Jambo from Kenya! After a tour of the airport we met our hotel pick up. staying at the Terminal hotel we were quite central in Nairobi, though didn't really venture out of our hotel that night other than our regular celebratory toast in the bar next door. The next day we were met by the lady who took us to the hotel to a tour office and booked a 4 day aventure to Lake Nakuru national park and the Maasi Mara! Amelia not feeling too well and no suprise Lorraine feeling a bit worse for wear we had a day of recovery in anticipation for what was to come. Next day at 9am we were picked up by Evans our guide for the next 4 days, after a little wait at the office and to pick up the 3rd member of the group - Lori, we headed into the outback! Our first day we drove the bumpy roads through the beautiful Kenyan countryside, viewing vast plains and lakes and saw our first african animals roadside en route, the zebra and the baboon! We arrived at Keerok hotel in Nukuru and after lunch ventured out to see the sea of pink flamingo's which lined the waters of lake Nukuru that we could only see from a distance on the drive in. Literally thousands of flamingos migrate here each year, though we're really not bird people to see this sight was astounding even to us and were rather tempted to create a loud bang to see them all in flight, we restrained oursleves and snapped away. The birds actually start off white and the algae in the lake turns them pink - lovely! We witnessed the famous flamingo dance which is a mating ritual where the boys follow the 1 girl in a group - every move immitated - how annoying! We also saw the Rothschild giraffe, a leopard resting in a tree, zebra, buffalo, black rhino, gazelle, storks, and nasty looking vultures! A very good day! Followed by a nice dinner and a comfy bed - a bonus as we expected all 4 days to be camping! Day 2 was off to the Maasai Mara, up a 6am followed by an unfortunate 2 hour wait at a roadside restaurant waiting for another group which never materialised, darn it. En route we picked up our cook named Tito and saw our first glimpse of the Maasai people and on arrival at camp we met Simon, the camp manager, a Massai Warrior (his given name I can't recall!). Our first safari into the Mara we saw an amazing amount of wildlife! We saw wilderbeast, zebra, an elephant herd of 13! Lioness with 2 cubs, 2 male lions and many impala Gizelles. Not to mention all the an packed with tourists and huge great camera lenses pointing in every direction! After a bumpy ride back to camp we sat around the camp fire before a very spicy soup starter an dinner prepared by the lovely Tito. We retired back to the campfire like the lazy safari goers we are and we entertained by a Maasai show of traditional dances; circumsition, lion hunt, marriage and the famous maasi jumping! Lori from our group is now married to a Massi man so she was pleased! Day 3 was a full-on safari adventure starting at 7.30 for breaky - very important! Then off at 8am straight actross the Mara. We also reach the Mara and the Serengeti border were we took a few piccies on both sides of the parks like the tourists/travellers we are! Lori kindly compiled a list which i'm afraid I will relay from our wildlife viewing list: vultures eating carcas, lioness, thompson gazelle, ostrich, 16 elephants with young, mongoose, hart beast, topi antelope, secretary bird, lions on honeymoon, baboons, guinea fowl, warthogs, mara giraffes, bull elephant, ealand antelope, jackels, pregnant zebra, grants gazele and on a mini tour of the Mara river we saw crocs, hippo families, agamma lizard and more flies than I wish to remember! So another very good day! Evans also attempted to teach us a few phrases of the 4 languages and dialects he knew, we now can say okay in Kenyan; Sawe Sawe, well done us! We also ventured into one of the parks oldest lodges, very nice like an oasis in the desert hidden by trees we were a little jealous, though we got to use the loo's. In the late afternoon we visited a local village, within a village is one family all under the same grandfather. We were shown around and entertained with more local dances along with trying on a lion head! We were welcomed in by a man named Joseph who was in charge of any tours and shown us his home, traditional it was made of mud, sticks and manure, very cosy inside. Then off to the what felt like the hub of the village where the locals were selling their handicrafts! We were herded round quite like goats and bought a couple of items then said our fairwells. Feeling quite safe on our camp despite being in the heart of the Mara having the Masaai patrol most of the night, Lorraine unfortunately needed a toilet break at 4am. Not many people can say they were escorted to the toilet by a Maasai Warrior! Think I must have given him a fright with my bed hair! Our final day was up early for a pre-breaky game drive, hoping to see a chase as the park is most active early and after 4pm. Though we didn't see a chase we still had a good send off saw lots of animals. After breakie we hit the road (and many a bump!) back to Nairobi. A very good start to our African Adventure!