I went on an African safari - and saw feeding lions, baby giraffes, and overprotective warthogs
I was picked up from my Airbnb at 6:15 a.m. and deposited about an hour away at the park's east gate. This is where my fellow tourists and I would begin our tour.
The Kenya Wildlife Service is very protective of its animals. There are endangered black rhinos and over 400 species of birds living in the park. I could take all the photos I wanted; the camera just had to stay inside the car.
With our van loaded up (read: just me and my driver, Steven), we left the paved roads behind for the park's winding, dusty path.
The early-morning view was incredible as the sun began to rise over Nairobi.
Further down the road, I could look back and see the city skyline, shrouded in a thin haze.
About an hour into the safari, I was beginning to grow anxious. I hadn't seen any wildlife, not even a bird. My driver assured me the animals were there. It was just a big park.
Coming upon an intersection, I began to wonder whether signs for "Leopard Cliffs" and "Lion Valley" were just for show.
But as the day wore on, gradually animals emerged to graze. We first spotted a lone impala off in the distance.
Then, suddenly, we came upon a whole herd of them. There were too many to count, but if I had to guess I'd say there were over 50 in total.
Just past the gazelles were a herd (or, properly, a "tower") of giraffes. A baby giraffe stayed close behind its mother and fed on leaves from the shorter branches.
Two wiseguy turkeys crossed our path shortly after leaving the giraffes. They didn't say thank you.
Winding our way through the park, we pulled up alongside a group of ostriches (sometimes called a "pride"). I wasn't expecting to see ostriches in the trip, but here they were, in all their long-necked glory.
I'll admit, the tour still was still in dire lack of big game. Apparently, other tourists felt the same. Thankfully, Steven caught wind from another driver that a female lion had been spotted feeding not too far from where we were.
Racing along the dirt roads, we drove up to a convoy of safari jeeps. Inching closer, we could see the lion coming into view.
From about 15 feet away, it was clear we were interrupting her feeding session. With blood smeared around her mouth, she yanked at the entrails of her prey. Suddenly, the ostriches seemed less cool.
Eventually, we moved to see if we could get lucky again. We landed on two gazelles who were surprisingly tolerant of us pulling alongside them ...
... until they ran away.
No matter. Turning down a side road, Steven pointed out a large pack of zebras far out in the distance. I'd never seen so many at once, and it reminded me just how strange zoos and their single-serving animals really are.
Coming around a large bend, we happened upon some deer and more zebras. They seemed to be enjoying each other's company.
We had to stop briefly, however, to let a group of ostriches cross the road. Just a normal occurrence here in Nairobi National Park. (Signs did inform me that animals have the right of way.)
We'd covered most of the park by this point, so Steven took us down a long road that would lead to the watering hole where the hippos and rhinos might be. Given the time it took to see one lion, I didn't hold my breath.
Alas, there were no rhinos or hippos. But we did meet a family of warthogs. The male warthog in the back was quite animated as we drove by, making noises that didn't seem very polite. I assumed it was just being protective of its young.
Eventually, we arrived at the exit gate. After several hours, I was hungry and ready to rejoin civil society, where food came over a counter, not grazing out on the plains.
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