Picture this. Kate and I riding flat out along the airstrip,
clouds of dust billowing behind our horses galloping hooves, the sun coming up,
the yellow biplane flying alongside us – what an amazing way to start the day. All
in aid of a photo shoot for the new website. The horses (Watamu and McCalli)
loved it too. They were so engrossed in racing each other that they weren’t in
the slightest bit perturbed by having a noisy biplane flying next to them –
what fantastic horses. Obviously, being a photo shoot, we had to repeat the
process quite a few times to get the perfect shot and stopping the horses at
the end of the airstrip became more and more of a challenge. Aching arms the
next day but worth it for the adrenalin buzz of riding flat out!! The two
jackals hanging out at the end of the airstrip also seemed to think it was good
entertainment to watch.
After breakfast, on to the camels for more photos. A giraffe
kindly walked alongside us to create a beautiful shot against the backdrop of a
crystal clear Mount Kenya. And we spotted three cheetah lying on a termite
mound whilst riding the camels. Then in the afternoon, I saw three lions on a
game drive very close up. A lioness and the two biggest male lions I have ever
seen. Having recently killed a Grevy zebra, they were so full they could barely
move and were not the slightest bit bothered about the car being parked just a
few feet from them.
Went on a lovely early evening walk yesterday along the
river that flows beneath the lodge. Saw the tail of a scarily large looking
crocodile which then slithered off the bank into the water and disappeared from
sight. We waited a while, but it never reappeared so we walked cautiously
onwards! We then came across a herd of elephants which we got quite close to,
ensuring that we stayed downwind so that they didn’t smell us. And then finally
we came upon the remains of the zebra carcass from the lion kill. Fascinating,
albeit slightly morbid, to see how the stripy skin had been peeled back, the
head still completely intact, but just bones left of the main body as every
piece of meat had been taken. The remains won’t be there for much longer as the
hyenas will be along to take care of the rest of the carcass. Nature’s way of
cleaning up.
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