Nairobi & Beyond

This mission took us into Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya.  In Africa, you hear the phrase "The Big Five".  It is a phrase used in casual conversation and seen in tourist guides for safari trips.  The term was coined by white hunters, who were referring to the five most dangerous animals to hunt on foot...the Lion, African Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Leopard and Rhinoceras.

The southwest portion of Nairobi is bordered by the Nairobi Nationl Park, with only a fence seperating the wildlife from the city.  The park is an area of grassy plains (savannah) covering 44 square miles and home to over 400 species of wildlife.  Our hotel overlooked the park---although my eyes were constantly scanning for the Big 5---all I saw were ostrich.

The next day, the mission took us toward the coast line of Kenya...on the way we passed Mount Kilimanjaro, which is located in north-eastern Tanzania, and the highest mountain on the continent of Africa.  This picture was taken from the aircraft at 21,000 feet...Mount Kilimanjaro stands 19,341 feet above sea level...the mountain peak was over 60 miles away...but still visible above the haze.

Upon reaching the Kenyan coast, we had our first safari experience.  With a few hours idle time, we asked some soldiers to drive us out to a nearby lake in thier 4-wheel drive vehicle.  We had seen this lake from the air on previous missions.  After a 30-minute drive down a bumpy trail, we arrived at a secluded area we refer to as Hippo Lake......it was amazing to think that tourists pay thousands of dollars to have a similar experience.

When we drove up, a troop of approximately 15 baboons was hanging out on the shore line.    When we approached for a closer look, the baboons filed out into the tall grass, circled back to our rear, and continued to watch us from afar.  We stayed alert...we did not want the baboons to assume a position between us and our vehicle...we were on thier turf.

Hippo Lake contained a variety of birds and at least 17 hippopotamus lounging in the water...I never knew it, but hippos do alot of grunting & groaning.

Thanks to the Kansas National Guard infantry, we had a memorable afternoon in the wild.