No Flamingoes in Flamingo Hill Camp

27 Dec 2019

Up at 6, breakfast at 645 and on the road by 715. We had a very, very long drive ahead of us. Little did we know there are two roads leading out of the park--- one that is 17km and one that is 75. Thank goodness the roads had dried out enough overnight to allow us to take the 17km shortcut. After exiting the park there was a ton of driving through farm towns and small villages. We stopped to get gas and I tried cardamom tea-- it's now my new favorite! So sweet, warm and delicious. We finally made our way onto a paved road. It was such a nice change. However, there were large construction areas which meant diversions by tipped cans and tires to the muddy side roads. Along these roads many children came chasing after our jeep waving and yelling in Swahili. David explained they were yelling, "tourists, tourists!" Older kids however, seemed not as enthused by our presence and would flick us off or scowl at us. Adults seemed mostly uninterested or sometimes simply stared with a blank expression. I could see how farmers may resent tourists in their fancy cars and with their flashy cameras taking pictures of people just trying to live their everyday life. I could also see how it would be irritating not to have access to nice roads or indoor plumbing like the tourists do, yet tourists have access to it all. It's definitely made me feel conflicted as someone who's vacationing here. While it's wild to think that where I was born is just sheer chance, I need to recognize the privilege that comes with it in order to begin to understand how others are feeling. I also need to understand that some of the best ways I can do that are by asking questions and listening to and learning from the responses in order to shape my world view. If I'm traveling but not learning then I may as well have never left home. That being said, we drove through farm towns with small homes made of wood and clay and then we drove through bigger towns with larger homes separated by brick enclosures which sheds light on the fact that there isn't one stereotypical Kenya. It isn't just what you see on the internet or in movies, it's diverse and ever changing (according to David). After five and a half hours of driving we stopped for lunch inside Lake Nakuru National Park and then started our game drive.

We saw tons of antelope, water buffalo, land buffalo, monkeys, blue ball baboons (aptly named for their appearance), giraffes (the ones in this park are Rothschild giraffes and they are endangered. Their tongues are hard and black which allows them to eat fruit from thorn trees), zebras, warthogs and for the first time today, rhino. The rhino is the second heaviest land mammal, after the elephant. The ones at this park have two horns. At first, we saw them from very, very far away. We then stumbled upon a few that were closer up, but with their butts toward us. Finally, we came upon rhinos that we could see up close. A momma and her baby were grazing and walking right toward us. It was so amazing to watch. It was even cooler to look through the binocs up close, because we could see the details of the mud caked hide and the blinking of the eyes. Mark also spotted a cat way, way off in the distance running between the trees. I took a look and although we could both see it, we weren't sure what type of cat it was.

David explained that the 'big 5' got that name because it's made up of the 5 most dangerous animals to humans. He also explained that hunters illegally shoot game throughout Kenya and if caught can face the death penalty. At one point we drove through a swampy marsh (can our jeep really float?!) where we saw pelicans dipping under and flipping back above the water in a consistent rhythm. David explained that this is how they fish. We saw countless birds, like eagles soaring overhead, beautiful electric blue birds and thick black birds with colored heads just to name a few.

We drove through the park and made it to our accommodation, Flamingo Hill Camp, right around 515. Just 2km prior to this however was the abandoned entrance to Lake Nakuru Park. David explained that rising water levels flooded the entrance less than one year ago, rendering it unusable. Eeek. Thank goodness our accommodation is on higher ground. The campsite is absolutely gorgeous. It's set within the park and is within an arms length of grazing zebras and antelopes. Our tent has a beautiful veranda that looks out into a grassy savannah covered with rich green vegetation and colorful flowers. There's also a pool (unfortunately it's a bit too cold for that) and a fire pit. Maybe we'll use that later. Right now I'm just content sitting outside on the tent porch enjoying the beauty that nature has to offer.

After a (mostly hot) shower I put on some clean clothes and Mark and I went for dinner. The bartender was offering dawas, the signature drink of vodka, ice, honey, sugar and muddled lemons and limes. I asked him to make mine with tequila instead and the result was delicious- I even got a salted rim. 

Dinner was exquisite. Cauliflower soup, grilled tilapia with rice and veggies and a passion fruit ice cream for dessert. Am I really camping? Mark and I had a wonderful waiter named Noah who joked with us throughout dinner. After, we enjoyed the bonfire before heading to bed. Another fun day of adventuring in Africa.

27 Dec Video Compilation