Anticipation

 

Anticipating the warmer temperatures ahead and beautiful gardens.

Linking up with Mosaic Monday
Today's Flowers
I Heart Macro 
Roses of Inspiration
and Our World Tuesday.

Continuing my Tour on Lake Baringo

In my last photo tour of my trip to Lake Baringo Kenya, I shared some photos of the interior of  Soi Safari Lodge where I stayed and some of the outside areas too.

Today I am going to share more scenes from the waterfront.

The beautiful scene from Soi Safari Lodge.

 

While I was on the boat tour I snapped many photos.

As we make our way out onto Lake Baringo, I snap a photo of the beautiful Soi Safari Lodge

Fishermen are transporting cattle to market. They are from the island so can't drive into town.

 

I am not a birder per se.  But I do like birds a lot. I was pleasantly surprised to capture a few of them in my photos while I was busy snapping photos of the beautiful environment all around me.

Birds nest in the trees on the water. I think there is a bird in the tree too.

I've read that there are over 500 bird species in and around the lake. Can you imagine?!

This is a birder's paradise and perhaps some day I will be able to spend time just to specifically for birds on a tour of the area.

 As it is I was happy for the bird photos I was able to capture in my short time on the water.

Little Egret

Pied Kingfisher

 

I'm not one hundred percent sure but I think the bird in the photo above and below is an African Darter.

The fishermen will throw a fish to an eagle so tourists can capture a photo.

The eagle wasn't cooperating because it had eaten several times that day already with other tours. Sylvester shows me his guide book so I could see what the eagle looks like.

These boats are made out of a very lightweight wood (almost like cork) that floats very well.

A close up of the wood from which the boat is made.

These buildings along the waterfront are almost hidden by the lush vegetation.

  Boats of all kinds are on shore.

 Fishermen's boats and the blue boats are probably local men hoping for tourists.

Nearing the hotel shoreline.

You can see the unique roof line of Soi Safari Lodge. Other buildings are of the small town.

There are more tourists from the lodge waiting for the boat to take them on the water.

 I hope you enjoyed the tour. 

I also hope some day you can take a trip to this beautiful area of the world.

Lake Baringo, Kenya

x ~ x ~

Joining in with Skywatch Friday.
Check it out and see lovely skies from all around the world.

Pink Flamingoes Enjoy the Lake

As a child I remember wanting to visit the state of Florida.  I was fascinated by the state since it was home to the unique and delightful pink flamingos.

 I attribute my fascination with the birds to the fact that I grew up in a part of the country where winter season was from early November to the end of April.  This meant we had snow for fully half a year and much of that time was very cold.  I dreamt of  tropical climates, palm trees and an exotic lifestyle.  In my very limited life experience, pink flamingos seemed to fit into the fantasy.

Flamingos are showy birds in that they are tall, have a gloriously coloured beak, long pink legs, a gracefully curved neck and pink plumage. We didn't have such wonderfully coloured birds in my part of the world.  These characteristics would not serve the bird in my part of the world because of the lack of good camouflage.

 Years later I managed to make my way to Florida but by this time had forgotten about pink flamingos and my time in Florida was very brief.   I  was only in Miami to transfer to points south and not for sightseeing.  The best I could do was get to the beach front for a short time.  That turned out to be a bit of scary experience (perhaps a story for another day).

At last when years later I made it to Kenya, East Africa, the pink flamingos were there to greet me at Lake Nakuru.  They were breathtaking especially since there were just so many of them. My pictures do not do justice to the sheer number of them.

I hope you enjoy these beautiful birds as much as I do.

I believe these particular flamingos are called the Lesser Flamingo.

You can learn more about the flamingo here.

Participating in Wild Bird Wednesday.



Have a look there for more beautiful birds.

Beautiful Soi Safari Lodge on Lake Baringo, Kenya

In my last post, I shared part of my boat tour on Lake Baringo. My stay was at the beautiful Soi Safari Lodge. 

This post continues with a brief peek into the interior of the reception building and surrounding areas. My next post about this area will show some more of the wildlife and views from the lake.

I hope you enjoy the tour! 

These grey crowned cranes seem to be resident birds greet you as you enter  Soi Safari Lodge.

I've read that though these cranes are widely distributed throughout Africa, their existence is threatened by development and degradation of the wetlands. 

The resident ostriches want to welcome you too!

The doors helpfully open automatically as you enter the reception area.

This statue of an African woman also stands at the outside door to the lodge.

I love the reception area of this lodge because of  the African themed furnishings and knick knacks.

The wood used throughout the lodge is very beautiful. I'm not sure what it is but I absolutely love the ceiling.

 

I made my way up to this area to have a massage given by the magical fingers of Pettie. After my visit I hear she went back to Mombasa her home area but since then she has gone to Dubai for work. She posted a very short update to me around Christmas. It is very difficult for Kenyans to find work at home and thus they often end up far away from home.

Restaurant with lovely wall murals

Looking out from the restaurant windows. I ended up purchasing a bag just like the one hanging on the wall.

This path led the way to cottages where I stayed.

The cottage area. You can also stay in a multi-level building which is more like a traditional hotel.

Beautiful garden near the pool area.

Several of these unique roofs exist on the property.

Swimming pool area which I enjoyed on the morning of my departure.

  

Manager  of the lodge. I met him working on his lap top in the bar area and we had a lovely chat.

This is the fantastic view from the bar area.

This lodge is my idea of a wonderful place to stay. Rustic yet very comfortable and with amenities like swimming pool, massage, bar and gift shop. From Nairobi It is a long journey to this very dry area of the country and a place that many foreigners never get too. Tourism in Kenya has been very badly affected since 2008 due to terrorism and insecurity in the country. However it is my view that the country is still safer than being in some large cities of the world.

Joining in with Our World Tuesday this week.