Kenya, part two

I have now completed my northern safari and spent some time in Nairobi so I figured I should start writing again although their system is pretty unreliable so I may not get anywhere with this at all.

My two days in Nairobi between safaris were wonderful. I got to rest and do laundry and catch up on my writing and more importantly, be close to a toilet when needed. I’m not sure what I ate or drank on that last day but something certainly wasn’t right. However, it was a perfect time to have such a problem – much better than being out in the bush on safari with lions and snakes and a million other things around if you really had to go.

I left on my northern safari on the 3rd and as it turned out it was just the tour guide and I so it was kind of like a private tour except that the itinerary was set by someone else. Of course my first request was “no shopping” so on this tour I did not have to put up with all the stores and salespeople that were on previous tours.

I wasn’t too sure what we would talk about for five days but talking certainly didn’t seem to be a problem. We talked continually and I probably learned way more about the Kenyan people and their culture than I ever would have in a larger group. And of course I learned a lot about the animals and parks and the country’s history and geography as well. And considering how many times I had to ask for clarification, I think I finally can tell the difference between a leopard and a cheetah, between a common zebra and Grevy’s zebra, and between Masai, Rothschild and Reticulated giraffes. And if I get it wrong some time, just don’t tell Geoff!

On our first day we drove towards Mount Kenya but it was covered in clouds so I didn’t see it. We went to a park called Sweetwaters Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a large 30,000 hectare private park. I started to panic when I saw the words “tented resort” on the signs because I really am not a camper in any sense. However, when we got there and I actually saw my tent I figured I would survive just fine. It was probably 12 by 20 feet in total, of very sturdy material and had rugs on the floor in the front bedroom area. At the back and separated by another flap there was a full bathroom – shower, toilet and sink – at so I had all the comforts of home. It was quite cool at night, especially in the tents but I slept well thanks to the nice hot water bottles they placed in my bed to warm it up. And all night long you could hear the sounds of the animals around you – birds, crickets and even other larger deeper sounds that I couldn’t identify and didn’t really want to know.

We arrived at Sweetwaters in time for lunch and then did a game drive in the afternoon. That night I also went on a night safari. Being a private resort in a private park, these people are allowed to do this. I wasn’t sure what you would see at night but it was a very happening place with lots of activity. My van had a doctor from Nairobi and her son and a guest of theirs from London. They were just out for the weekend and when I thought about it, it really did sound like a great way to spend the weekend.

Part of the afternoon drive included going to the chimp sanctuary. It is part of the Jane Goodall system and the local guide introduced me to some interesting chimps. George, the baby of the group, was very entertaining as he played with branches, tried to stand on his head, rolled around and kept trying to no avail to get someone else to play with him. Poco was pretty laid back and just put up with George and kept an eye on him. Judy went ambling through at one point but didn’t stay long. And sitting pensively throughout the whole time was Socrates. I don’t know who chooses the names but they couldn’t have found a better one for this guy unless they had called him The Thinker. He sat with his legs crossed in front of him, one arm folded across his chest and the other elbow resting on the first arm and with his hand holding his chin. He had the most serious and yet puzzled look on his face and it really did look like he was thinking or philosophizing. It was priceless and a Kodak moment all at once.

I forget how many chimps they have in the sanctuary but they are divided into at least two different groups so the males don’t get into any fights. They have a huge area to roam around in (247 hectares) and it is an absolutely beautiful setting. All of the chimps came to them abandoned or sick or mistreated and their stories are all posted on the walls. It was quite unbelievable to read the stories and hear about their condition prior to arrival but they certainly seem to be thriving now so the sanctuary is doing a great job.

The afternoon also included a trip to see Morani, the most photographed rhino in the world. And considering how many shots the guides take of you feeding and petting Morani, it is no surprise that he is the most photographed in the world. He is very friendly and easy to feed because he likes his sugar cane, but petting him definitely means getting dirty. Like all rhinos, Morani loves mud and dirt baths and he had certainly had one just before my arrival.

Aside from the chimps and Morani, there were no new animals that I can think of. The evening drive also didn’t have any new animals but it was sure interesting to see them at night. If the water buffaloes look mean during the day, you should see them when they have the entire van surrounded and they really don’t like the intrusion. It’s easy to see why they are the most dangerous animal to humans. I think even the Sweetwaters’ driver was wondering how he was going to back out of the situation. He told us that he had experienced a buffalo charging a van before and he really didn’t want to experience it again. We all agreed that was fine and helped him back discretely out of the dead end.

They carry strong floodlights on the vans for the night safaris and the animals’ eyes are the first things that show up. We saw zebras, hyenas, elephants, impalas, gazelles and many more than I can’t remember now. Many were definitely nocturnal animals and on the prowl while others were already settled down for the night before we disturbed them.

On Sunday the 4th we left Sweetwaters in the morning and headed toward Samburu National Reserve. As we left I finally had a good view of Mt Kenya, which is much higher and more impressive than I originally thought (17,058 feet). It is the second highest mountain in Africa. Mt Kilimanjaro is the highest. Mt Kenya has about 8 glaciers on it and is the source of four main rivers and much of the drinking water in Kenya.

The highlands or Mt. Kenya area we were driving through was incredibly lush and green and very much an agricultural area. The scenery was breathtaking and the crops looked fantastic. It was a very beautiful area. And then we started to get lower and the land started to get flatter and drier. By the time we reached Samburu we were in a desert area and not much was growing at all. Kenya is a large country and has such varied scenery that it’s wonderful just driving around. And I must say that the roads were great. We were on highway 90% of the time on this northern safari and the highways were good. There were no big holes or bumps so the ride was basically smooth, and when we did hit dirt roads the dust level was much lower than before. Of course that could have something to do with the rain as I think it rained almost every evening, which is most unusual for this time of year.

On the way into the resort at Samburu we saw four of the park’s big five – reticulated giraffe, oryx, Somalian ostrich and gerenuk. The reticulate giraffes are as big as the other giraffes. Their main differentiation is the reticulation in their colour scheme. It took me a while to understand the differences but once compared to the others it’s pretty simple. The ostrich looked like any other ostrich to me and it’s just the colour of the legs and neck that make it different. I’m not even going to comment on the colour because every time I did on the safari I got it wrong! The oryx was totally new to me. I don’t think they taught us about the oryx when we were in school but it is a very beautiful animal. I guess I’d describe it as a large deer or a slim moose shape with a light grey body with white belly and a bold black swoosh along the side of its belly up to its neck, and a head with beautiful markings and straight horns. It’s a very regal or classy looking animal but please don’t go by my description if you really want to know what it looks like! The gerenuk was also interesting and new to me. It is much smaller member of the antelope family and has very delicate features but large eyes. It has long legs and a long neck and its claim to fame is that it stands and even walks on its two back feet while reaching taller branches to get food. I got pictures of some gerenuks but not while standing on their back legs. I guess they just weren’t interested in posing for pictures that day.

The Serena resort in Samburu is right on the Uaso Ngrio (brown water) river and it feels like it is in a jungle since the vegetation is so thick. They say this is an unusual year and generally the area is much drier so I’m not sure what it would be like normally. There was lots of wildlife right around the resort including crocodiles on the river bank, black-faced monkeys in the trees and right on your patios when you opened your curtains, and beautiful birds that would try to join you at your dining table. The rooms are single or duplex buildings along the river and the reception, restaurant, lounge, etc. are in the centre. Most of the areas are open to the elements and a Samburu warrior spends his day simply shooing birds and monkeys away from the food areas by shooting stones at them with a sling shot. He has some impact but it’s very limited. Within a couple minutes they are right back again. Howver, it is entertaining for the tourists.

We spent two nights in Samburu. There are three parks in the area: Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba. We did a late afternoon drive on the first day and then an early morning, lunch time and early evening drive on the second day. We saw lots of animals and I think they have all been mentioned at one time or another before. The highlight for me was the leopard sleeping up in the tree. We were really close to the tree and had a great view and he looked so quiet and nice. He was literally just sprawled on his belly over a branch with two legs hanging down either side. His head was slightly to one side and his tail hung down the other side. Even though he didn’t appear to move a muscle he was still fun to watch and take pictures of.

I just thought of the one different, or at least slightly different, animal. We finally on the last afternoon found some Grevy’s zebras. They just looked like zebras to me so it was hard to figure out what was different. Then we found some common zebras nearby and it was very easy to clarify. While common zebras have very wide black stripes on white all around their bodies, the Grevys have many more stripes and thinner stripes and their bellies are white. The Grevys are also bigger and have a mane and tail like a horse. It’s easy to see the difference when they are side by side but perhaps not so clear in this description.

I guess I should also mention the dik-dik or smallest member of the antelope family. This guy was very hard to find and I almost always missed him. He is so tiny and moves so quickly that if you don’t see him at first glance he is soon hidden by the grass. Luckily Geoff was quick at spotting them so I think I got a couple of good pictures over the two days.

The resort does a 7 p.m. talk each night so the two I went to were on 1) the park and its animals and 2) the Samburu people and their customs. Both were interesting but the girl talked so fast that at times it was hard to understand her even though she was speaking English. Her speed of talking is hilarious given her speed of walking. I did the bird walk with her the one morning and I honestly thought I’d fall asleep while walking. I have never experienced such a slow pace in my life and I don’t think it was for the purpose of spotting birds. Slow just seems to be the speed for many Kenyans. You can’t even say they amble because that would be too fast for the actual speed. I guess the heat just makes them move slower to conserve energy and cut down on the perspiration.

At 6:30 each night they fed the crocodiles so that was fun to watch too. I have to say that I never realized just how lazy crocodiles were and how slowly they moved on ground. Some of them were so big they could only take about six small steps before flopping down on the ground for a rest. Then they would do another six steps and flop again. It’s actually quite hilarious to watch. And they are the same when they eat. They take about 6 chomping bites and then they appear to lapse into a coma. Then their eyes suddenly open and they chomp on something else for half a minute before going comatose again. It’s really quite intriguing and amusing to watch. Maybe it's just that Kenyan pace again.

For the one lunch time game drive, a number of the vans just went down to the river to sit in the shade and watch the elephants play in the water. They are obviously creatures of habit because they showed up exactly where and when they were expected and it was fun to see them. The river bank had a bit of a drop to it so sometimes the elephant would kneel down and try to reach the water with its trunk. Other times it would try to put one or two legs down and leave the other two up and bent while it got a drink. And of course the little ones didn’t know what to do so it was fun to see them tumble into the river and then scramble back up with the help of several strong trunks of the other elephants, and I’m sure the mother was one of them. At one point they found a spring running into the river and making a puddle before it got there. At that stage they all started pushing and shoving and splashing and rolling around until everyone was completely wet and covered in mud – just the way they like it.

The Samburu people have an area where they do their traditional dances every day so I went to see that one afternoon. Their colours and beadwork are wonderful and their dances were quite interesting. Again all the noise was made by the people themselves and there were no instruments. The men did most of the singing but there was one song where the women joined in and it was really nice.

Shaba has a “swimming hole” that is quite famous. It was actually formed by a bomb during WWII. The Italians thought they were bombing Nairobi, which was British at the time, but instead the bomb landed in the middle of nowhere over 300 miles to the north. It’s hard to believe they could be that far off but apparently all the lights in Nairobi were turned off and the lights in a small remote village were turned on and even extended so the Italians would think it was Nairobi. I guess it worked. I asked Geoff if he told that same story to his Italian tourists and he said they never get Italians on tour. I then wondered if it was because they were too embarrassed to come or whether they still hadn’t figured out the correct location.

On Tuesday the 7th we left Samburu and headed south again toward Aberdare National Park and my next night’s accommodation on The Ark. We had crossed the equator going north and now crossed it again going south. I stopped and watched the demonstration of how things change in the northern and southern hemispheres. It was interesting to see that just a few steps in one direction or the other had the water draining and twisting the opposite way, and at the equator it ran straight. I knew it was true but the demonstration right on the spot was very impressive. I even have a certificate saying that I crossed the equator and watched the demonstration.

We arrived at the Aberdare Country Club around 1 p.m. Geoff left me there and went off to some nearby town for the rest of the day and night and promised to come back the next day to pick me up. I had lunch at the club and walked around the resort. It is now a Fairmont resort (I think that was it. It was certainly something very familiar to me.) and the country club part is actually now closed for renovations. The country club used to be a family estate n colonial times and it is beautiful. It is on the side of a hill and overlooks a lot of beautiful country. The grounds are huge and well groomed and I had a very relaxing lunch enjoying the view.

After lunch we went on a game drive through the country club and got to walk around with the animals, mainly zebras, giraffes, gazelles, etc. After that we drove around for another two hours and went through some of the densest and lushest areas I have seen in Kenya. The immediate area was beautiful and the sights down into the valleys were breathtaking. We saw elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, marsh bucks, hyenas, impalas, baboon and elands to name a few. The last one I think is new to my blog. Basically it is just another member of the antelope family and it has straight spiralling horns. It looks somewhat like an oryx except the oryx has longer and straighter horns that don’t spiral.

We climbed further up the mountain and the temperature kept getting cooler (which was nice to the Canadians on the journey but the Kenyans thought it was freezing!) At about the 7,500 foot level, The Ark appeared. It is a lodge on the hillside overlooking a natural watering hole and mineral lick. The animals come to the watering hole and all the guests at the lodge just sit and watch them. It was quite wonderful. I stayed up until about midnight and was up again before 6 a.m. watching the animals. There are buzzers in each room and they ring in the night if animals appear. 1 ring for elephants, 2 rings for rhinos, 3 for leopards, etc. The night we were there no new animals came in the night so there were no buzzers. It had rained that day so I guess there was no need for them to come to the watering hole for water.

There are four floors on The Ark and each floor has a viewing area over the pond. Some are enclosed and some are open so people can decide which works best for them. In the evening we had a large group of elephants to watch as they rolled around in the mud and played in the water. There were also hyenas, buffalo, otters, bushbucks, bush pigs, giant forest hogs, waterbucks, warthogs and many birds around at various times. In the morning we left before 8 a.m. but there were impalas, gazelles, buffaloes, warthogs, elephants, etc. milling about – basically the same as the previous night. We had a gorgeous sunrise and one of the best views of Mt. Kenya – although it was far away and in a slight mist.

Once back down at the Country Club, Geoff and I continued our journey and finished our tour in Nairobi. Finding a hotel in Nairobi has been a challenge. There are several large conferences on including a United Nation's summit on something. I picked up my second bag from the Intercontinental but couldn’t stay there because they were full. I ended up not far away at the Silver Springs Resort but that was only for one night. The next day I moved to the Norfolk where luckily I could stay put for a couple days. This place is fantastic but it’s also expensive. Nairobi definitely needs more hotels and preferably at the lower end of the scale! If I ever have to come back on business though, the Norfolk is definitely the place to stay. It is right across the street from the University of Nairobi, which is a very nice campus.

The northern tour was very different from the southern tour. We had smooth paved roads all the way and no drives of over 5 hours in a day. There were some construction sights but they were minimal. The parks had dirt roads of course but nothing like on the southern route. And with the rain almost every day, the dust wasn’t quite as big a factor. The folks on my first trip would have loved this one just for those reasons!

The resorts were great and each one very unique. The tent at Sweetwater and The Ark in Aberdare were both worth the extra money just because of their location. The Samburu Serena was neat for its location along the river and its open-air concept but it was just a step below the others in uniqueness.

I now know from Geoff that we traveled 1,700 km on our first safari but I forgot to ask him about the second safari. I think it would have been significantly shorter but it was just as good from a safari perspective.

Well, I think that has to be it for now. I'll have more notes on Kenya in general and some notes on Nairobi specifically some time soon.

Tomorrow I am heading to Mombasa with a stop over in Tsavo National Park for one night. Mombasa will be just for relaxation and a little touring. After that I'm not sure where I'm off to but probably farther south in Africa.

As the Kenyans would say in Swahili, Kwaheri or goodbye.

Jayne