Three days ago an Air Kenya Twin Otter en route from Kicheche Laikipia kissed the burnished Olare airstrip and disgorged two couples. Sue Emery planted her feet firmly onto the dusty cotton soil and breathed deeply … they had made it after fifteen years in the making.
Sue (in red top) had visited in ’19 with her daughter, but for a combination of reasons had not been able to bring her husband Graham. They follow every Spot (they particularly enjoyed the James Bond issue) avidly but ‘nothing beats the real thing’. ‘We just can’t believe we are here, we never thought it would happen but we kept the faith.’ Thank you Sue, Graham, Kath and Steve.
The Conservancy royalty turned out with a show of force and respect for their persistence: Fig lounging in an acacia chaise longue at sunset, Furaha dancing towards their vehicle and a new cheetah mum running down a gazelle fawn on a parched Motorogi plain.
Let’s leave the last words to an emotional Sue: ‘Our guide Nelson has been admirable (I like your nautical gag there Sue) but it is more than just the spectacular and exciting game drives. It is just so wonderfully overwhelming when you are here: no stresses and no traffic noise. It is difficult to explain, literally as soon as we arrived we felt different, it is a welcome for every one of our senses’ she added rubbing her eyes, blaming it on the wind ….
