Kenya and Tanzania - Day 12
We were not up at the crack of dawn. In fact we slept way past 7:30 am. It was a nice respite from the get up go of the first 11 days. That ends tomorrow when we have another early travel day. We will enjoy it while we can.
We just might end up in the pool today.
After the breakfast buffet I went on an escorted bird walk. It was very beneficial to checking off the final two species of the Ugly Five. I had only seen the vulture and maribou stork from a distance. Today I had better luck.
Our naturalist guide Mr. Kihara put me in the right places.
This is the hooded vulture. It has dark eyes and a long narrow bill. Its face is devoid of feathers and its bare skin is normally white.
Our final siting for the Ugly Five is the marabou stork.
You must admit that is an ugly bird. Also known as the “nightmare bird” or “undertaker bird,” the marabou stork is one of the ugliest creatures in Africa. It has some pretty gross habits, too, like scavenging for garbage and wearing its own feces.
Yay - we have completed our Ugly Five.
We also spotted another new species on our bird walk.
The colobus monkey has four fingers and no thumb, yet it is the best tree climbing monkey.
According to our guide at the animal orphanage, the colobus monkey is threatened as a result of locals wanting the striking black and white hide for native costumes.
In Uganda you can hunt colobus monkeys for a cost of $2,575 per day for the hunt and a trophy fee of $600.
A little history on our hotel. Mt Kenya Safari Club - Princes, kings, mafia and sheiks have walked these lawns, secret pacts have been made and probably broken here.
The cost for a basic room per night is $402.
Hollywood film star William Holden stumbled upon the inn during a safari. Enchanted by its charm, he bought the property in 1959 and transformed it into the Mt Kenya Safari Club, one of the most exclusive clubs in the world.
One of our fellow travelers Gail Anderson advised that Billy Beedle (aka William Holden) grew up in hid home town of South Pasadena, California and graduated from its high school in the mid-1930s. (Gail was in the 1966 class)
The golf course had an interesting 9th hole.
A large tree blocks the fairway and a large bunker is between the tree and the green. This is the view from the green back to the tee.
The hotel hosts another new species.
The hotel has an ostentation of peacocks on premises
In the afternoon we visited the animal orphanage. It was sponsored by William Holden.
This was a good way to see many animals up close.
One of the animals is very unusual.
It is a cross between a monkey and a baboon. It is a monkboon. It is sterile and cannot reproduce. It will not be accepted by a monkey or baboon troop so it remains in the orphanage.
In the evening we had a bush dinner down by the river. It was a BBQ buffett followed by making s’mores with chocolate chip cookies.
Graham crackers are not available in Kenya.
Tomorrow we will fly out of the hotel airport which is five minutes away and travel to Massai Mara and stay at the Maasai Mara Safari Club. We will be staying in tents. It is rumored that the WiFi might not be the best so don’t fret if there is a hiatus receiving the blog.
