We're Off To Solio!!

Monday, March 20, 2017

After our field trip to the preschool we headed off to Sasaab airport to catch our charter flight to Solio.

I'm not joking.  This is the airport that we went to...I guess we don't have to worry about bringing water bottles or taking off our shoes for inspection!

As you can see, Robin doesn't follow directions very well.  He's sitting on the arrivals side :)

It was bizarre seeing William play on a cellphone.  Where the heck do they get it from anyways?  We were way out in the boonies!

When our plane arrive we said our goodbyes...this is the guide and spotter that Susie and Evam had.  I forget their names.  I think one was Sammy.

We landed on another crazy ass airstrip.  Only this time it was grass...

The lodge was only about 15 mins away and the rhino wasted no time to welcome us in

We were then escorted to our rooms and holy hell...this place was HA-UGE.  And beautiful!! I think it was almost as big as our house!

Yes, that is a fireplace.  They light it for us at night before we go to bed...it gets quite chilly at Solio!

Look at this bathroom!!

Notice the bucket?  They are very good about water conservation.  It takes a little while for the water to warm up when you take a shower.  They ask that you use the bucket to catch the cold water and they will use it to water plants, etc.  They did the same at Sasaab.

I wish I could've hung out at the lodge a little bit longer, it was so comfy in there.  But we had animals to see!

Samburu Preschool

Monday, March 20, 2017

Today was our last day at Sasaab, we fly out to Solio Lodge later on this morning.  Before we headed off to the airport we were able to visit the local pre-school.  These kids were adorable, the ages varied from the youngest, 2 years old, to the oldest, 6.  Not all children attend school.  It is up to the parents whether they would like to send them or keep them at home to herd the goats.

This is Scott and Nicki, the managers at Sasaab.  Really really nice people and Scott has the most infectious laugh!!

The kids starting running to us when they saw us pull up

Two new naughty students in the back...

So cute!

The Traditional Warrior Dance

Sunday, March 19, 2017

For tonight's sundowner we were treated to a traditional warrior dance.  This dance is done during special ceremonies such as a wedding for the warriors to find a mate.  I'm not sure how serious it is, I was told it was something like the bride catching the bouquet...just because she catches it it doesn't mean she's necessarily gonna be the next one married.  It was quite entertaining, but a nightmare for me to shoot.  Super bright light and their backs were constantly against the sun, which means harsh shadows on their faces.  Ugh.  Oh, did  I tell you I broke my flash?  Yup.  On the first game drive.  It fell off my camera, three feet on to the rocky pavement.  No flash for me tonight.  Fun.

Oh in case you were wondering, today was kind of a rest day for us.  After the village we had the whole day to relax and enjoy the lodge.  It was a much needed break.  I think everyone was a bit tired and still jetlagged.

To get to the dance we walked about 15 minutes down the riverbed to the staging area.  

The warriors wasted no time getting into their groove

This is Laurie.  She was also staying at Sasaab with her boyfriend Mark Boyd.  He's a conservationist with the Safari Collection and also does a lot of work with the community.  You can listen to an interview here.  It's quite interesting

The girls anxiously line up

After the girls get comfortable they join in with the warriors

Once the sun goes down they build a fire and the party continues!

The People of Samburu Village

Sunday, March 19, 2017

There are two villages near the lodge, one of them is Samburu Village.  We were fortunate to be able to visit them and learn about their lifestyle.  They seem very happy and friendly, realizing that you don't need money to be happy.  They live VERY simple lives and although they are very poor they are able to raise successful families and warriors.

They wear vibrant colors, which in the morning light made my job very easy...

This woman was stunning!

This is Robin Moore.  He's the professional photographer that lead this tour.  He's awesome.  You should check him out here.  He was extremely patient with me...I had lots and lots of questions, and he also gave me some helpful post processing tips that saves me a lot of time!!

They taught Susie how to milk a goat.  Not me though, I was running around taking advantage of the beautiful lighting!

I couldn't get enough of this guy too...

When it was time to leave the kids ran over to say goodbye...

Sundowner

Saturday, March 18, 2017

It was time for our sundowner.  Every night we have a sundowner where they serve us drinks and a little snack while we sit and enjoy the sunset.  Tonight we were taking a 45 minute stroll to Sundowner Rock.  Half of us rode camels while the others walked.  We were supposed to switch half way but that never happened.  My legs and butt were kind of sore after that...hahaha

This is Josh.  Sorry, you can't see his face but he's a journalist from the UK on assignment.  Sheesh.  Tough job.  He was a crack up, an awesome addition to our group!

This is the view when we got to the top.  Amazing.

My pals Daniel and William

Poor William.  He was so striking we kept taking pictures of him!

Not a bad way to end the day...