A Park Within A City

It was time for my family to head back to Sri Lanka. I joined them to Nairobi from Mombasa so that they will not have any issues at the airport. It was quite an emotional trip specially to good bye even for a couple of months. Never the less we all have to make some kind of sacrifices at some time in our lives.

After ensuring my family was safe on the plane, I had some spare time in Nairobi, thus I got the idea of making a trip to the Nairobi National Park which boarders the capital of Kenya.

I didn’t know what to expect on this trip. I knew there were lions, but I was hoping to a rhino with my own eyes. It was a gloomy and rainy afternoon. Absolutely little or no sun light. A photographers nightmare! I had no choice, I had to make the best of it.

Nairobi NP was nothing like Tsavo. For some reason there was no soul. The trip was more a time pass rather than a spiritual journey which I have got used to.

I saw a pride of lions fast asleep after a heavy buffalo meal. Also a lone lioness walking around but the thick bush was a hindrance to get a good view. But the best part of the trip was spotting two black rhino’s in the park. I was extremely happy to spot these two since I had never before seen one. With so little rhino’s living in the wild, I felt I was privileged to spot these endangered species who will in only a matter of time go extinct unless something is seriously done about poaching.

I was able to cover almost the entire park in a couple of hours which was a distraction of the emotional turmoil I was feeling inside. Once again I alone on my bed. I began counting days until Christmas to see my family again. Even though Nairobi NP lacks the soul of Tsavo or the flamboyant style of the Masai Mara, for me it is a gateway to escape the cities hustle and to press the re-set button.