mug of hot cocoa to take with me. We drove to the top of a cliff overlooking the lake - a spot from which scenes from the movie, "Lion King" were drawn. Along the way we spot a couple of cape buffalo getting it on. Wow. That looked rough. We are enjoying the view from the top of the cliff. Mist is moving across the lake and the light is very subdued. The flamingos are still down there and they make a lot of noise. I watch a lizard warm itself on the stone wall. Baboons are hanging around. I stand by the van for a minute and I spot a baboon sneaking up behind me. I turn around. I really don't trust baboons behind me. We move away from the van to take a group picture. When we return our van is covered with baboons. One of them is sliding up and down the windshield, using the wiper to get back up. A baby baboon is clinging to the back bumper, trying unsuccessfully to get on the roof with the rest. More than half the baboons are licking the van. They must enjoy the salty dust we gathered when we drove along the shore yesterday. Muthoga shoos them away and one baboon acts aggressively but eventually backs off. As we watch them scamper beside the van, the head honcho of the baboon tribe mounts a female, his feet off the ground. No foreplay. No small talk. He gets off and lies on the ground while she and another female proceed to groom his arms and legs. Cripes almighty. It's not even 7 a.m. and I've seen the copulation of two species. We head back for a delicious breakfast and pack up our stuff. I talk to Monica who is the caretaker there. I admire her flowers and poinsettia. She shows me where a buffalo has fertilized her flower bed. I can't believe those two ton animals come up so close to the house! She says if she sees the buffalo herd moving east, she knows there is a lion in the west. She says the buffalo seek shelter under the security light at night because the lion fear the light. I still can't imagine huge buffalo outside your door in the morning. She reminds me that the lion is the king of the jungle. We drive to Nakuru for lunch. We eat at a famous old dining room. The food is good. We sit outside. Across the busy street a steam roller idles, burning diesel fuel. The smell of diesel is very strong. We drive to the Fish Eagle Inn. We are already late for our boat ride. We climb into the boat. The shore is clogged for 20+ feet with an invasive species - the water hyacinth. The weeds clog the motor. I tell Muthoga that I have this in my pond in the backyard. I tell him I pay $8 for a small piece of this every spring. "You pay? For this? You pay $8 for this?" I guess it is true that one person's flower is another person's weed. We head across the lake. This is a freshwater lake. We head to the other shore where there is a reserve. We meet Moses, a naturalist. He's about 7 feet tall and a fast walker. He calls me "Pole Pole Mama," Swahili for slow Miss. I've been hearing that a lot. He knows where there is a two day old giraffe. I try hard to keep up with him. We see the giraffe lying upright in the bush. Before we can get our cameras out Moses disturbs the baby giraffe and it hobbles to it's feet and clumsily runs off with it's Momma. Did you know that a giraffe cannot lie prone with their head on the ground? When they lie down, they fold up their legs and keep their head upright. A giraffe who lies down it's head will die within 20 minutes because it's heart is not strong enough to pump the blood to it's brain when prone. Moses knows a lot of facts and he is a very entertaining naturalist. He points out what I thought was broken brown glass on the ground - it's obsidian, a volcanic rock. Moses takes off again and after 15 minutes it is apparent to me that I am not going to be able to keep up with him. I tell the others that I will wait for them to return. I see Moses and my gang walking amongst a herd of zebra and wildebeest. I can hear Moses talking but I can't make out what he is saying. My back hasn't been much a problem so far but I am very jealous of my companions now. I would have loved walking in the herd with Moses. We get back in the boat. A wind comes up and we get a few white caps. I know it isn't safe to swim or wade in the lakes here because of water borne illnesses. But what can I do when it is splashing me in the face? The shore is lined with reeds. The reeds aren't like the Minnesota reeds. These look like 20 foot high dill weed. We spot some hippos in the water near the shore. We stop to visit Elsamere - home of Joy Adamson, author of "Born Free." I remember watching the television show of Born Free. We watch a video about her life before having tea and cake. After learning about her life, I decide Joy Adamson was kind of a maverick and maybe didn't have the best judgement. I see her rolling around on the ground with a lion, a cheetah and a leopard - was she crazy? Joy was a talented musician, author, and artist but she doesn't sound like she was very easy to live with. One of my companions is very interested in seeing Colombos monkeys. So far we haven't spotted any. We hear Colombos monkeys hang around Elsamere. As we leave the building, she spots some at the very top of a tall tree. She is jumping up and down with joy and satisfaction. The black and white fur on the monkey is very attractive. I have been so lucky because I truly enjoy the women on this trip. We have a lot in common. The other three are all related. I hope they adopt me. We head back to the Inn for a buffet supper. There is way too much food on this trip. I'm glad for the buffet because I won't waste as much. I am exhausted from my experiences of the day. I am adding a photo at the end here from my visit with the Samburu tribe a few days ago. A woman at work said I look 25 in this photo so I want to show it off. Mom told me not to go on this trip. She was afraid a man would take me for his wife. "Really?" I asked, "Wouldn't you think he would want someone fertile?" I am debating whether to send her a copy of this photo with a note saying I've decided to stay and be his second wife.
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