Elephants, monkeys, and more...

I've just arrived back in Ouaga after a two day trek to South Burkina, a 200-acre national park called Nazinga. This national park is home to approximately 500 elephants, and lots of baboons, monkeys, antelope and other such looking creatures, crocodiles, lions (that are never seen, only carcasses are come upon every so often), wart hogs...everything you would want to see in Africa except for giraffes. There aren't any giraffes in Burkina.

Nichole, Lynn, and I left Friday morning and arrived sometime around three. Its about a 4 1/2 hour drive from Ouaga. It's only about 30 km north of Ghana.

The first afternoon we were tired and wanted to rest before heading out on a "ballad" (a trip through the park to see animals....like a safari). We dropped our stuff off in our bungalows (very simple one room with bathroom) and went outside to look around. Nichole was the first to see any wildlife...monkeys running across the road. About fifteen of them. It was incredible. They just kept jumping off of the tree next to the road and sprinting across. We walked down the road and took a lot of pictures, although they didn't turn out the best because they blended in so well with the trees and dry grass. Southern Burkina looks a little more like Missouri in the fall than it does Africa. Except for the trees are quite a bit more spectacular than anything we have in Missouri. It smelled like fall. It was a lovely smell.

After watching the monkeys for awhile we headed over to the observatory. A little outdoor "room" next to a lake making looking for and watching animals easy. As we surveyed our surrounds we found our first elephants. They were across the lake and we couldn't see them very well except for when they moved...but it was so amazing to see! We weren't at a zoo. These elephants are free to go wherever they want whenever they want. They are not fenced in or kept on the park grounds in any way. There is a small village nearby that has trouble cultivating their fields because of the elephants...I can't imagine saying "My crop got ruined again this year because of the elephants." How bizarre!!

The next morning we had a 6:30 AM appointment with a guide who took us around the park. We had not been on the road for more than five minutes when we spotted elephants. Probably 100 feet from our car. They were RIGHT there. Just eating. About five of them. One of them started walking towards us and so we back up and he turned around and kept walking with the others.

Our guide later told us that there is one elephant in particular that all the guides know. If he sees them coming he deliberately blocks the road forcing them to find another path and has been known to charge vehicles. But mostly they leave humans alone.

We continued and saw a lot of deer/antelope animals running and sitting and eating. They are beautiful. Some have black faces and black legs and crazy horns that are striped. Its beautiful.

We saw some baby warthogs.

We came upon a family of elephants and we stopped and watched as they made their way across the road. The last one started to make his way towards us just as we were starting to move again. All of a sudden he raised his truck and trumpeted us. It was so scary!! He was huge and we thought he was going to charge us, but it was more like a warning to get away from his family. He was nice enough to let us watch and take pictures but now it was time to move on.

When we got back to our bungalows Nichole was looking down the road again and this time saw baboons!!! We hadn't known to be looking for them! When we first heard about Nazinga we thought it was just all elephants...no idea that we would be seeing so many animals.

We spent some time at the observatory and saw a lot of elephants bathing....the little ones playing, pulling each other under water with their trunks. It was like watching National Geographic in real life....because of the terrain I kind of felt like I was just sitting on the edge of the Lake until I looked across the water and saw an elephant! It was so surreal and amazing.

Lynn saw a crocodile. That was a little freaky. I saw the nose of one as he swam across the lake...that was scary enough. Apparently they've eaten a guides dog.

We went out again on a "ballad" and saw a lot of baboons...I think their red butts are redder out in the wild than they are in the zoo.

I think that was the craziest thing the whole time was that these animals are wild...this is where they live...and we are allowed a little glimpse into that.

The closest town to Nazinga is called Po. It's a fun city. Pretty. As we were driving down the road through the town all three of us thought and then later said that when we thought of Africa this is what we thought it would look like. Not that Yako doesn't "look" like Africa...but Po had something about it that fit our imaginations of Africa better than Yako.

I'm missing the kids...Deborah is home from the hospital!! Looking like a real baby. Beautiful. But it was good to get away and spend some time with Lynn and Nichole (who is leaving in 25 days!! It will be a sad sad day!!!)

My family will be here in less than a month and I can't wait to see them!!