Following a leisurely breakfast
in the restaurant we made our way to the jetty and our boats for a ‘cruise’ on
Lake Naivasha. The boat skippers were not only experts at handling the very
narrow, canoe-shaped craft, they were also very good at spotting the abundant
bird-life on view – ranging from the beautifully coloured Malachite Kingfisher
to the elegant Purple Heron and the very distinctive Pink-Backed Pelican. But,
the real treat – particularly for those who had not seen one before in its
natural environment – was the first sighting of a hippopotamus rising from the
depths – just fifty yards from our boats. Awesome! Then more heads began to
pop-up and it became apparent that whole families of hippos were in the water.
We could all have spent all day watching these magnificent animals, but we had
to move on for the next part of the cruise – a close encounter with Fish
Eagles. Small pieces of bamboo were placed in the gill slits of a six inch fish
so that it would float; then a shrill whistle from one of the boat skippers brought
an eagle out of the trees with its talons extended. In a flash the fish had
been taken from the surface of the lake and back to a tree for a light snack!
It was then back to Fisherman’s Camp for us to take a last look at the resident
Vervet and Colobus monkeys before boarding the bus for the next stage of our
journey. Some hoursam later, we arrived at Nyeri and the Batien Grand Hotel,
after many renditions of ‘ten green bottles’, ‘the twelve days of Christmas’
and ‘ten in a bed’ to entertain us (and keep us awake). Unfortunately, Mount
Kenya (en route) was shrouded in cloud and we were unable to see its summit.
But, we were just able to make out some of its outline. Another fabulous day in
Africa!
Lawrie Smith
District Chairman
