On safari: On the road to the Samburu Game Reserve

We left Aberdare National Park for a three-hour drive to Samburu Game Reserve. We'd been in lush green hills and were headed for a lower, drier, warmer elevation.

Our first stop was at the equator, where we were greeted by enthusiastic vendors beckoning us into their shacklike shops. I spent a few minutes with a man who showed me, from 20 meters north of the equator and then 20 meters south, how water swirls clockwise in one spot and counterclockwise in the other and not at all on the equator. I could have bought a certificate that I'd been there, but I gave him two dollars instead and thanked him for his demonstration. I knew this, but I'd never seen it demonstrated.

We stopped for lunch at Mt. Kenya Safari Club, quite an upscale resort where I enjoyed the lunch but felt gratitude we wouldn't be staying there. I'd need to be thinner and more elegant. Nearby was the William Holden Wildlife Education Center which includes an animal orphanage.

Gold crested crane (national bird of Uganda).

Lynx.

Can't remember the name, but it's related to the elephant! Ah, HYRAX!

Cheetah.

Porcupine.

Black and white colobus monkey.

We didn't get a picture of the bush pig who fostered an orphan warthog. The orphanage staff is looking for a mate for each of them.

We arrived at Samburu Intrepids Club at dusk. We'll be spending three nights, with time for game drives and some relaxation along the Uaso Nyiro River.