Yankari/8-year-Africa anniversary 10th Jan, 2008!

pic by Ikumi

we just got back yesterday from a 3-day holiday with the other homes here at the National Game Reserve in Yankari, Bauchi state, north of Nigeria...

It was great! I had a blast! Being in nothing but God's creation, surrounded by nature & wildlife, enjoying hot springs, BBQs, fellowship & safari trips was just the vacation the doctor ordered...truly refreshing. Getting back to work is gonna be tough, but I know I'm gonna enjoy that too as I get back in the groove. Let Adventure 2008 begin!

It's also my 8 YEAR ANNIVERSARY IN AFRICA TODAY.--I was so busy cooking that I forgot to tell me home...8 years ago today, Josh & my sister, Phebe picked me up at the airport in Lagos. I remember it like it was yesterday. Landing in Lagos, was like visiting a foreign planet...without telling you my whole life story, I'll just let you enjoy the Safari pics...(I would post the whole remembering-my-time-in-Africa pictorial, but it already takes me half a day to post a review of one year, or one place I've been...8 years would probably take me just that...)

Have a good one!

P.S. All pics taken by me, unless otherwise noted (copyrights apply...;) )


7:00 sunrise on the way to early morning Safari...


by the river where we saw Crocs, Egrets, Herons & later that day Hippos..


I had the privelege of going on 4 Safaris in 3 days ("How?", you may ask..). Here's what I saw between the 4:

Baboons, Bushbuck, "Brown-Shoebill-Bird-Thingie", Crocodile, Elephants, Egrets, Guinea Fowl, Hippo, Kingfisher (the most brightly colored bird you ever saw...but they're so shy & fly away quickly.."I neva snap am") Vulture, Waterbuck, Water Buffalo, Wart Hog, Western Hartebeest, another kinda monkey...forgot the name..and a few more animals whose names I can't pronounce..if I could remember them...



Mother & baby elephant I "snapped" on "Safari 3"...

On "Safari 4" we got up at 5 a.m. to go & find Lions...ended up being a "wild Lion chase...but we did see elephant, Bushbuck & a couple monkeys, and riding in the trunk of our pickup (the only Safari I went on with our own vehicle) with dust in my eyes, getting stuck in the sand & eating Safari snacks (literal name) was all part of the adventure...


All of group 2 during Safari 2 (go figure) in front of about half the herd of Elephant that we found just near the water front at a certain spot where the ground is phosphorous & they dig for salt/minerals & kick dust everywhere...about 3 of the males charged us (bluff charges, TTL)...should have brought our camcorder...


Practicing my monkey communication skills.. pic by Ikumi


enjoying BBQ with Mark & Jenny (& everyone else not pictured)
pic by Simon


Wikki warm Springs