Lake Nakuru Safari Adventure
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After the amazing energy of the Children of Kibera Music Festival on Friday and Saturday, we got a change on Sunday with an overnight trip to Lake Nakuru National Park. Our journey began after breakfast when we loaded up the three safari land-cruisers and headed west from Nairobi through the highlands of central Kenya to the high escarpment overlooking the majestic rift valley. We arrived at Lake Nakuru National Park at about 11 am, and began the real adventure of the safari with a quick game drive where we saw a pride of lions, lionesses, and cubs resting on the acacia trees and in the bushes next to the remnants of a giant buffalo carcass. We checked in to a sumptuous lunch at the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge. After lunch we rested in our rooms and around the swimming pool at the lodge before embarking on a late afternoon game drive as the sun began to set. The flocks of birds on the lake were fantastic. We saw pelicans, flamingoes, crested cranes, guinea fowls, and many more than we could name. We also saw many monkeys, baboons, impalas, zebra, giraffes, gazelles, white rhinos, hyenas, warthogs and waterbucks. Back at the lodge, we took in a performance of live African music and traditional dances by a bonfire before dinner. Dinner was equally delicious as our lunch had been. We retired to our nice rooms to find that the turn-in service included hot water bottles under our blankets, perfect for easing the chilly night-time temperatures in the high altitude.
On Monday morning we checked out of the lodge after breakfast and enjoyed another game drive in the park, with the highlight being a visit to the Baboon Hill overlook site. Our drive to Nairobi was mostly quiet, as many people took the chance to nap or listen to music. The scenery and landscapes were changing, and became more familiar as we approached the city of Nairobi. We arrived at Junction Mall in time for a late lunch and some quick shopping at Nakumatt Supermarket. When we got back to Shalom House we had a few hours of free time to rest, check email, or start getting ready for the coming days of substitute-teaching at the Red Rose School. The team from LitWorld came to visit before dinner and we shared our reflections and heard some tips from them that we can incorporate into our work at Red Rose. Tomorrow afternoon we will visit St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a Jesuit high school that serves many teenagers from AIDS-affected families in Kibera and other parts of Nairobi.
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