It really is hard to believe that I have been home for over one week. Already back into the schedule of work and other daily routines. Not quite sure what I miss most from the time in Africa, perhaps that will come with more time to digest exactly what we did and observed during the what now seems a very brief two weeks.
When I think of my time away, the biggest thing I missed while in Africa was the daily stuff we all take for granted when we are living our normal everyday lives. Conversations with my wife, involvement and dialog with my children...fellowship of friends and family....home cooked meals, even my work and my dog (maybe not so much the actual work)! I did enjoy my time away, but if/when the opportunity presents itself for a further journey to Kenya, I would definitely want to take my wife with me. Too many things to experience, many of which can be described and even photographed but there is no substitute to being there and sampling things first hand, and things that are special and memorable to me are things that Kim would like to participate in as well. I have already started to lay plans for a return with Kim at some point in the not-to-distant future once Joel and Mary Ann have returned to Kenya.
Still trying to assimilate all that I was a part of during the time in Kenya...hopefully will be able to sum up the trip in the next few days.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
December 19 London to Seattle/Tacoma
After discovering how long it would take to get into London, and not certain that there would be enough time to get in and back in time for the 2 hour check-in, we decided to sleep in. I forgot to mention in my last blog that our bags had indeed made it to London and the VA representative was able to book them onward to Seattle with Northwest Airlines. The one down side to all of that was Zach was unable to get his suitcase and access a change of clothing. As a consequence he arrived in Seattle as he had left Africa, in shorts and a t-shirt. Problem was Seattle had about 5" of snow on the ground and near freezing temperatures.
Our flight was full...not an empty seat to be seen. The flight crew was very diligent and kept us well fed and watered, no complaints at all. Happy reunion on the ground with my wife and eldest daughter then into the car for the ride home. I drove, and I must admit that some of the Paul Weaver school of defensive/offensive driving was still flowing through my veins. So much so that my wife had to comment on how I was taking more than my one lane. Anyway arrived home and thankful to be there.
I will try to bring a conclusion to my two weeks in Kenya in the next couple of days.
Our flight was full...not an empty seat to be seen. The flight crew was very diligent and kept us well fed and watered, no complaints at all. Happy reunion on the ground with my wife and eldest daughter then into the car for the ride home. I drove, and I must admit that some of the Paul Weaver school of defensive/offensive driving was still flowing through my veins. So much so that my wife had to comment on how I was taking more than my one lane. Anyway arrived home and thankful to be there.
I will try to bring a conclusion to my two weeks in Kenya in the next couple of days.
Dec. 18 Nairobi to London
Well this day also began early, we left Camp Lukenya and the Weaver's home at 7:00 AM to allow enough time with the typical traffic to reach Jomo Kenyatta Airport for the 2 hour window for check-in. If possible, the traffic was even slower than normal, but with Paul's expert and daring driving we did make the airport with sufficient time to check our three suitcases. We were unable to check them through to Seattle since we had 20+ hours layover in London. The flight on Virgin Atlantic was trouble free, and the flight only had 98 passengers so there was room to roam. On arrival we waited patiently for our 3 pieces of luggage to arrive, dreading having to clear customs and then having to drag them through several terminals to try to check them onwards to Seattle. Not to worry! We waited till all bags were processed and claimed only to find that NONE of our three were anywhere to be seen. Over to the Virgin Atlantic help desk, we were assured that no luggage had been left behind in Nairobi and that our MUST be somewhere at Heathrow. This whold process took a bit over an hour to conclude, and we still had not managed to check in for our hotel. While we asked about the FREE transport to our hotel we were told that we would need to pay 4 pounds each (one way) to reach our hotel. Finally got to the hotel and were told by the front desk that we needed to pay. (Turns out the room had been prepaid by my wife, so we are still waiting for some type of refund to be processed). At any rate, Zach crashed and I met up with a friend of many years Tony Sheldon and his wife of 4 months Galina and had a delightful dinner and opportunity to catch up on events since we had last met. Back to the room by 10PM and a chance to rest up for the last leg home to Tacoma.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Amboseli to Nairobi Dec.17
Another early morning, great sunrise over herds of elephant and plains game. We had a leisurely breakfast..all the usual suspects AND waffles. Set off for Nairobi about 7:30. Casual drive through the park, the last few scenic shots of Mt. Kilimanjaro and then the challenging road from the main gate to Namanga. I did all the driving from the lodge to just outside of Namanga and was challenged by the corregations but managed to get us there in one piece.
At Namanga we stopped to TRY to purchase diesal for Paul's vehicle only to be told there was no diesal or petrol to be had. Still took a few minutes to welcome the Masai women trying to hawk there wares. Managed to purchase a few things...no details as some of these may wind up under the Christmas tree.
Made relatively good time, back at the camp by about 1:30. We decided to have one last night out and drove to a restaurant just on the camp side of Nairobi. They served soup, salads etc. and had about 8 or 10 different types of meat brought on a rotating basis to your table so they could slice off pieces for you. All you can eat....Beef, chicken, turkey, crocodile, pork ribs, beef ribs well you get the idea. Also had fried bananas, chips (french fries) and various other items. Did I mention it was all you can eat??
The ride home was very sobering...traffic in Nairobi is terrible at the best of times, and this evening was definatley not the best of times. Four lorries (tractor trailors) broke down within a very short space had things really slowed down, then when we finally thought we were clear there were several large boulders in the middle of our lane. This is not an unusual site, people mark when there is a breakdown ahead, but as we reached the boulders we could see they were there to prevent traffic from running over the body of a dead man who had obviouslly been trying to cross the road and had been struck by a vehicle. Not exactly the ending we had in mind to our brief sojurn here in Africa. Makes us all the more grateful to know that our time is in the hands of our Heavenly Father, who had ordained our lives since before we were born.
This will be my final blog from Africa, Lord willing. Once I am back in the states I will try to sum up the trip and test my memory for any missing details.
At Namanga we stopped to TRY to purchase diesal for Paul's vehicle only to be told there was no diesal or petrol to be had. Still took a few minutes to welcome the Masai women trying to hawk there wares. Managed to purchase a few things...no details as some of these may wind up under the Christmas tree.
Made relatively good time, back at the camp by about 1:30. We decided to have one last night out and drove to a restaurant just on the camp side of Nairobi. They served soup, salads etc. and had about 8 or 10 different types of meat brought on a rotating basis to your table so they could slice off pieces for you. All you can eat....Beef, chicken, turkey, crocodile, pork ribs, beef ribs well you get the idea. Also had fried bananas, chips (french fries) and various other items. Did I mention it was all you can eat??
The ride home was very sobering...traffic in Nairobi is terrible at the best of times, and this evening was definatley not the best of times. Four lorries (tractor trailors) broke down within a very short space had things really slowed down, then when we finally thought we were clear there were several large boulders in the middle of our lane. This is not an unusual site, people mark when there is a breakdown ahead, but as we reached the boulders we could see they were there to prevent traffic from running over the body of a dead man who had obviouslly been trying to cross the road and had been struck by a vehicle. Not exactly the ending we had in mind to our brief sojurn here in Africa. Makes us all the more grateful to know that our time is in the hands of our Heavenly Father, who had ordained our lives since before we were born.
This will be my final blog from Africa, Lord willing. Once I am back in the states I will try to sum up the trip and test my memory for any missing details.
Amboseli Day 2 Dec.16 Tuesday
Up at 5;30 hot tea at 6:00 then on to the AM game drive. First order of business was to return to where the dust up between the lions and cheetah took place. No sign of either species, just remnants of the kill and lots of bystanding plains game. After a morning of most of the typical game for the park we took a drive up to observation hill where you can legally leave your vehicle and trudged to the top. Really is quite a view from the top. From there we chose a road less travelled despite Pauls warnings and advice. We also chose this moment to let Zach get his feet wet driving the vehicle. I think Zach enjoyed the chance to drive in the park, but definately not the road we chose. Lots of volcanic rock, very potholed road with lots of sharp stones determined to puncture a tire. We did safely navigate, and our reward as we headed back toward Ol Tukai and a cold refreshing swim was a male and two female lions.
While at the lodge Zach and Paul played several spirited games of ping pong, you will need to ask them for the results. After lunch, more swimming etc it was once again tea time (4:00 PM) and then out for our evening drive. Went immediately to the area where we had seen the lions and this time found in addition to our original three there were 4 other females with the group. Watched them for half hour or so and carried on to look for additional game, promising ourselves a return to the pride before dark. Once again we had a very close encounter with a herd of elephant....who were very cooperative, some passing within about 10 feet. Great opportunities for photos and video. On returning to the lions we found they had been on the move a bit, but much more to our dismay was the veritable traffic jam surrounding/adjacent to the pride. I think at the high water mark there were 26 vehicles of various shapes and sizes, most crammed full of tourists. If only every vehicle agreed to pay a fee for the lions, after all they were our discovery. At any rate we did stay with them till sundown and were rewarded with some good photos/video, and since our lodge was close at hand we were able to stay with the pride long after most of the vehicles had carried on. Back to the lodge for hot showers and another wonderful dinner with the usual trimmings. Entree choices were milk fed turkey (not quite sure how they do that to a turkey) or beef steak (which was a unamious choice of our group). Another time of tea & coffee around the fire with some excellent conversation and then off to bed around 10 PM. Awoken several times during the night to the hooping call of the hyena and the sound of pounding hooves as some animals thundered through the camp. GREAT DAY!
While at the lodge Zach and Paul played several spirited games of ping pong, you will need to ask them for the results. After lunch, more swimming etc it was once again tea time (4:00 PM) and then out for our evening drive. Went immediately to the area where we had seen the lions and this time found in addition to our original three there were 4 other females with the group. Watched them for half hour or so and carried on to look for additional game, promising ourselves a return to the pride before dark. Once again we had a very close encounter with a herd of elephant....who were very cooperative, some passing within about 10 feet. Great opportunities for photos and video. On returning to the lions we found they had been on the move a bit, but much more to our dismay was the veritable traffic jam surrounding/adjacent to the pride. I think at the high water mark there were 26 vehicles of various shapes and sizes, most crammed full of tourists. If only every vehicle agreed to pay a fee for the lions, after all they were our discovery. At any rate we did stay with them till sundown and were rewarded with some good photos/video, and since our lodge was close at hand we were able to stay with the pride long after most of the vehicles had carried on. Back to the lodge for hot showers and another wonderful dinner with the usual trimmings. Entree choices were milk fed turkey (not quite sure how they do that to a turkey) or beef steak (which was a unamious choice of our group). Another time of tea & coffee around the fire with some excellent conversation and then off to bed around 10 PM. Awoken several times during the night to the hooping call of the hyena and the sound of pounding hooves as some animals thundered through the camp. GREAT DAY!
Monday Dec. 15 Amboseli Park P,M.
After cooling down at the pool, a brief time to gather our gear for afternoon tea served adjacent to the bar we proceeded on our afternoon game drive. Once again Paul and I split the driving and as we went through portions of the park we were again struck by the wonders of God's creation. So many different species of animals, each with its own niche to fill. No real competition since many of the animals eat different portions of the bush and grass. About an hour into our afternoon drive we came across a nice family group of elephants including some quite small babies. We probably spent 20 minutes perhaps more with the group, lots of good shots and video. While we were watching them at close range we spotted some silver backed jackels quite a ways away, too far for pictures but great through binoculars. Anyway we decided to proceed on the chance we could find some reason for the jackels to be about. We had not gone far when Paul spotted a solitary lioness which was making tracks away from us, but towards another loop road. We managed to get close enough for a few shots, and then she rushed more quickly away, suddenly changing direction and into some brush she chased three cheetah (a mom and two nearly grown cubs) off of their kill. Wonderful to see, and quite rare. We followed the cheetah for a bit and managed to get some photos and video of them before they got out of range and then we returned to the lioness who was busy draging the kill to a more suitable place for her. We then noticed another lioness coming to join her and at some distance moving at a much more regal pace a male lion. Between the lions and cheetah we spent most of the remainder of our afternoon with them. Best of all there was only one other vehicle of tourists that came on the scene. A great afternoon.
On return to the lodge we were able to shower off the days dust and head to the dining room at 7:30 for the evening meal. There was a soup starter, green salad, potato salad (delicious) and your choice of entree either Rosemary chicked or Lamb with mint sauce...the chicken was delicious. Then a choice of Black Forest Gateaux or Strawberry Flan and of course tea or coffee. Then about an hour setting around the campfire sipping tea/coffee and talking about our first days sighting. Zach and Paul headed off to bed early as I stayed by the fire for a bit longer. On returning to my room I was treated to a full moon rising immediately in front of my cabin. GREAT!
On return to the lodge we were able to shower off the days dust and head to the dining room at 7:30 for the evening meal. There was a soup starter, green salad, potato salad (delicious) and your choice of entree either Rosemary chicked or Lamb with mint sauce...the chicken was delicious. Then a choice of Black Forest Gateaux or Strawberry Flan and of course tea or coffee. Then about an hour setting around the campfire sipping tea/coffee and talking about our first days sighting. Zach and Paul headed off to bed early as I stayed by the fire for a bit longer. On returning to my room I was treated to a full moon rising immediately in front of my cabin. GREAT!
Monday15 Dec. Lukenya to Masai Amboseli AM
We were up early, and got away by 7:30 for the journey from Camp Lukenya (Athi) to Amboseli National Park and Ol Tukai Lodge, a distance of 250 kilometers or so. We had been told the road was "excellent" tarmac all the way from Athi to Namanga which would have accounted for the first 180 kilometers or so. Those who told us were WRONG. More deviations/detours through the bush...sometimes within sight of the paved road, but more often then not far away. Lots of dust...lots of potholes, plenty of corrugations - kind of like an endless washboard. To be careful of police checks, this first portion of the journey was handled by Paul. We stopped at Namanga where the road to the Park turns off to refuel the Mitsubishi Pajero for the balance of the trip. While waiting for the fueling attendant we were inundated by Masai women trying to sell curios. Since this is the only petrol station in town they have it staked out, and they were very persistant. "You buy...500 shillings...how much mister....baba I need money" well you get the idea. I had experienced this type of onslaught before, but Zach had not, and Paul only gave a brief hint of what to expect. I guess he did not want to spoil Zach's expierence with too much for knowledge. It was quite overwhelming particularly when you realized we would need to pass back the same way 0n 0ur return...but more on the return later.
Once we were closer to the border, we could see where Mt. Kiliminjaro should be, but it was covered in clouds. After entering the park we drove through a vast dry lake bed (in the rainy season it would be full of water) which was also quite dusty and we passed several large herds of Masai cattle. The Masai being the indeginous tribe in that area have permission to graze their herds in the park, much to the chagrin of most tourists who want to see wildlife. The Masai really have impacted the area, and taken away some important area from the wildlife, plus the Masai can still kill lions if their cows are killed. Anyway once past the herds of cattle we began to see more of what we came for...plains game, zebra, white bearded gnu (wildebeast), several species of gazelle, giraffe ect. We did some viewing/photography as we leisurely made our way into the park, lots of elephant which was quite nice. Arrived at Ol Tukai lodge around mid-day and got checked into our rooms and then headed for an awesome buffet lunch with fresh veggies/salads, soup, rice, fried potatos, green beans & carrots, fish, beef & pork as much as you want. After we made our first pass at the buffet line we sat on an open verandah to eat and soak in the compelling scene. Almost 200 elephant scattered across the horizon as well as hundreds of plains game, monkeys etc.. Oh wait, there was also a desert buffet with about 10 different kinds of cakes, tarts, flans, fruit...too much to list. And tea or coffee. After lunch it was off to the pool (refreshingly cold water) and comfy chairs & sun beds still within eyesight of all the vista of animals.
Once we were closer to the border, we could see where Mt. Kiliminjaro should be, but it was covered in clouds. After entering the park we drove through a vast dry lake bed (in the rainy season it would be full of water) which was also quite dusty and we passed several large herds of Masai cattle. The Masai being the indeginous tribe in that area have permission to graze their herds in the park, much to the chagrin of most tourists who want to see wildlife. The Masai really have impacted the area, and taken away some important area from the wildlife, plus the Masai can still kill lions if their cows are killed. Anyway once past the herds of cattle we began to see more of what we came for...plains game, zebra, white bearded gnu (wildebeast), several species of gazelle, giraffe ect. We did some viewing/photography as we leisurely made our way into the park, lots of elephant which was quite nice. Arrived at Ol Tukai lodge around mid-day and got checked into our rooms and then headed for an awesome buffet lunch with fresh veggies/salads, soup, rice, fried potatos, green beans & carrots, fish, beef & pork as much as you want. After we made our first pass at the buffet line we sat on an open verandah to eat and soak in the compelling scene. Almost 200 elephant scattered across the horizon as well as hundreds of plains game, monkeys etc.. Oh wait, there was also a desert buffet with about 10 different kinds of cakes, tarts, flans, fruit...too much to list. And tea or coffee. After lunch it was off to the pool (refreshingly cold water) and comfy chairs & sun beds still within eyesight of all the vista of animals.
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