimming light of day, with the lake and millions of pink flamingos forming a backdrop, I saw the animals of the park gathering to graze on the plains by the water. Rhinos munching next to buffalo, gazelle lightly running in between zebra. Animals just doing what they do.

It was magnificent.

Later that night we had an authentic African nightclub experience at a place called Lule’s. Imagine a human-scaled airplane hangar meets train car in wood, bamboo and tin, dark with red lightbulbs and a disco ball.  Add to that the ubiquitous television, playing Rescue 911 – somehow Bill Shatner was right at home. The music was amazing, featuring a young band of drummers who really kicked it.  Nothing like sitting back with a cold Tusker and soaking it in.  Naturally the requisite drunk guy was there, a gentleman with a half-untucked shirt, spectacularly arranged teeth, and a thing for Lilah. Lucky her!