Hippos, Crocs, and much more at Lake Baringo

Sorry we weren't able to submit a new blog during our usual time this past weekend but we were at Lake Baringo in Central Kenya where the weather was warm, the scenery was spectacular, the wildlife was extraordinary, and the internet reception was questionable. We left Eldoret Saturday morning after another busy week working at the village, trying to get the school started, and trying to help out at the Open Arms office. It was a much needed break from the business of our work in Eldoret and our first adventure outside of the area.

We drove on a long windy road for two hours and 60 miles until we saw Lake Baringo in the distance. Then we drove another 90 minutes and 30 miles until we finally arrived at the lake and began to take in the scenery. The lake is very large, the 3rd largest in Kenya, It looked about 20 to 30 square miles in size, with 3 or 4 islands in the middle. We were greeted at the hotel by three ostriches, 2 peacocks, 20 guinea hens (and a partridge in a pear tree).

The weather in Baringo was noticeably warmer and more humid due to the lower elevation, but we also noticed the effects of drought in the region due to the dry creek beds surrounding the lake and the lower water level in the lake. However, we probably wouldn't be able to get to where we were staying during a regular rainy season since we drove to our final destination through about a dozen dry creek beds that would have been swollen with water in wetter conditions.

The first evening we walked down to the waterfront and were greeted by four or five good sized crocodiles that were happily eating the leftover fish entrails left behind by the local fishermen. The next day we went on a boat ride in the lake and got to see wild hippos for the first time (check out the video at the bottom of this blog), Kenyan fish eagles swooping just like many bald eagles I've seen in the past to catch a fish in the lake (also check out that video at the bottom of this blog, a few other storks, cranes, and of course more crocodiles. When we got back to shore and were walking back to our room, we saw a curious friendship between what's called a cliff rocks hyrax (I think they're related to the badger in North America), sitting on top of the back of a local goat. They sat there for some time, and eventually the hyrax jumped off the back of the goat and they played with each other for awhile longer until we disturbed them as we walked by to go to our room.

That night we watched the sun set over the lake as we fed ourselves, our three babies, and the local mosquito population. In the morning we were greeted by Colombus Monkeys walking around in the yard and the trees just behind our balcony (check out the video at the bottom). After breakfast, we took a leisurely drive back home to Eldoret the next day, looking at more crocs in the Kerio River at the bottom of the Rift Valley, a proper African sized ant hill, and even enjoying lunch at a nice restaurant overlooking the Rift Valley (the photo below was taken from our dining room table). It was a memorable trip, but now we get to go back to starting a school, playing with orphaned children and babies, cooler weather, and no hippos or crocs.