Ten of us took a 11 day trip to Kenya early September, 2009. We left for Sweetwaters immediately after landing at 6am in the morning. Our journey took us through Samburu, then Lake Nakuru, and finally Masai Mara. We were very lucky and were able to see all the animals that we liked to see, and more. We saw the rarest cat leopard 3 times, including once in a night drive. We like the Cheetah the most, which we also saw 3 different times, including a chase. We were told that lions slept most of the time, but not for us. We even saw two lion cubs. Of course, the Great Migration was in full swing with wildebeests everywhere and marching on their long long journey back to Tanzania. It has been an exceptionally dry year. There were less flamingos in Lake Nakuru than years before, but it is still quite a sight. A hyena ran into the flock of flamingos several times and each came back with a catch. Buffaloes ran to drink in Lake Nakuru's salty water, not a good sign but the result of the drought. Oh, we even saw a baby elephant probably only days old. Its body was still pinkish grey in colour! I keep talking about the large animals, but really shouldn't forget the many smaller ones and the birds and lizards...
二零零九年九月我們一行十人起程往肯雅, 早上六時到達後便馬上直奔第一站Sweetwaters, 住進設施跟酒店一樣的帳幕裏(覺得很特別), 第二天一早便出發到Samburu, 兩天後再到Lake Nakura, 最終到達Masia Mara。 我們十分幸運在路程上看到比預期更多的鳥獸。在白天最難遇見的豹, 我們也遇上三次之多! 我們最喜歡的是獵豹, 它們奔馳的速度確實厲害。 就是最愛睡覺的獅子, 也為我們而震奮起來! 而滿佈整個平原的”四不像”角馬正在”大遷徙”全速地往Tanzania方向而去。 由於氣候乾旱及環境污染, 紅鶴湖的紅鶴少了, 但仍十分悅目, 而甚至水牛也要飲Lake Nakura帶腐蝕性的水以解口渴! 除了以上的成年動物, 我們還看到了幼獅與剛出生幾天, 身上還帶有粉紅色的幼象。 還有各種顏色漂亮的雀鳥、蜥蝪, 實在太美麗興奮了。
There was no lack of drama either. At Lake Nakuru, a male buffalo was held down by 4 lions and clearly had no chance of survival. Then three buffalos, including a baby one, went to its rescue and drove the lions off! http://meocre.smugmug.com/Kenya-Experience/Buffalos/9706677_RxW72
最戲劇性的是三頭水牛(包括一頭小水牛)為了拯救同類, 拚命驅走4頭獅子, 原來動物都是有思想, 互相扶助的。 http://meocre.smugmug.com/Kenya-Experience/Buffalos/9706677_RxW72
In Massai Mara, we saw a pride of lions including two cubs playing so happily. The cubs were no larger than domestic cats. But the next morning, they were found dead and the whole lion family disintegrated! They were said to have been strangled by an intruding male lion which came to take over! I guess this is the law of nature with the fittest survival. But I found that too hard to accept as less than 24 hours before I was clicking my camera away taking photos of the playful cubs! My tripmates said that was just like people who had lost their families with no notice in the earthquake in China! Yes probably, but it still does not make it any easier to swallow.
在Masia Mara, 我們看到了兩隻幼獅與母獅在嬉戲, 幼獅就像肥了的家貓, 很趣緻啊! 但當天晚上另一雄獅入侵爭奪地盤, 幼獅便成了犧牲品。 雖然我們不能接受可愛幼獅的離去, 但這便是獅群在大自然生存的定律。
We visited two villages also, one at Samburu and another at Massai Mara. The first has redefined the meaning of "poor" at least for me. The village was near a river, which had no water for two years! They dug a hole and drank from it! It was so hard to look into the eyes of the children without feeling sorry. In contrast, the village in Massai Mara was well off. You could tell easily as the homes had locks!
我們在非洲也探訪了兩村落, 在Samburu時, 村民住在貧脊, 乾旱的河邊, 根本河已乾沽了兩年, 他們仍能在河床挖出一點點水來, 水是黃色的, 他們就這樣的放進口裏, 我們都呆住了! 住的房子是用牛糞樹枝堆砌成的, 屋內只有生火用的石頭, 最珍貴的便是舖在地上的牛皮, 他們就睡在牛皮上。 在這村, 孩子的眼神是悲哀無奈啊! 另一村在Masia Mara是較富有了, 衣服較漂亮, 房子較堅固, 門更是有上鑰的。
The photos here are a collection of my favourite ones from this trip, but they could hardly do the wildlife justice. They were all so much more lively than the same animals we saw in zoos. Suddenly all of us were buying books to read into them. The Chinese old saying rang so true: Better walk a thousand miles than to read a thousand books. It is not possible to simulate the larger than life experience we had, other than taking a trip of your own.
在旅程的最後二天, 出乎我意料之外, 團友們都自發地在酒店買了講解各種動物特性的書本, 這真兌現了古語“讀萬卷書不如行萬里路”。 這樣一個比現實更真實的旅程, 真不是筆墨可以形容的。 只能請您踏上旅途, 親身體會。
See the photos in Original size to appreciate them more. For more Kenya photos, please go to: http://meocre.smugmug.com/Kenya-Experience
二零零九年九月我們一行十人起程往肯雅, 早上六時到達後便馬上直奔第一站Sweetwaters, 住進設施跟酒店一樣的帳幕裏(覺得很特別), 第二天一早便出發到Samburu, 兩天後再到Lake Nakura, 最終到達Masia Mara。 我們十分幸運在路程上看到比預期更多的鳥獸。在白天最難遇見的豹, 我們也遇上三次之多! 我們最喜歡的是獵豹, 它們奔馳的速度確實厲害。 就是最愛睡覺的獅子, 也為我們而震奮起來! 而滿佈整個平原的”四不像”角馬正在”大遷徙”全速地往Tanzania方向而去。 由於氣候乾旱及環境污染, 紅鶴湖的紅鶴少了, 但仍十分悅目, 而甚至水牛也要飲Lake Nakura帶腐蝕性的水以解口渴! 除了以上的成年動物, 我們還看到了幼獅與剛出生幾天, 身上還帶有粉紅色的幼象。 還有各種顏色漂亮的雀鳥、蜥蝪, 實在太美麗興奮了。
There was no lack of drama either. At Lake Nakuru, a male buffalo was held down by 4 lions and clearly had no chance of survival. Then three buffalos, including a baby one, went to its rescue and drove the lions off! http://meocre.smugmug.com/Kenya-Experience/Buffalos/9706677_RxW72
最戲劇性的是三頭水牛(包括一頭小水牛)為了拯救同類, 拚命驅走4頭獅子, 原來動物都是有思想, 互相扶助的。 http://meocre.smugmug.com/Kenya-Experience/Buffalos/9706677_RxW72
In Massai Mara, we saw a pride of lions including two cubs playing so happily. The cubs were no larger than domestic cats. But the next morning, they were found dead and the whole lion family disintegrated! They were said to have been strangled by an intruding male lion which came to take over! I guess this is the law of nature with the fittest survival. But I found that too hard to accept as less than 24 hours before I was clicking my camera away taking photos of the playful cubs! My tripmates said that was just like people who had lost their families with no notice in the earthquake in China! Yes probably, but it still does not make it any easier to swallow.
在Masia Mara, 我們看到了兩隻幼獅與母獅在嬉戲, 幼獅就像肥了的家貓, 很趣緻啊! 但當天晚上另一雄獅入侵爭奪地盤, 幼獅便成了犧牲品。 雖然我們不能接受可愛幼獅的離去, 但這便是獅群在大自然生存的定律。
We visited two villages also, one at Samburu and another at Massai Mara. The first has redefined the meaning of "poor" at least for me. The village was near a river, which had no water for two years! They dug a hole and drank from it! It was so hard to look into the eyes of the children without feeling sorry. In contrast, the village in Massai Mara was well off. You could tell easily as the homes had locks!
我們在非洲也探訪了兩村落, 在Samburu時, 村民住在貧脊, 乾旱的河邊, 根本河已乾沽了兩年, 他們仍能在河床挖出一點點水來, 水是黃色的, 他們就這樣的放進口裏, 我們都呆住了! 住的房子是用牛糞樹枝堆砌成的, 屋內只有生火用的石頭, 最珍貴的便是舖在地上的牛皮, 他們就睡在牛皮上。 在這村, 孩子的眼神是悲哀無奈啊! 另一村在Masia Mara是較富有了, 衣服較漂亮, 房子較堅固, 門更是有上鑰的。
The photos here are a collection of my favourite ones from this trip, but they could hardly do the wildlife justice. They were all so much more lively than the same animals we saw in zoos. Suddenly all of us were buying books to read into them. The Chinese old saying rang so true: Better walk a thousand miles than to read a thousand books. It is not possible to simulate the larger than life experience we had, other than taking a trip of your own.
在旅程的最後二天, 出乎我意料之外, 團友們都自發地在酒店買了講解各種動物特性的書本, 這真兌現了古語“讀萬卷書不如行萬里路”。 這樣一個比現實更真實的旅程, 真不是筆墨可以形容的。 只能請您踏上旅途, 親身體會。
See the photos in Original size to appreciate them more. For more Kenya photos, please go to: http://meocre.smugmug.com/Kenya-Experience
Sunrise over Masai Mara -- Almost everyday, we hit the road around sunrise. Animals are most active at this time and lighting is best for photos. We would normally go back to the lodges for lunch and take a rest until late afternoon (around 4pm) when we went for afternoon game drives. The photos will tell you that "early birds get the worm."
Sunrise over Masai Mara -- Almost everyday, we hit the road around sunrise. Animals are most active at this time and lighting is best for photos. We would normally go back to the lodges for lunch and take a rest until late afternoon (around 4pm) when we went for afternoon game drives. The photos will tell you that "early birds get the worm."
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