Last Days in Kenya: A Retrospective

As Carl and I made it to Meru we were pleasantly greeted by thirteen children at the Kithoka Amani Children's Home.  It was a good thing I had a few bags and two crutches because every kid wanted to help us get our stuff into our room and they each wanted to carry something.  They were all so adorable.  But when I stepped out of the car with a metal leg one of the girls who I would later learn is Bessie, was staring with such concern over the state of my leg.

After settling in and getting oriented after a rest we made our way down to dinner where the kids were playing outside.  They were mighty curious about my leg so with the help of Cecilia, the house mom, I explained what happened and that it was okay to touch, and no it didn't hurt me, etc...  After dinner was very nice because once all the kids went to bed we stayed up and got to have an extended talk with our driver, Ashford.  It was the first time I really felt like we were able to talk and learn more about each other.  He is a great person.

On Friday morning we got to tour the grounds of International Peace Initiative (who runs the children's home) and our little friend came along (one of the kids).   It's a beautiful place and they have small farming down to a science.  Our Detroit farming friends would love to see what they have to offer.  We even learned how to shuck black beans from the kids and spent a good chunk of time trying to help but I am not sure anything got done faster because of our presence.  Carl got really good at hitting the pile of beans with the stick, the first step in the shucking.

In the afternoon we drove around Meru, went to visit some friends of my mom's, and drove through the market.  While in a bit of a traffic jam in the market with our windows open a man came up to Carl's window, leaned in and started asking him questions, "who are you? Where are you from?  Ooh, USA?  Did you elect Obama?" without missing a step and wanting to make sure he had the right answer Carl said "yes, we elected Obama!". Well maybe not us personally but the answer seemed to be good enough for this man because he smiled and shook Carl's hand and walked away after that.  

We got to walk on the campus of Kenyan Methodist University which has grown immensely since I saw it in 2004.  It now boasts a medical school, and when I was there they had just a one room clinic in which they weren't allowed to advertise that they had free condoms to give away.

Friday evening we handed out footballs (soccer) and toys to the kids.  I passed out stickers and somehow most of them ended up on my arms.  We got to have a yummy dinner, Carl's new favorite food are Chipatis.  And we had somewhat of a sharing time after dinner.  The kids did a few dances for us, we had a guest friend who played the guitar and even Carl and I sang a few songs.  It was really fun.  It felt like we were part of the family.  More after dinner conversation and then it was off to bed. 

Saturday we departed early for Nairobi so that we could see some sights and downtown.  It was about 4 hours into our ride and only 60 km from Nairobi when suddenly the Carl broke down.  Hadn't we had enough car trouble?  Guess not.  We pulled over to a Mutatu station and were assisted by some other drivers who said it was needing to be fixed in a mechanic shop.  So Ashford called the other driver who was coming from Amboseli to pick us up and take us to Nairobi, but that meant a wait.  We got out and joined the patrons on the bench at the Mutatu stop.  Carl was initially pretty nervous about the situation but as time went on it allowed him to see that it was just any bus stop and people were just going about their days.

We were the butt of a few jokes, Kenyans not used to seeing Mazungus at the mutatu , but overall it was no big deal.  A "luxury shuttle" drove by, which was just a glorified mutatu and tried to pick us up, knowing that those white folks must have money.  But we stayed put and waited for Ben.  When he finally arrived, Ashford had bought some hand made rope which he tied the broken van to the working one.  

We made it almost 30 km before it broke!  Luckily Ben is a party man and a friend of his from Mombasa was driving by on the highway and had a metal hitch to let us borrow.  We made it most of the way to the guest house but had to leave Ashford at an area where he could try to get the car fixed.  It was really sad leaving him there as we had to say goodbye.  Next to the highway is not the ideal setting for emotional goodbyes and I had grown quite attached to Ashford.  He was a very nice, cautious, friendly, thoughtful guy and I am so glad we got to spend the week with him.  

So after a shower and a dinner with Chipatis one last time we repacked and were off to the airport.  As we drove the street back to the airport I found myself getting really choked up and teary eyed because this land has really treated me well and I don't know how soon I'll be able to get back here.  I love Africa so much, I miss it already but I was so glad to have the opportunity to call it home.  Even if just for a little while.

Samburu

So in the morning we awoke in Samburu to more mischievous vervets stealing Ashford's mangos! In fact, he said, "they didn't even eat them! They just made little holes in all of them and then threw them away!". Ah, well, I think next time we'll come during the rains and get some great mangos. I hear that's when they are sweetest!

But despite our lack of mango goodness we headed out for an early morning game drive. Soon we were in the midst of tiny dik diks (Anna and I both heard the Spaceballs "Dink dink" song in our heads everytime we saw them), giraffes, oryxes, and more.

In our endeavors to see a cheetah or two we went up to a more rugged road and promptly got stuck! Ashford had to add sticks and grasses under the wheels, I drove on the right side drivers seat/left sided gear shift while Anna played lookout for any lions or other large predators. Ashford taught us that the thing to do if you see a Lion is to yell and make LOUD NOISES!

But, the day really belonged to the elephants. As we went out and about we saw a few small families of pacaderms out in the bush. But as we turned in to the lodge for breakfast we made a swing by the dried up river bed. And there gathering for some kind of elephant conference were about 50 of the giants all standing around.

Some of the elephant village were actually digging for the salts left over by the evaporated water. The little ones (some only 2-3 weeks!) stood there underneath their mothers for shade or chased each other around. The anti-social bachelors seemed to hang around the banks pouting.

It didn't seem like the place for giant animals to be- what with the hot sun, no food, etc. but they must have had some business to attend to, because by the time we headed out in the afternoon they were still there! The next day they were even joined by a giraffe convention!

While we saw lots of great things in Samburu, including ostrich families, giraffes bending down to drink water, etc. I think the giant herd of elephants was the best thing!

Solio: Five Lions in a tree

In the morning we woke up at the ark to lots of warthogs, buffalo and bushbucks outside. We packed up early to meet Ashford for a drive in Solio Ranch. From the road it looks similar to a roadside park in the UP, not that exciting. But once you pass the front gate it opens up into a vast landscape somewhere between mountain forest and desert savannah.
On entry to the park we early on saw lots of Rhinos shading themselves behind bushes not more than 15 feet from our car! We drove on and saw some far off lions stalking some pray but they didn't have any luck while we were watching. We drove up a hill and saw some Ilans, the largest in the antelope family, a whole big family of rhinos (about 15 under one tree), and some zebras making loooooove. As we were making our way out of the park at a faster clip Carl shouts in a whispered tone, "lions!" and sure enough, right next to the van was a tree filled with Lions. So don't count on escaping up a tree if a hungry lion is chasing you!!!!
After being dropped off in Nyeri (Ashfords Place of residence) for a quick lunch and Ashford said goodbye to his sons and wife, we took off at a fast clip in order to get to Samburu before dark. We almost made it but then entered the park just after sundown. When we made it to our hotel we were amazed at the proximity to the wildlife! During dinner we were pestered by a spotted genet cat for scraps- it's amazing he wasn't much fatter!
As we retired to our rooms we heard what can only really be described as the barking sound of a lion in the vicinity. Apparently we missed last night, the leopard eating the head of a dead crocodile just in the riverbed below the viewing area. After a long journey we were tired and went to bed early.
At around 12:30 the promised cut off of all power to the lodge came. They do this every night and afternoon to save fuel - since the whole place only has generators for electricity. There is something intense about spending all day finding lions and leopards around you, and then at midnight being separated from one of the man-made things that helps us pretend like we are safely apart from those beasts when we lay down to go to sleep. And apart from some tortuous sounds of something eating something else at around 3:00am, all went well even without any lightbulbs burning or iPhones charging.

Puncture

Today began with a realization that US dollars aren't as magical as they may seem. We tried to exchange both travelers checks and cash but no banks in Nakuru Town do travelers checks anymore and any US cash older than a couple years isn't accepted anywhere in Kenya. Sheesh! Luckily the ATM worked and we had some cash newer than 2006!

Then we hit the road and headed to Aberdare National Park and a lodge called The Ark. It was our first taste of really getting "out there" on safari.

First off, Aberdare is up in the mountains and so is a jungle landscape.
On our game drive on the way up to The Ark we were surprised by a tusker elephant grazing on jungle bushes almost right above our heads on a skinny mountain road. It is amazing that something so big can hide so well right next to you!

Then after seeing some skunk monkeys (____________ for real), various asundry warthogs and bush bucks, our guest guide for the day talked in Swahili to his driver and then said in English, "Oh, I am sorry. We have a puncture." Apparently the left front wheel had blown and we were on our own with a bus full of Chinese and Argentinian friends to fix it. Anna and I were the only English-only folks there, plus the only Americans, so to avoid seeming pushy, we stayed on the bus and didn't lend any thoughtful gazing to the tire changing effort at all, but the rest of the folks certainly did. Especially after the guide told us NOT to get off the bus.

But the tire was successfully swapped out and we were on our way up to the top for a night in The Ark. The best feature of this hotel is the salt lick, pond, viewing deck, and flood light combo that allows guests to watch the late night antics of the creatures who come to visit. One bell rung in the middle of the night means the are elephants to see. Two bells equals rhinos, three; a leopard, and four; all other rare sightings.

About two-thirty in the morning we heard a single bell and hopped out of bed. When we arrived at the viewing platform we saw both a big old tusker elephant plus two black rhinos! They drank water, scuffled over who owned the salt lick and in general put on an enjoyable show. Then the bad guys showed up as a pack of hyenas followed, threatened and were ultimately rebuffed by a giant forest hog.

While watching these animals from the indoor observation deck, below us on the porch were two bush babies! One even came up the emergency stairs and looked Carl right in the face! Our guide Ashford stated that he has lived in Kenya all his life and never seen a live bush baby because they are so elusive. And guess what? We forgot to take a picture!

Did I mention that the Ark was built to resemble the biblical boat sitting atop Mt. Arararat? Well it is and certainly delivers on a similar amount of wildlife with it! It was a great way to see that part of Kenyan game culture.

Hello Kenya!

After much anticipation, I finally made it to Nairobi to meet Carl. He was waiting for me at the airport with roses and that silly mustache! I told him he would look more appropriate at the Houston airport in boots and a ten gallon hat. But it was so nice to see him after this long trip! We made it to the guest house and got to meet Dr. Karambu Ringera, the head of Amani Travel and International Peace Initiative. They served us a hardy dinner, and we tried to nod off around 9pm but someone in the neighborhood was having a party! All night! And their was also a few Mosquitos inside our net which were stupid because they didn't bite but made plenty of noise while buzzing around your ear. In the morning we jokingly mentioned it to Ashford and he immediately complained to the guards. Apparently she has done this before (parties) and it's not allowed. I hope we didn't get anyone in too much trouble.

In the morning we departed from Nairobi for Nakuru. It was so interesting because we drove straight through Nairobi's city center--what a giant place with skyscrapers and a central park--it felt much like a big city at home. Ashford said there are 3.2 million people living in Nairobi. It seems like a very westernized city.

After leaving the city we drove a ways on the highway, which was pretty flat and then turned off to the left where a short distance away the road opened up and it seemed like the ground just fell away into the Rift Valley. What a gorgeous and unexpected site! We stopped at the mountainside to take some photos and go into the curios shop.

Then we went on to Nakuru National Park. At the entrance to the park we were getting out of the van when a vervet monkey with her baby on her belly jumped into the van. Carl valiantly jumped out of the way while I was stuck in the car, monkey between me and the exit. Ashford came to the rescue and quickly shooed it away. It was quite a funny sight!!

After lunch at our accommodations we went on a game drive and saw almost every animal in the book!! It was an excellent first day of Safari for Carl!! Late in the day as we were driving back to our hotel we came across a hippo walking near the road. We stopped to take some photos and he was coming nearer to the car when he looked Carl in the face, huffed and jumped a little, ready to charge. Carl hollered and sat down quickly, which I think startled the hippo so then he just stood there for a second, eyeing us and then went on his way. We also saw a whole pride of young lions, a black rhino, a white rhino with her baby and much, much more. It was a very successful day! Asante sana!