We camped out in the bush!! We got to Shivani’s in the afternoon. She has a permanent camp on a hill. If you look on the hill in this photo closely you can see some rooftops. That is the camp for Ewaso Lions.
She had a conference call soon after we got there. There are plans to build a dam in Samburu. This would result in drying up the river and would be devastating for wildlife. So Samson, one of warriors, took us to the deck to look at the view and watch the sunset.
After dinner it was early to bed. Here is our tent at Ewaso Lions and our toilet.
It is very dark there at night. I heard a dik-dik by the tent in the middle of the night. It is the smallest antelope –about the size of a small Italian greyhound.
We were up at 4:45 for the Lion Marathon. We were dropped in the dark in the middle of the bush with Samson who of course had no weapon.
We walked around and waited for the runners.
About an hour later they came through.
Even Shivani ran.
After the race the warden of the conservancy picked us up and drove us-with a very cracked windshield to the finish line.
Goats were given to the top three finishers-to be added to their herd. We each got to give a goat to one of the winners!
The Samburu people are so kind and friendly to us. We were the only non-Samburu there. Folks came over and greeted us and shook our hand. The Samburu are a gentle, calm people and have been so gracious and welcoming to us. We met one of the Ewaso Lions’ warrior’s family. We have interacted with the Samburu here in a way people who just come in safari are not able to. We feel very grateful for this experience. I am sad our time here is drawing to a close.
Looking Out Seeing Within 