Memories of My Stay at Maasai Mara, Kenya

It has already been quite some time since I took a safari in Kenya. It was rather pricey but I thought it was important to go on safari at least once and in particular on my first visit to the country. Am I ever glad I did.

I went to the famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve (sometimes spelled Masai Mara) , one of the most popular destinations in Kenya.  I was fortunate to be there during the annual wildebeest migration, an awesome spectacle in which there are over a million wildebeest crossing the Savannah. Perhaps I will share those photos in another post once I lay hands on my older photo files.

In the few photos I'm sharing today you can see the beautiful elephants, including a baby elephant, a lone giraffe and several zebras.  I have so many more photos of the beautiful wildlife in Kenya some of which I've shared on this blog over the years.

In addition to the fantastic wildlife, some of which is sadly in danger of extinction, there is a wonderful variety of lodges to choose from when on safari.  I stayed at the beautiful Keekoruk Lodge which I thoroughly enjoyed. Not only was the lodge beautiful and decorated in an elegant rustic style which I so enjoy, but the grounds were meticulously cared for while the food offerings 3 times a day was simply stupendous. On safari you generally go out looking for game at 3 separate points during the day. After enjoying game watching and when dinner was over I would take a walk on the boardwalk behind the hotel. There I could watch and listen to even more wild animals that came to drink at the pond.

In an earlier version of this post I shared a video made by a couple of tourists who also stayed at the Keekoruk. They stayed in the main lodge but I stayed in a stand alone chalet that had a private deck in front. I've seen deleted that rather long video in favour of this shorter one. It gives a much better (and shorter) view of the entire lodge and the wild animals on the mara. I hope you enjoy it.

My room in the chalet looked a lot like the one below. This photo was taken off the internet as I don't recall where I've placed my photos of the lodge and my stay there. I recall my room as looking somewhat more luxurious than the one in the photo and also somewhat larger so perhaps this particular room is not in a chalet. I hope you do notice the rods protruding from the ceiling. This hotel has mosquito netting which encompasses all 4 sides of the bed and provides excellent protection from any mosquitoes which may find the way into your room. I don't recall seeing any at this establishment but the hotel is located near a body of water so I'm sure there are some mosquitoes around.  The mosquito netting will give you peace of mind and protection if needed.

I hope you enjoyed this post. 

I'm joining in with Eileen at

Saturday's Critters.

Dropping by La Conner, Washington

I left off on Chuckanut Drive on my scenic tour of western Washington State here (in case you missed it).  The weather that day was spectacular.  There were no clouds in sight.  The sun was shining but the intense heat of the summer was behind us.

We are travelling south on highway 11 (green line) and saw the spectacular ocean shots in my post here.

The drive was beautiful as we drove most of the way on Chuckanut Drive through this beautiful rain forest.

This is the largest tourist stop on the drive where you take photos of the beautiful vistas.

As we end our journey south on Chuckanut Drive we stopped in Burlington for a bite to eat before heading back on the freeway towards Whidbey Island.

Before too long we get to the La Conner turn off. La Conner is a place I've had in mind to go for some years ever since it was featured on a show called,  "Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest" .  The show was produced in Washington State and featured lots of picturesque towns to visit and quaint places to lodge.  It doesn't seem to be on television anymore.

This was one of the first shots I took as we entered the town.

You always know when you're in the USA as there is usually a flag outside someone's house or place of business.

This looks like a wonderful shop. You can see the care and attention that has gone into keeping these historic buildings.

This church caught my eye, so.....

... I tried to get a good photo.

Main Street of the town and more historic shops...

This place sells ice cream and candy. I can imagine they've been incredibly busy this hot summer.

It was nice to see some action on the waterfront. I don't know where the bridge leads.

This shot is taken in the direction of the town of La Connor.

This Inn comes up a lot in a google search when looking for accomodations in the area.  Given this is a tourist town, I think it is overpriced but it is rated quite well by people who have stayed there.

Leaving LaConnor and making our way back to the freeway for the turnoff to Whidbey Island.

We are at the freeway about to turn left and head west.

 

 I hope you enjoyed the quick tour of La Conner. It was a real whistle stop for us just so I could see the place.   If you'd like to plan a trip there, you can find out much more information by clicking here.

I'm linking up today with Skywatch Friday. Please drop by there by clicking here and seeing the wonderful skies from different places around the world.

Trip to the South On Chuckanut Drive

I mentioned a few days ago that I had taken my first trip south of the border in many years.  I've been wanting get away from the usual spots and see some "new-to-me" scenery. but I did not want to go too far.

I thought if I went south I would have some good scenic views of the ocean to share with you.  I chose, Whidbey Island off Washington State's west coast.  I'd never been to Whidbey Island before but read on line that it wouldn't take more than 1.5- 2 hours to get there not counting potential delays at the border. I packed an overnight bag just in case I decided to spend the night.

Here is a map to show you that we are heading south on Highway 99 through Richmond, Surrey and White Rock in British Columbia,  just before reaching the Peace Arch Border Crossing (north side of Blaine, Washington).  From Blaine we will be on Highway 5, known in the USA as I-5 (Interstate 5) which takes you all the way to California. The highway is 1381 miles (2222 kilometres long).

As we get near the border, this is what we see.  The Nexus lane is for people who travel frequently to the USA.  You must apply to become a Nexus card holder and get quicker processing times at the border crossings.

The line up at the border looks deceptively short. Once you pass by the buildings in the far left, you will come across the scene in the next photo.

 

This is the Peace Arch Border Crossing into Washington State. There is a lovely park area here. I wonder how many people actually use it. 

Online, I read that the Chuckanut Drive route (Highway 11 on the map below) was a scenic route so that is the route we decided to take.  All the photos below are taken along Chuckanut Drive.  There were few places to stop to take photos but I managed to get some good drive bys.  We did stop but once or twice also.  There are many places where one could turn westward and go on hiking trails but that was not on the agenda for the day.

Click the photos to enlarge.

 

 

Come back soon for more photos from Washington State.

I'm linking up with Our World Tuesday this week.

Seton Lake Skies

Two of my family members took a drive to Seton Lake in early September.

The area is a wonderful wilderness area and an outdoor enthusiast's paradise.

The scenery was spectacular. In these photos the road seems to lead to the sky. 

Seton Lake is located where you see the red X on the map above,  near Lillooet
(indicated by the red dot).
Click here to learn more about tourism in the region.

Lake Elementeita

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.

As we continue our journey northward from the look out along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway as seen in my post here, we eventually make our way to Lake Elementeita. Lake Elementeita, also spelled Elementaita, is a soda lake, in the eastern limb of East Africa's Great Rift Valley, about 120 km northwest of Nairobi, Kenya. The lake gets it's name from the Masaai word "muteita" which means "dust place", a reference to the dry and dusty quality of the area, especially between January and March.

I passed through this area in November 2010.  At the time the area was nice, lush and green.  Elementeita is located between Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru. The major Nairobi-Nakuru highway runs along the nearby escarpment giving motorists a spectacular vista towards the lake. However I wanted a better look at the lake.

At the entry gate just off the highway we paid a small entry fee and then turned off to drive down a very bumpy dirt road to the lake.  Don't let the bumpy road deter you from the experience of seeing the lake.  I still remember my first trip where I couldn't get over how bad the roads were and now it doesn't bother me at all. By the way, many of the major highways have been improved since my first journey to Kenya.

Taking these close up views of the mountains and surrounding area will make any bumps you encounter more than worth it!

After the busyness of Nairobi and the traffic jams we encountered every day, I felt myself relaxing the tense muscles in my body. It was just so wonderful to be out in natural surroundings of which the country of Kenya is bountifully blessed.

As often happens when you veer off the beaten path, children appeared out of nowhere.  Some had been working and some had been playing for at least one of them had a machete, a common implement here. The children excitedly ran down to the lake to meet us. I often have candy with me and small change for like children everywhere they hope to be given a small treat.

The first white settlement at Lake Elementeita occured when Lord Delamere (1897-1931) established Soysambu, a 48,000 acre ranch on the western side of the lake. Delamere gifted the land nearest the lake to his brother-in-law, the Honorable Galbraith Lowry Egerton Cole (1881-1929).  Egerton Cole is buried on Kekopey Ranch which today is called Lake Elementeita Lodge and is open for overnight guests.

On our drive back up the road to the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway, I snapped these photos of the buildings on the surrounding hillside.   You can see some of the birdlife in the foreground of the lake.

There are between 350-400 bird species recorded in the Lake Nakuru/Lake Elmenteita basin. Elementeita attracts visiting flamingoes which feed on the lake's crustacean and insect larvae and on its suspended blue-green algae.  In 1962,  tilapia fish were introduced to the lake from Lake Magadi in Kenya.  An unfortunate side effect of tilapia introduction is that the flamingo population has dramatically dwindled.  The tilapia fish attract a lot of fish eating birds that also feed upon the flamingo eggs and chicks.  Over a million birds that formerly bred at Elmenteita are now said to have sought refuge at  Lake Natron in Tanzania.

*All photos mine*

Overnight visitors to Lake Elementeita can spend the night at the Elementaita Lodge as well as camping at Mbweha camp.  You can find breathing photos of these lodgings by clicking on the links (as underlined).

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Elmenteita
http://www.africanmeccasafaris.com/kenya/guide/lakeelementaita.asp
http://www.enhols.com/kenya_safari/lake/elementaita.aspx