Lake Naivasha

On Saturday, we traveled in a group of 12 to Lake Naivasha, which is about an hour's drive from Kijabe. We hired two drivers and two vans to take us there. We traveled mainly with other folks who are new to RVA. We visited a resort called the Lake Naivasha Country Club where we enjoyed walking the grounds, viewing the lake, and eating a wonderful, large buffet lunch in the gardens. After lunch, two boats shuttled us over to Crescent Island (which is actually a penninsula) where we went on a walking safari. It was incredible. For all four of us, it was our first time seeing these animals in their natural habitat. We saw: hippos, wildebeests/gnus, zebras, giraffes, a dik dik, springbok gazelles, thomson's gazelles, and two huge pythons. Abby was literally giddy when she saw her first zebra! The kids found and collected many bones. Our guide, Simon, told us about the pythons that live on the island, but that it was difficult to actually see them. When we were almost done with our walking tour, Abby asked him to show us where they lived. He found one of the male pythons curled up in a hollow rock and we all caught a glimpse. When we turned the corner, Alex spotted the tail end of a python in the grass. As we approached, we discovered the mama python warming in the sun. She is about 12-15 long and 6 inches in diameter! Abby was incredibly thrilled and scared at the same time. It was very exciting for here, especially because she had studied snakes in Kindergarten. She brought home some snake skin too, in addition to the bones. Andrew's favorite animal was the wildebeest - he had been hoping to see one and we saw a whole herd. The setting was beautiful too - the backdrop for the animals was the lake and beyond the lake, the mountains. Abby proclaimed upon our arrival to the island, "THIS is how I pictured Africa!" God's creation is amazing!

"The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech. Night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the earth." --Psalm 19:1-4