My Safari at the Nakuru National Park Continues

A big welcome and thank you to my newest follower, Maus Tratos ao Idoso Denuncie, which I understand translates to Report Abuse of the Elderly. This is indeed a worthy cause.

For those of you who have been following my travel series to Kenya, I'm happy to report that I will resume the series.  At the end of this post you will find links to the other posts in this series.  I've also started a new series on frugal living and, I will continue to post about little Kigen's progress on this blog also.

When I left off the tour in the last post on this park, we were seated in the car discussing which road to take. We decided to turn right.

Amongst the trees you will find a group of zebras. Did you know that a a group of zebras is not called a herd but a harem?  I just learned that by looking it up on line today.

A close up of the water buffalo with some kind of white bird in the foreground. I'm afraid I don't know what it is. (Graham from Namibia tells me they are egrets.  Thanks Graham!).  There are also several species of birds behind the buffalo.  You can get a better view by clicking on the photo to enlarge it.  The ones at the far back are Lesser Flamingos and Great White Pelicans.  There are so many kinds of birds that feed at this lake but the largest in  numbers are probably the flamingos.

A snapshot of the lake's beauty.

A Kenyan water buffalo grazes on the wet grass while two flamingos fly overhead. I was delighted to capture the flamingos in flight.

A Thompson gazelle grazes on the grass.

I want to get a closer look at the flamingos.  They are much farther away from the shoreline than they usually are. That is because there has been so much rain and the lake has been artificially enlarged but the flamingos remain where the lake's natural shoreline is located.

The water buffalo in the foreground and the flamingos in the background make for a pretty picture.

This is about as close up a shot as I could get on this trip. I don't have a fancy camera with the ability to zoom right in.

I believe these birds are called the Helmeted Guineafowl. My driver didn't know the name of them as he isn't a tour guide. He just kept telling me that the bird tastes very good.

Here is a close up.  We came across these birds several times during our tour of the park.  I think the spotted pattern on the feathers is so pretty.

The Great White Pelican. I love the look of their beaks.  If you click on the photo it will enlarge and you can see the beak up close.

I am not fully certain but I think this blue bird might be the Lesser blue eared Glossy starling.

I thought it was so pretty and it ran across the road several times during our trip.

Come back again soon so I can show you more of this beautiful country called Kenya.

Click here to read Part 1 in this series. It starts with my stopover in Nairobi, Kenya.

Click here to read Part 2 in this series in Kenya. It continues with my sojourn in Nairobi, Kenya.

Click here to read Part 3 in this series on Kenya where I stop to view a stunning lookout.

Click here to read Part 4 in this series on Kenya where I stop at Lake Elementeita.

Click here to read Part 5 in this series on Kenya where I talk about some hotels in Nakuru.

Click here to read Part 6 in this series on Kenya where I show you some tourist sites around Nakuru.

Click here to read Part 7 in this series on Kenya where I show you the Castle Without a Princess.

Click here to read Part 8 in this series on Kenya where I feature a collection of scenes from around Nakuru. 
Click here to read Part 9 in this series where we enter the park and begin to tour it.

Click the badge above to see more wonderful scenes from around the globe.

 Click on the badge above to join others for Blue Monday.

Nakuru National Park

Thank you to those of you who have been following my Kenya series and who have taken the time to comment. I've been enjoying presenting the information about Kenya as much as people seem to enjoy viewing the photos and hearing about the different sights and scenes.  At the bottom of this post you will find links to the other posts in this series on Kenya.

Today I have a real treat. I will be featuring the Nakuru National Park.  It will actually take me several posts to share with you everything I want to show you about this wonderful park.  It is particularly poignant for me to share this post now for I just learned that a huge fire broke out on Wednesday evening at the Lake Nakuru National Park and that it is not so easy to put out. In fact, I don't know whether it has been put out yet.  I am writing this post on Friday so I'm hoping the fire will be completely extinguished when it is posted on Saturday.

Rift Valley Provincial Commissioner Osman Warfa said the inferno had destroyed vegetation in more than 650 acres of the parkland consuming vegetation and parts of Europhobia forest.  Strong winds were fanning the blaze and spreading it quickly to the eastern side of the world renowned bird sanctuary. The Kenya Wildlife Service wardens and the Kenya army soldiers were battling to put out the fire. 

The park lies in Central Kenya, 140 km north-west of Nairobi, in Nakuru district, Rift Valley Province. The lake is surrounded mainly by wooded areas and bushy grasslands. The park supports a diversity of Flamingos (Greater and Lesser) and other water birds which are the main attractions of the area. However the ecosystem of the lake also consists of  about 56 different species of mammals, including the white rhino and buffaloes and a infinite variety of terrestrial birds, nearly 450 bird species in all.

The normally water-covered surface of the lake occupies about a third of the park. The lake water supports a dense bloom of the blue-green Cyanophyte Spirulina platensis from which it gets its colour and which is the major food source for the flamingoes.

The lake is fringed by alkaline swamps with areas of sedge, Cyprus laevigatus and typha marsh along the river inflows and springs. The surrounding areas support a dry transitional savanna with various types of grasslands. Elevated areas of the park are covered in dry forest and rocky hillsides.

There is a long and well tarmaced road leading into the park.

The grassy areas along the highway are well tended and provide park land for families and lovers to spend their free time in relaxation. Since these areas are outside of the park gates the people do not have to pay to sit and relax.

As we near the entrance gates to the park the green rooftops of various park buildings are in sight.

Before I go into the park I stop at the ladies restroom. I was very excited to see the restroom because it is so nice, clean and familiar. 

Anyone who has travelled to developing countries will know what I mean when I say the restrooms are familiar.  I am especially talking about the toilet. This one has a familiar seat rather than a hole in the floor.  Women in particular will appreciate not having to squat.

While we pay for our entrance, I survey the scene. A monkey climbed into the car above and "stole" the driver's lipstick.  She managed to get it back.

In the distance is the park restaurant. I didn't stop there as I had had lunch just before getting to the park.

A closer view of the restaurant.

We are now lining up to get into the park. The tourist in the green van had a monkey enter and try to "steal" things. I believe one of the tourists gave the monkey something to run off with.

This is the little office where you enter to pay the entrance fees and use the restrooms.

This is the michievous monkey that kept entering tourist cars and vans looking for things to take. You might see something red near his paws/hands. I believe that was the lipstick that he took from the woman in the gray car above.

Just past the gate and we see our first wild animal, a male waterbuck.

The Waterbuck looks so majestic. Look at it's liquid brown eyes staring at us.

Can you see the Waterbuck behind the fallen tree and Lake Nakuru in the distance just beyond the row of trees?

It's hard to pick favourites when it comes to wildlife but I have always loved the Zebra.

I love the way some animals can be just as curious as we humans. Here a Zebra checks me out.

If you click on this photo to enlarge it you might glimpse the flamingoes (more on them in a later post).

Here is a cute baby Zebra.

This Zebra was having a dust bath.

I'm  not sure what this antelope type is but you can see it is "hiding" behind the leafy bushes.  There are many kinds of antelope in the park.

Part of the fun of a safari is spotting the wildlife despite their camouflage.

Here we park for a bit overlooking the lake as we decide which direction to head in this vast park. More adventures to come!

Click here to read Part 1 in this series. It starts with my stopover in Nairobi, Kenya.

Click here to read Part 2 in this series in Kenya. It continues with my sojourn in Nairobi, Kenya.

Click here to read Part 3 in this series on Kenya where I stop to view a stunning lookout.

Click here to read Part 4 in this series on Kenya where I stop at Lake Elementeita.

Click here to read Part 5 in this series on Kenya where I talk about some hotels in Nakuru.

Click here to read Part 6 in this series on Kenya where I show you some tourist sites around Nakuru.

Click here to read Part 7 in this series on Kenya where I show you the Castle Without a Princess.

Click here to read Part 8 in this series on Kenya where I feature a collection of scenes from around Nakuru.

Click the badge above to see more wonderful scenes from around the globe.

Join Marvellous Mommy for SOOC by clicking the badge above.

Join Murrieta 365 by clicking on the badge above. You'll get to see more lovely photos straight out of the camera.

Dreaming of Africa

These days I am dreaming of Africa. Kenya in particular. I want to visit and see my friends in the flesh instead of just emailing. I also want to make some progress on a small project with the village women in Kericho, Kenya.

I've long had a desire to help the orphan girls and women to somehow make their lives easier with things like jiko stoves and fireless cookers, as well as menstrual pads.

A jiko stove would help the women in so many ways but they are somewhat expensive especially for the villagers and a recent cheaper alternative came available but it is still too much for a villager. Jikos can save the women from back breaking and time consuming work of collecting firewood. Because there are so many people collecting twigs to start the fires for daily cooking, it is harder and harder to find it nearby. Women and children can spend hours a day locating the wood and carrying it home on their backs. It is hard work and also dangerous to go so far where you can be accosted. Once you get it home and start the fire for cooking the smoke that is generated is also a health hazard for the women and children who often suffer from eye problems.

Here is a photo of  a woman collecting firewood. I was trying to take her photo discreetly so it turned out blurry.

My hope is that I can provide each household in the village near Kericho with a jiko stove or a fireless cooker. So far I've managed to pay for 11 jiko stoves and there are another 28 women waiting for one. A jiko uses less wood and uses it more efficiently. Also you do not get all the smoke you do with the traditional three stone fire. You can read more about the jiko stove project here. You can also READ here about people I am helping in the village with the jikos.

Because of the cost and the time it is taking me to get enough jiko stoves, I've recently been considering  fireless cookers instead. They look like this in the photo below and are less expensive than a jiko stove. The drawback is that they are not as versatile. This is not my photo but I've misplaced the one I was sent. 

[Photo credit: Solar Cookers International]

If I am fortunate I may get to visit my friend, Loice and her husband, Pastor Japheth in Nakuru. Here is Loice looking with interest at her digital photo. I say if I am fortunate because I may be rather busy when I visit and so we shall see how things go.

I leave you with ac photo of the majestic lion in the national park in Nakuru. They roam the park and you must stay in the car. No walking around here where the lions roam though there is a picnic area where the baboons are.

I simply love the majestic lion. But I wouldn't want to pet one!

Majestic Lions of Kenya

There are three things that are stately in their stride,
four that move with stately bearing:
a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing...

Proverbs 30:29,30

I love Africa and Kenya in particular. Moreover, I love the majestic lion. I watched it up close in the Nakuru National Park and on the plains of the Maasai Mara. What power and majesty in this animal.

Most of us think of lions in a dry plain but the lion in this photo is from Nakuru National Park. As you can see, he has a lot of foliage in which to live. It gave me joy to watch it and my friend snapped these photos for me. I hope you enjoy them too. Just looking at them again makes me want to visit again soon.

...See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, ... has triumphed.

Revelation 5:5